How to Find Google Analytics Administrator

Trying to get access to a Google Analytics account but don't know who's in charge can be a surprisingly frustrating roadblock. This situation often leads to a search for a forgotten login or a hunt for the team member, agency, or developer who holds the keys. This article walks you through several clear methods to identify your Google Analytics administrator and regain control of your data, covering both Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4.

Why You Need to Find the Administrator

Before jumping into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Finding the account administrator isn't just about satisfying curiosity, it's essential for critical business functions. You might need admin access to:

• Give access to new team members or marketing agencies.
• View and analyze critical performance data that is otherwise restricted.
• Integrate Google Analytics with other tools like Google Ads, Google Search Console, or Power BI.
• Set up goals, events, or conversions to track what matters most to your business.
• Upgrade or migrate properties, a common task with the shift from Universal Analytics to GA4.
• Troubleshoot data discrepancies or filter out internal and spam traffic.

In short, the administrator holds the keys to account control. Without them, you're stuck looking at data through a window instead of being able to manage and improve it.

First Steps: The Easiest Ways to Find Your Admin

Before you dive into technical solutions, start with the most straightforward approach: asking around. Many access issues are solved with a simple conversation. Here are the first people and places you should check.

1. Check with Your Internal Team

The admin is often someone currently within your organization, or someone who recently left. Start your search internally by talking to:

• The Marketing Team: This is the most likely place to start. Whoever is responsible for your website's performance, lead generation, or digital advertising probably has access or knows who does.
• The Website Developer or IT Department: When a website is built, the development team or agency often sets up the Google Analytics account. They may have used their own email or set up a generic one like analytics@yourcompany.com.
• The Founder or Business Owner: For smaller companies, the founder often sets up initial tools and may be the sole administrator without realizing the importance of sharing access.
• Your Predecessor: If you've taken over a role from someone else, that person was likely the admin. Reach out to them if possible, or check with HR to see if their email forwards to you, as this might help you intercept a password reset email.

2. Look for External Clues

If your internal search comes up empty, look for clues pointing to an external partner, like a marketing agency or a freelance developer.

• Check Your Website's Footer: A common practice for web design agencies is to include a link in the footer like "Website by..." or "Digital Marketing by..." This company is a prime candidate for having set up your GA account.
• Review Invoices: Look through past invoices for any related to "SEO," "web development," "digital marketing," or "analytics setup." The vendor listed on the invoice is often the one who holds admin privileges.

Finding an Admin When You Have Some Access

What if you can log in and see some data, but you have limited permissions like "Viewer" or "Analyst"? This is a great position to be in because you can find out exactly who the administrator is right from the Google Analytics interface. The steps differ slightly between Google Analytics 4 and the older Universal Analytics (UA).

How to Find the Admin in Google Analytics 4

If your property ID starts with "G-", you're using GA4. Follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Google Analytics account.
2. In the bottom-left corner, click the Admin gear icon.
3. Ensure you have the correct Account and Property selected in the top columns.
4. In the Account column (the far-left one), click on Account Access Management.
5. A list of all users with access will appear. Look at the Role column. The person or email address with the "Administrator" role is whom you need to contact. There can be more than one!

Once you have their email, a quick message is usually all it takes to get your permissions upgraded.

How to Find the Admin in Universal Analytics (UA)

Although UA is no longer collecting new data, you may still need access to historical information. If your tracking ID looks like "UA-XXXXXXXX-X", here’s how to find the admin:

1. Log in to your Google Analytics account.
2. Click the Admin gear icon in the bottom-left corner.
3. Look at the far-left column labeled Account. Click on Account User Management.
4. You'll see a list of users. The administrator will be described as having "Manage Users, Edit, Collaborate, Read & Analyze" permissions. Find the email associated with that user.

Contacting this person should be your next step to gaining the access you need.

What to Do When You Have Zero Access: Recovering Admin Control

This is the worst-case scenario: no one knows who the admin is, and you have no login access at all. Don't worry, there's still a well-defined path forward. If you can prove you own the website, Google has a process to help you gain administrative control. This involves placing a special file on your website's server.

Step 1: Find Your Google Analytics Tracking ID

First, you need to find the unique ID for the GA property collecting data on your site. You can find this in your website's source code.

• Navigate to your website's homepage.
• Right-click anywhere on the page and select "View Page Source" (or a similar option).
• A new tab will open with the site's code. Press Ctrl+F (on Windows) or Cmd+F (on Mac) to open the search bar.
• Type G- to look for a GA4 tracking ID or UA- for a Universal Analytics ID. You should find a snippet of code containing your ID, for example, G-1A2B3C4D5E or UA-12345678-1.
• Copy this ID down. You'll need it for the next step.

Step 2: Use the Google Analytics Login Troubleshooter

Google hides its support options well, but the account troubleshooter is designed for exactly this situation. Search Google for "Google Analytics login troubleshooter" or use the direct help flowchart. You will likely be led through a series of questions like "I don't know my username or password" or "I need to find my account administrator." Follow the prompts, and you will eventually be led to the proof of ownership process.

Step 3: Create and Upload the analytics.txt File

This is the most critical step. To prove you control the website, Google will ask you to upload a simple text file to your web server. This confirms you have backend access and therefore have a right to the associated analytics data.

1. Create the File: Using a plain text editor like Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac), create a new file.
2. Add the Required Content: Google support will provide a specific, unique string of characters to put in this file. It typically looks something like this: [YOUR_TRACKING_ID]. Please email [YOUR_EMAIL@YOURDOMAIN.COM] to grant access to this Google Analytics account. Replace the bracketed items with your actual tracking ID and the email address where you want to receive admin rights.
3. Name the File: Save the file with the exact name analytics.txt. Be careful not to save it as analytics.txt.txt, which can sometimes happen by default.
4. Upload to Your Server's Root Directory:

Step 4: Complete the Request with Google

After the analytics.txt file is live, go back to the support ticket or troubleshooter process and confirm you've completed the step. A Google support team member will verify the file's existence and content. This process is not instant - it can take several days to a week for them to review the request and grant access. If successful, they will add the email address you specified in the file as an administrator on the account.

Final Thoughts

Finding a lost Google Analytics administrator can feel like a detective mission, but it's always a solvable problem. By starting with simple methods like asking your teammates and moving on to more technical solutions like the analytics.txt verification, you can systematically work your way back to controlling your data.

Once you finally have access and can see your data, the next challenge is turning it into meaningful insights that help your business grow. We built Graphed because we believe this step should be easy for everyone. After a one-click connection to your GA account, you can use simple, natural language to build dashboards, create reports, and ask an AI data analyst questions about your marketing performance. It helps you get straight to the answers you need without spending hours learning a complex reporting tool.