How to Print Google Analytics Report

Need to turn your live Google Analytics dashboard into a clean, shareable report you can print or attach to an email? The process isn't always obvious, especially with the shift from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4. This guide will walk you through exactly how to print reports from both GA4 and Universal Analytics so you can easily share performance data with your team members and clients.

Graphed

Your AI Data Analyst to Create Live Dashboards

Connect your data sources and let AI build beautiful, real-time dashboards for you in seconds.

Build Your First Dashboard

First, Why Print a Google Analytics Report?

While dynamic, real-time dashboards are powerful, sometimes you need a static document. A file saved as a PDF is often the easiest and fastest way to share web traffic, visitor, user, and general business updates with team members, business partners on a given campaign, or your team's top executive sponsors. Having a digital paper trail for these business updates can be a great way to log and reflect back on a month-to-month basis, for example, on how you are pacing against all your business goals.

Here are a few common scenarios where physical printouts or PDFs are invaluable:

• Team Meetings: You hand everyone a print-friendly summary of your website or app's progress toward achieving key business goals, keeping everyone on the same page by discussing findings and trends in detail together. This shared context can result in better brainstorming sessions around how to deal with dips you discover or double down in areas where you spot a great growth story worth extra resource investments.
• Client Reporting: A polished PDF report with charts and findings provides clients with a digestible KPI or ROI overview for your business as a partner to their success. Your presentation of your business's performance in this report format can often feel more definitive and professional in delivery than showing them messy data spreadsheets.
• Offline Analysis: You need to review performance data in a place where your business does not offer a Wi-Fi Internet connection, like on a flight to present at a big conference out of state, for instance.
• Archiving Milestones: Creating a snapshot of key performance marketing campaigns allows you and your colleagues to preserve its results well past the time any data may remain in Google's possession, per their data retention policies.

AI for Data Analysis

Crash Course

Graphed

Free PDF Guide

AI for Data Analysis Crash Course

Learn how to get AI to do data analysis for you — the best tools, prompts, and workflows to go from raw data to insights without writing a single line of code.

Download Free Guide

How to Print Reports from Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4 is a complete ground-up remake of Universal Analytics from Google. The process for generating a printable report is different now, and sometimes it's hard to discover. The "Export" button we all knew and loved on nearly every UA screen is gone.

In GA4, downloading and then by proxy sharing or printing a marketing, ads, or website performance report requires the use of the "Share" function.

Step-by-Step: Downloading Your GA4 Report as a PDF

A PDF is a convenient point-in-time report with insights into business performance. Once downloaded, it's shareable anywhere without requiring additional business system login details. It offers a safe, low-risk data record viewing format when collaborating outside your business. The PDF you can generate in GA4 provides your stakeholders with an excellent, clear picture of key business website and marketing highlights.

1. Navigate to the precise report you need. For example, head to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition.
2. Customize the view. This is the most important step. The PDF will grab exactly what is on your screen. Adjust your date range, add comparisons, and apply filters before you proceed. The file will only reflect the data visible in that moment!
3. In the upper-right corner of the application, find the "Share this report" icon with an upward-pointing arrow.
4. After clicking there, select "Download file..." from the drop-down menu.
5. Select "Download As PDF file" or "Download a CSV" file from the pop-up prompt.
6. GA4 will produce and download this PDF into your browser's local downloads directory. Ta-da! Your report is generated from your live marketing data on demand.

Tips for Getting the Best Quality Printed PDF from GA4

The "Print" output features of GA4 can feel basic, but they're adequate for team use. While generally fine for their main purposes, their outputs for on-screen use may look less professional in formal, client-facing reports. However, don't despair. With a few tricks, you can extract real value from GA4 downloadable content in its native PDF form.

• Simplify Before You Download: Is that "Audience" comparison really necessary? Before downloading, collapse any charts that aren't truly helpful and remove any columns that don't add context. Simplifying visuals makes printed copies more understandable without the need for a live walkthrough.
• Try Your Browser's Built-in Print Function: If native GA4 app PDF rendering doesn't work well, consider the classic method of printing from the browser (File > Save as PDF). Although less predictable, this can deliver better layout and additional information like titles or headers.
• Be Aware of Pagination Constraints: Remember that many GA4 default data exports will only download the first page of a data table's worth of records, not separate pages in rows. For large datasets, consider exporting as a CSV ("comma-separated values") for analysis work with other apps.

Graphed

Your AI Data Analyst to Create Live Dashboards

Connect your data sources and let AI build beautiful, real-time dashboards for you in seconds.

Build Your First Dashboard

Downloading GA4 Data as a CSV (comma-separated values format)

A CSV file format allows for extracting raw data, formatted as plain text. It's useful when integrating data into other business workflows or analytics software like Google Sheets or Excel. A CSV offers ultimate flexibility, supporting other data analytics apps.

1. Locate the 'Share your export file' command to choose your file format.
2. Select 'Get File...' and choose "CSV download."
3. Your output is saved into your browser's downloads directory. Import it into Google Sheets, Excel, or any data analysis software that supports this format.

The Legacy Method (Printing Reports from Universal Analytics)

Even today, Universal Analytics - a legacy product since July 2023 - serves as an archive for some users. Some prefer its simpler report layout for less steep training curves compared to GA4. The best-known "Export" link in UA's top right corner made exporting straightforward. Here's a look at the classic export features.

Our Beloved "Export" Methods, Universal Analytics

• Locate a historical version in your UA account.
• Hit the 'Export button' beneath the report's page title.
• Choose from four formats: PDF, Google Sheets, Excel, or CSV.
• Your output will start processing, and you'll be able to download it once complete.

A PDF provides a clear printout for meetings or team sessions. Google Sheets offer easy cloud access, and Excel allows more detailed work. A CSV type is helpful for developers needing raw data.

AI for Data Analysis

Crash Course

Graphed

Free PDF Guide

AI for Data Analysis Crash Course

Learn how to get AI to do data analysis for you — the best tools, prompts, and workflows to go from raw data to insights without writing a single line of code.

Download Free Guide

Better Options for Analytics Beyond Simple Exports

Manual steps for static report printing using a web download feature are straightforward. However, for regular sharing of marketing data, consider scheduling email reports. This avoids frequent manual exports.

Make a Better Marketing KPI Insight Dashboard with Google Looker Studio

Looker Studio, integrated with Google Analytics, enables clean custom dashboards. Share these by providing secure viewing logins, allowing stakeholders to refresh for live updates. This method saves time and offers comprehensive insights.

Final Thoughts

Whether you're using GA4 or looking at historical data in Universal Analytics, producing shareable, printable reports is within reach. By using the "Share" function in GA4 or the classic "Export" button in UA, you can create quick, clean snapshots of your data to support meetings, update clients, and keep your decision-making data-informed.

For times when exporting CSVs and dealing with report settings feels frustrating, we designed Graphed, an analytical platform with AI agents and language models to make connecting with web data sources much easier. Automate routine report-building steps to establish a data-driven culture without hiring expensive SQL coders. If you're looking to save time on busywork, try exploring new ways of building reports by visiting our platform. Check out our free tool trial now at Graphed.