How to Export Full Google Analytics Report

Trying to export a full report out of Google Analytics can feel like a puzzle with missing pieces. You know the data is in there, but getting a complete, unsampled version into a spreadsheet or database isn't always as simple as clicking a single button. Let's walk through the different ways you can get your data out of Google Analytics 4, from quick summarized charts to the complete, raw dataset.

First, Why Export Google Analytics Data?

While the GA4 interface is great for on-the-fly analysis, it has its limits. Exporting your data unlocks a more powerful level of reporting and analysis, allowing you to:

• Combine Data Sources: Merge your website data with sales data from your CRM (like Salesforce), ad spend from Facebook Ads, or transaction data from Shopify to see the full customer journey.
• Create Custom Dashboards: Build personalized reports in tools like Google Sheets, Looker Studio, or Power BI that focus on the specific KPIs that matter to your business.
• Perform Deeper Analysis: Run complex analyses in spreadsheets or a database without being constrained by the GA4 user interface or data sampling limitations.
• Backup Your Data: Creating your own long-term archive ensures you own your historical data, protecting it from any future changes to Google's data retention policies.

There isn’t a single "right" way to export your data, the best method depends on how much detail you truly need.

Method 1: The Quick and Easy Way (Small, Summarized Reports)

If you just need the data currently displayed in a standard GA4 report, the built-in export feature is your fastest option. This is perfect for grabbing a quick chart for a presentation or the summary table of a traffic report.

Just remember, this method doesn't give you the full, raw dataset. It gives you exactly what you see on the screen, which is an aggregated report that may be impacted by data sampling or thresholds, especially on accounts with high traffic.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Navigate to the report you want to export. For example, go to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition.
2. In the top right corner of the report, look for the "Share this report" icon (it looks like a box with an arrow pointing up).
3. Click the icon and select "Download File" from the dropdown menu.
4. Choose your preferred format: PDF, Google Sheets, or CSV file.

That's it. Within seconds, you’ll have a file containing the summary data visible in that specific report. It's fast and easy, but it won’t give you the highly detailed, event-level information needed for complex analysis.

Method 2: Use the Google Sheets Add-on (For D.I.Y. Custom Reports)

For more control over the dimensions and metrics you export, the official Google Analytics add-on for Google Sheets is a fantastic free tool. It lets you pull specific combinations of data directly from the GA4 API, bypassing some of the standard interface's limitations. This is a great middle ground for creating custom, recurring reports without needing a complex data warehouse.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Part 1: Installing the Add-on

1. Open a new Google Sheet.
2. In the top menu, go to Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons.
3. Search for "Google Analytics" and install the official add-on offered by Google.
4. You'll need to grant the add-on permission to access your Google Analytics data. Follow the on-screen prompts to authorize it.

Part 2: Creating and Running a Report

1. Once installed, go to Extensions > Google Analytics > Create a new report. A sidebar will open on the right.
2. Name your report (e.g., "Monthly Content Performance").
3. Select the Google Analytics Account and GA4 Property you want to pull data from.
4. Choose your date range. You can use specific dates or relative ones like "last 30 days".
5. Now, select your Dimensions (the "what," like Session source / medium, Page path, or Country) and your Metrics (the "how many," such as Sessions, Users, and Conversions). You can select multiple dimensions and metrics.
6. Click the "Create Report" button. This populates a new tab called "Report Configuration" in your spreadsheet. Don't edit this sheet manually!
7. To run the report, go to Extensions > Google Analytics > Run reports.

A new tab containing your requested data will be created automatically. The beauty of this method is its ability to build custom report templates. Once your report is configured, you can re-run it anytime. You can also automate it by navigating to Extensions > Google Analytics > Schedule reports to have your data automatically refresh every day, week, or month.

Method 3: The BigQuery Integration (For the True "Full" Report)

If you're serious about your data and want to export everything — every click, every pageview, every event — without any sampling or aggregation, linking Google Analytics to BigQuery is the only way to go. This is the official, Google-supported method for getting a full export of your raw, event-level data.

BigQuery is Google's cloud data warehouse. Linking it to GA4 essentially creates a copy of your raw analytics data in a place where you fully control it. This sounds technical, but setting it up is surprisingly straightforward.

Heads up: This requires a Google Cloud project with billing enabled. However, BigQuery has a generous free monthly tier for data storage and querying, which is usually more than enough for small to medium-sized businesses.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. First, make sure you have a Google Cloud Platform (GCP) project set up. If you don't, go to the Google Cloud Console, create a new project, and enable billing.
2. Log in to your Google Analytics 4 property and go to the Admin section (look for the gear icon in the bottom-left corner).
3. In the Property column, under Product Links, click on BigQuery Links.
4. Click the blue Link button. A setup wizard will appear.
5. Click "Choose a BigQuery project" and select the GCP project you prepared earlier. Click Confirm.
6. Select the data location (e.g., US, EU). This must match the location of your BigQuery project if you already have one with data in it.
7. Next, under Configure data streams and events, select the data streams you want to export (usually just your main web stream). You can leave the event exclusions blank to export everything.
8. For Frequency, you have two options:
9. Review your settings and click Submit.

Your connection is now active! Within 24 hours, GA4 will start exporting your raw event data into BigQuery. It will create a new dataset where you'll find a separate table for each day's events. From there, you can query the data using SQL, connect it to visualization tools, or export it anywhere you need.

Which Export Method is Right for You?

Knowing which export method to use comes down to balancing detail versus simplicity. Here's a quick guide:

• Need a quick chart for a meeting? Use the standard Export button in the GA4 interface.
• Want to build custom, recurring reports in a spreadsheet? The Google Sheets Add-on is your best friend.
• Need the complete, unsampled raw data for deep analysis? The BigQuery Integration is the only method that provides a true, full report.

Learning how to tap into your data beyond the standard dashboard is a huge step toward building a more data-driven strategy for your business.

Final Thoughts

In this guide, we've walked through three powerful ways to export your Google Analytics data, from simple summary tables using the built-in export button to granular reports with the Sheets Add-on, and finally the complete, raw dataset using the BigQuery integration.

The core challenge with all of these methods is what happens after you've exported your data. Whether it's a CSV, a Google Sheet, or a BigQuery table, it still requires manual work to turn that raw data into meaningful insights. We built Graphed to solve exactly this problem. Instead of exporting and wrangling data, we connect directly to your Google Analytics account via API. This lets you skip the tedious manual reporting and instantly build live dashboards and get answers just by asking questions in plain English — no spreadsheets or SQL required.