How to Find Total Users in Google Analytics

Finding the total number of people visiting your website in Google Analytics should be straightforward, but GA4 often makes it feel like a puzzle. If you've been confused by the "Users" metric, you're not alone, because a user isn't always what you think it is. This guide will show you exactly how to find the Total Users metric in GA4, explain how it differs from the default "Active Users," and give you two clear methods to get the data you need today.

What Happened to a Simple "Users" Count in GA4?

In the switch from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4, Google changed how it measures user activity. In the past, "Users" was a primary metric that roughly represented the total number of unique visitors. In GA4, Google defaults to showing "Active Users" in most standard reports, focusing on engagement rather than just visits.

While this change gives a better view of audience quality, it creates confusion for anyone looking for a simple, total visitor number. To navigate your reports effectively, it’s crucial to understand the three core user metrics in GA4:

Total Users: The total count of unique users who have triggered any event on your website or app. This is the broadest and most inclusive user metric, an answer to the question "How many distinct people interacted with my site in any way?"
Active Users: The number of distinct users who had an "engaged session" or were new to your site. An engaged session is one that lasts longer than 10 seconds, has a conversion event, or has at least two pageviews. This is GA4's default and primary user metric.
New Users: The number of users who interacted with your site or app for the first time (based on triggering the first_visit or first_open event).

The main takeaway is that you often have to go out of your way to find the "Total Users" metric because GA4 doesn’t surface it in most standard reports. But don't worry - it’s there if you know where to look.

Active Users vs. Total Users: What's the Real Difference?

Understanding the distinction between these two metrics is the key to accurately interpreting your GA4 data. Think of it like a retail store.

Total Users is like counting every single person that walks through the door. It doesn't matter if they bought something, asked a question, or just glanced at a display and left immediately. If they crossed the threshold, they're counted. This metric is perfect for gauging the absolute reach of your website or an ad campaign.

Active Users is like counting only the shoppers who actually engaged with the store - they tried something on, spoke to a salesperson, or put an item in their cart. They didn't just walk in and out. This metric helps you understand the size of your audience that is actively interested, not just passing by.

In a technical sense, GA4 counts someone as an Active User if they are a new user or have an engaged session. This means someone could visit your site, but if they don't meet the engagement criteria (e.g., they leave in under 10 seconds without clicking anything), they won’t be counted as an Active User. However, they will be counted as a Total User because their visit triggered an event (like session_start or page_view).

Most of the time, Active Users is a more valuable metric for measuring audience quality. But if you need to report on absolute reach - for instance, to show stakeholders the total potential audience size - then Total Users is what you're looking for.

How to Find Total Users in Google Analytics 4 (Step-by-Step)

Since standard reports hide this metric, you have two primary methods for uncovering Total Users: customizing an existing report or creating your own report from scratch in Explorations.

Method 1: Customizing a Standard Report

This is the quickest way to get Total Users into a report you already use, like the Traffic Acquisition report. This makes the metric easily accessible for future use.

Step 1: Navigate to a Report You Want to Edit

Let's use the Traffic Acquisition report as an example. From your GA4 dashboard, navigate to Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition.

Step 2: Open the Customization Panel

In the top-right corner of the report, you'll see a small pencil icon labeled "Customize report." Click it to open the report editor.

Step 3: Add the "Total Users" Metric

A new panel will slide out from the right side. Under the "Report Data" section, click on Metrics. This will show you a list of all metrics currently included in the report.

Click on Add metric. A search bar will appear. Type "Total Users" into the search bar, select it from the list, and it will be added to your report.

Pro Tip: To avoid confusion, you can drag "Total Users" to the top of the metrics list to make it the first column. You can also click the three dots next to "Active Users" or "New Users" and select "Remove" if you don't need them in this view.

Step 4: Click "Apply" to See Your Changes

Once you've added the new metric and arranged it how you like, click the blue Apply button at the bottom of the right-hand panel. You will now see your report with "Total Users" included as a column.

Step 5: Save the Report for Future Access

Crucially, you need to save your changes. Click the blue Save button in the top-right corner. You’ll be given two options:

Save changes to current report: This will overwrite the default Traffic Acquisition report.
Save as a new report: This lets you create a copy with a new name.

We highly recommend choosing Save as a new report. Give it a descriptive name like "Traffic Report - with Total Users" so you can easily find it later in your Library.

Method 2: Using Explorations for Deeper Analysis

If you want more flexibility or need to compare several metrics side-by-side, the Explore Hub is your best friend. It allows you to build custom reports from the ground up.

Step 1: Go to the Explore Hub

On the left-hand navigation menu in GA4, click on Explore. Then, select Blank exploration to start fresh.

Step 2: Import Your Dimensions and Metrics

An exploration is made up of two main components: dimensions (the "what," like browser or country) and metrics (the "how many," like users or conversions).

In the "Variables" column on the left, click the + icon next to Dimensions. Find and import a dimension you want to analyze, like Session source / medium or Landing page + query string. Click the "Import" button.
Next, click the + icon next to Metrics. Search for and select "Total Users." It's a good idea to also select "Active Users" and "New Users" here so you can fully compare them. Click "Import."

Step 3: Build Your Report Layout

Now you need to tell GA4 how to arrange the data. In the middle "Tab Settings" column, drag and drop your imported variables into the correct fields:

Drag your dimension (e.g., Session source / medium) from the "Variables" list into the Rows field.
Drag your metrics (Total Users, Active Users, etc.) into the Values field.

Instantly, a table will appear on the right side of the screen, showing you your data broken down exactly as you specified. You’ll be able to see Total Users, Active Users, and New Users next to each other, giving you a comprehensive view of performance.

A Few Common Roadblocks and Tips

As you start digging into user metrics, you might hit a few speed bumps. Here’s what to do about them.

"My numbers seem low..." (Data Thresholding)

If you see a small orange triangle icon at the top of a report or exploration, it means data thresholding has been applied. Google does this to prevent the identification of individual users when you use reports with small user counts or granular demographic info. The result is that some data might be withheld from your report. It's a privacy feature working as intended, but it's important to be aware of.

"Why don't my numbers match Universal Analytics?"

They shouldn't! The user calculation methods are fundamentally different. Universal Analytics was session-based, while GA4 is event-based. The way a "user" is identified and counted changed, so direct comparisons will almost always show discrepancies. The best practice is to focus on trends within GA4 rather than trying to match old data from UA.

Think in Date Ranges

Remember that user numbers are unique to the date range you've selected. For example, if one person visits your site on Monday and again on Friday, they count as just one "Total User" in a weekly report. But if you look at daily reports, they would appear as one user on Monday and one on Friday.

Final Thoughts

Figuring out where to find Total Users in GA4 is a common challenge, but it is manageable once you know how to customize your reports or use the Explore Hub. The real key is understanding what makes a "Total User" different from an "Active User" - one measures absolute reach, while the other measures engagement. By grabbing the right metric, you can tell a much clearer story about who visits your website and how they behave.

We know that jumping between platforms, digging through menus, and customizing reports to get a simple number can feel like a frustrating chore. That's why we built Graphed. Instead of clicking through menus, you can just ask your GA4 data a question in plain English, like, "show me total users by country for the last 90 days." Our AI data analyst builds the report or dashboard for you in seconds, pulling live data from all your connected sources (not just GA). This lets you spend your time on insights, not on hunting down metrics.