Where is Audience Overview in Google Analytics 4?

If you've recently logged into Google Analytics 4 and gone looking for the familiar “Audience Overview” report, you’ve probably noticed it's completely vanished. Don't worry, you're not alone, and the data you need is still there - it’s just been reorganized. GA4 handles user data differently than its predecessor, Universal Analytics, putting the focus on the user journey rather than disconnected sessions.

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This tutorial will show you exactly where to find your essential audience information, including demographics, location, and technology. We'll also walk step-by-step through how to rebuild a custom, more powerful version of the classic Audience Overview report so you can get back to understanding who your users are, fast.

What Happened to The Old Audience Reports?

The disappearance of the Audience Overview report isn't just a design choice, it reflects a fundamental shift in how Google Analytics measures user interactions. Universal Analytics (UA) was built around sessions - individual visits to your website. GA4 is built around events and users, tracking the entire lifecycle of a user across all their sessions and devices.

Because of this, GA4 splits the old, bulky "Audience" section into two more focused default reports:

• User attributes: This collection contains reports about who your users are, covering their country, city, gender, age, and language.
• Tech: This collection holds reports on how your users are accessing your site, including their browser, device type, operating system, and screen resolution.

While this change might seem confusing at first, it ultimately allows for more flexible and user-centric analysis. Instead of one cluttered overview, you get streamlined reports that let you focus on specific aspects of your audience.

Where to Find Your Core Audience Data Today

Let's map out exactly where the key pieces of your old Audience Overview puzzle now live within the GA4 interface. You'll find everything organized under the “Reports” tab in the left-hand navigation.

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Finding Demographic and Geographic Data

Information about your users' location, age, and gender is now neatly tucked away in the Demographics reports. Here's how to access it:

1. In the left navigation panel, click on Reports.
2. In the accordion menu that appears, look for the User collection and click on User attributes.
3. This will open the Demographics overview report. For a more detailed view, click on View demographic details or directly select Demographics details from the menu.

In the Demographics details report, you'll find a table containing familiar user data. You can use the dropdown menu at the top-left of the table to switch between dimensions like:

• Country
• Region
• City
• Language
• Age
• Gender

Note: If you're not seeing any age, gender, or interest data, you may need to enable Google Signals. Go to Admin > Data Settings > Data Collection and follow the prompts to activate it.

Finding Technology and Device Data

Need to see if your audience is primarily on mobile or desktop? Or which web browser they prefer? That information is now in the Tech reports.

1. Click on Reports in the left navigation panel.
2. Under the User collection, click on Tech.
3. This brings you to the Tech overview dashboard. To dig deeper, click on View tech details or navigate directly to Tech details.

Similar to the Demographics report, the Tech details report has a dropdown menu that lets you view user data by:

• Browser
• Device category (Desktop, mobile, tablet)
• Device model
• Screen resolution
• Operating System
• Platform (Web, iOS, Android)

How to Rebuild a Custom Audience Overview Report in GA4

While it's good to know where all the pieces are, switching between two or three different reports to get a simple overview can be frustrating. The good news is that GA4's customization features allow you to build your own reusable "Audience Overview" dashboard that combines all this data into a single, convenient view.

Follow these steps to create a one-stop-shop for your audience insights.

Step 1: Go to the 'Library'

The "Library" is where all of your reports are stored and where you can create new custom ones. In the left navigation menu, click on Reports, then scroll to the very bottom and click on Library.

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Step 2: Create a New Detail Report

Inside the Library, click the blue + Create new report button and select Create detail report from the dropdown menu.

You can start from scratch with a blank template or use an existing report as a foundation. For this exercise, let's start with a template to make it easier. Choose the Demographics details report under the "User" templates.

Step 3: Customize Your Dimensions

You're now in the report builder. On the right-hand sidebar, you'll see a “Report data” section. This is where you control what information appears in your report.

Click on Dimensions. These are the attributes of your users - the "what," "who," and "where." The default dimensions from the template will already be selected, but we can add more to make our report more comprehensive.

Click + Add dimension and add a few key dimensions for a good overview, such as:

• Device category
• Browser
• Session default channel group (to see where they come from)

You can also reorder them by grabbing the six dots next to a dimension and dragging it into your preferred order. The top dimension in the list will be the "primary" or default dimension when you load the report. Let's make Country our primary dimension.

Once you’ve selected your dimensions, click Apply.

Step 4: Customize Your Metrics

Next, click on Metrics in the right-hand sidebar. These are the quantitative measurements - the "how many."

The template will include metrics like Users and New users. Let's add the essentials for a performance overview. Click + Add metric and search for the following:

• Sessions
• Engaged sessions
• Engagement rate
• Conversions
• Total revenue (if you have an e-commerce or lead generation site)

Again, you can reorder these as you see fit. Once you’re done, click Apply.

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Step 5: Visualize Your Data

At the top of the report, you can choose two charts for quick visual summaries. By default, you might see a bar chart and a scatter chart. A line chart is often more useful for spotting trends over time.

Under the "Charts" section on the right, change the Scatter chart to a Line chart using the dropdown menu. This will give you a clear view of user trends over the selected date range. Click the eye icon to turn any chart type 'on' or 'off'. Click Apply.

Step 6: Save and Publish the Report

Now that your report is configured, it's time to save it and make it accessible. Click the blue Save button in the top-right corner.

Give it a name that’s easy to remember, like “Audience Overview (Custom).” Click Save. We're not done yet! You've saved the report, but now you need to add it to your main navigation menu.

1. Go back to the Library (Reports > Library).
2. You will see your saved report. The next step is to add it to one of the collections, like the "User" collection. Find the User collection box and click Edit collection.
3. In the right-hand panel, search for the "Audience Overview (Custom)" report you just created.
4. Drag and drop it from the right panel into the left panel, placing it wherever you’d like within the User report section.
5. Click Save, then Save changes to current collection.

That's it! Now, when you click on Reports in the left navigation, you'll see your custom "Audience Overview (Custom)" report right there in the "User" section, ready for you anytime you need it.

Final Thoughts

While the classic Audience Overview report is gone, Google Analytics 4 provides a more powerful way to understand your users. The data is now split between the User attributes and Tech reports, and by using the "Library" feature, you can build a custom, consolidated dashboard that is more tailored to your specific needs.

Of course, this process can feel a bit technical if you’re not used to building reports. That's why we created a tool to manage this entire process for you. With Graphed, we skip the need for manual report building entirely. You just connect your Google Analytics account in a few clicks, then ask for what you need in plain English - like "Show me a dashboard of website users by country, device, and traffic source for last quarter." We instantly generate a live, interactive dashboard with all the answers, letting you get insights in seconds instead of spending hours wrestling with report builders.