3 Ways to Get Your GA4 Data to Excel

Google Analytics 4 is the new analytics paradigm, and companies are rushing to migrate their existing Google Analytics implementation to it. Besides the new event-based tracking model, Google Analytics 4 came with an entirely new interface, which many people are finding hard to navigate.

If you are used to the old interface, you might be missing some reports or cannot analyze your data as easily as you used to. Worry not! In this article, we’ll go through 3 ways to connect GA4 to Excel and analyze them with a tool you feel comfortable with.

These three methods are:

• Exporting data from the Reports tab (manual)
• Extracting custom reports from the Explore tab (manual)
• Automated data export on a schedule with Coupler.io

Now, let’s dive in and see in more detail how these methods work.

How to export data from GA4 to Excel using the Reports tab

The first way to get data from GA4 to Excel is by using the new Reports tab. Under this tab, there are many reports that you may frequently use. Let’s see in action how you can get the data from one of the reports to Excel:

1. Go to the Reports tab.
2. Select the report and the date range of interest, then click Share this report.
3. Click Download File, and select the option Download CSV.

Here is what it looks like with visual accompaniment.

• Open your Google Analytics 4 homepage and go to the Reports tab.

• Select the report you want to export and the date range of interest. Then click Share this report.

• From the right pane, select Download File. If the option isn’t available, please check your permissions with the account admin.

• Select the option Download CSV.

Now, the raw data of your report is stored on your computer. The next step is to import this report to Microsoft Excel. To do so, you can just follow the  steps below:

• Open Microsoft Excel and select File and Import from the top menu.

• Select CSV and click Import.

• Click Delimited as the data description then click Next.

• Select Comma as your delimiter and click Finish.

• Your data is now loaded.

Congratulations! Your Google Analytics 4 data is now loaded in your Excel workbook and ready to be analyzed.

Export your Google Analytics 4 to Excel using the Explore tab

There are some cases when the standard reports of Google Analytics 4 might not be sufficient for your analytics needs. For example, you might need a unique set of dimensions and metrics for your case study.

To export a custom report, you can use the explorer tab available in Google Analytics 4. Let’s see an example of how you can export data from Google Analytics 4 to Excel this way:

• Open your Google Analytics 4 homepage and go to the Explore tab.

• Create your own custom exploration or select one of the premade ones. In this case, we selected Funnel Exploration.

• Click the Download button in the top right corner and select CSV. If this button is not available to you, please contact the account administrator for the appropriate permissions to download reports.

This is how you can use the Explore tab and export data from Google Analytics 4 to Excel. Your CSV is now downloaded, and you can follow the process in the previous section to import it to your Microsoft Excel workbook for further analysis.

How to connect GA4 to Excel automatically

The methods described above are natively available in GA4, but they have certain limitations. The most critical of them is that they don’t support automation and require manual work every time you need to export data from Google Analytics 4 to Excel. However, there are other options that allow you to connect Google Analytics 4 to Excel automatically and even update your GA4 data in the spreadsheet on a schedule.

Why export GA4 to Excel automatically?

Automating data export has several important advantages:

• Eliminating routine manual work
• Saving time and boosting efficiency
• Enabling more efficient data management
• Making your organization more data-driven
• Eliminating human errors

An automated GA4 to Excel integration will allow you to:

• Regularly refresh your GA4 data in a spreadsheet without any manual effort
• Keep the backup copy of your GA4 data always up to date
• Blend data from various data sources in one place for analysis
• Build tailored reports and calculate custom metrics outside of GA4
• Create self-updating graphs and dashboards

How to export data from Google Analytics 4 to Excel automatically on a schedule

In our example, we’ll demonstrate how to connect Google Analytics 4 to Excel automatically with the help of a third-party tool, Coupler.io. This is a popular data analytics and automation platform that allows you to export data from 30+ data sources. Besides Google Analytics 4, the complete list of Coupler.io’s integrations includes Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Google Ads, Mailchimp, Pipedrive, SalesForce, Shopify, and many more. This means you can automatically export all your marketing data from these sources and blend it in Excel, Google Sheets, or Big Query. This can be very useful for cross-channel analysis, as well as for building a comprehensive marketing dashboard. What makes Coupler.io an especially helpful solution for marketing and sales professionals is that it is very easy to use. You don’t need any technical background to set up an integration, and it will only take a coupler of minutes.

Let’s see how to automate data export from GA4 to Excel.

• First, create a Coupler.io account. Since we are going to export data to Excel, you can sign up in one click using your Microsoft or SharePoint account.

Source settings

• Once you have an account, go to the My importers tab and click the Add new button. 
• Select the data source and destination from the drop-down menu. In our case, it’s Google Analytics 4 and Excel correspondingly.

• Connect your GA4 account and give Coupler.io permission to extract your data.
• Select the sub-account and property for exporting data.

• Choose metrics and dimensions that should be included into your report. All the dimensions available in your GA4 account will be listed in the drop-down menu.
• Additionally, you can specify the time period for the exported data. The default time range is the last 30 days.

• When your data is transferred to Excel, it can include separate rows with the calculated total, minimum, and/or maximum value of the selected metrics. To include these additional rows into your spreadsheet, specify your preferences in the Summarize metrics field. You can select all three options (total, minimum, maximum).

• You can add one more source to the importer or configure another data export from the same GA4 account – for example, to extract data from another property or select other dimensions. To do so, press Add one more source after configuring your first source. Specify your preferences for the second dataset, and it will be added as a second source to your importer. You can add as many different sources as you need.
• If you add different apps as your data sources, Coupler.io will perform data stitching when importing data from several places into one spreadsheet. The same data categories will be placed in one column, different data types will be added as separate columns in one table. Learn more about data stitching in Coupler.io. 

Destination settings

• In the next step, connect your Excel Online account. You will need to log in and grant the requested permissions.
• Then, select the workbook where you want to load your GA4 data and specify the sheet where Coupler.io should place it. You can select an existing sheet or just type in a new title, and a new sheet will be added automatically during the exporting process.

• After this, choose the Import mode. Append will add each newly imported data below the previous dataset. The Replace mode will delete the previous contents of the sheet and insert the imported data instead.

• After this, you can press Save and Run to export your data from GA4 to Excel. Alternatively, you can schedule future updates first.

Scheduling automatic updates

Coupler.io can keep updating your GA4 data in the selected spreadsheet automatically. You can set up a custom schedule that will ensure your access to the latest GA4 data in Excel exactly when you need it.

• After configuring destination settings, move to the Schedule section of the importer settings. Turn on the Automatic data refresh feature.
• Decide when you want to have your data refreshed and specify your preferences. You can select:

– the interval for the updates (from every 15 min to every month)
– the days of the week and the time range 
– your time zone

For example, you can schedule weekly updates on Fridays to back up your GA4 data at the end of each week. Or you can opt for the 24/7 updates if you use this integration to power a self-updating marketing dashboard and want to closely monitor your metrics.

• Once your schedule is ready, press Save and Run. Coupler.io will automatically export your data into the spreadsheet and will keep it refreshed.

Here’s an example of the exported GA4 data in Excel:

What is the best way to move my data from GA4 to Excel?

In this article, we went over three ways to move your data from Google Analytics 4 to Excel. Each way comes with its own flexibility and complexity. So, if you are wondering what’s the best way to move your data, the answer is simple: it depends on your use case.
If you are happy with a standard Google Analytics 4 report, then the Reports tab is the way to go. If you have something more advanced in mind and you can create the table using the Explore tab, then all you have to do is create the visualization and get your data to your Excel workbook.

If your goal is to build custom reports, create self-updating dashboards, blend data from different sources, or just to maintain the backup copy of your data – then, the best way to do it is to connect GA4 to Excel with Coupler.io. This will allow you to manage your data flows more easily and efficiently.

If you want to visualize your data, check our guide on how to connect Google Analytics 4 with Looker Studio.

We hope this article was useful to you!