To connect GA4 to Google Sheets, install Google's Reports Builder for Google Analytics add-on inside a sheet, pick your GA4 property, choose a handful of fields, and schedule the report to run again. That gets your website numbers into a spreadsheet without opening Google Analytics each month.
The steps are short, and the order matters. The bigger risk is not the setup. It is pulling the wrong month, the wrong fields, or numbers that do not match anything your business cares about.
You can have a working monthly sheet this afternoon. The menu path is short, six fields cover a monthly review, and one timing rule keeps your first report from being wrong.
Key Takeaways
Reports Builder for Google Analytics is the Google Sheets add-on that queries GA4 through the Google Analytics Data API and can run on a schedule.
Standard reports can take 24 to 48 hours to finish processing, and key event attribution can change for up to 12 days.
Sessions, session primary channel group, key events, session key event rate, landing page and active users cover a monthly review.
Looker Studio draws dashboards, and BigQuery export holds raw event data; neither is a ready-made monthly table.
Missing tags, wrong key events and inconsistent UTMs show up in the sheet as bad numbers, so fix tracking before you trust the totals.
Google's Reports Builder add-on is the official way to fill a sheet from GA4
The current Google route is the Reports Builder for Google Analytics add-on for Google Sheets. Google's Reports Builder add-on page, updated September 10, 2026, says it can "pull Google Analytics data directly into your spreadsheet." Behind the scenes it asks GA4 for your numbers through the Google Analytics Data API and writes the results into a tab you choose.
If you remember an older Google Analytics add-on for Sheets, that one belongs to Universal Analytics, the earlier version of Google Analytics. For a GA4 property, search for Reports Builder for Google Analytics by that name.
Two other Google routes exist, and they answer different questions. They are worth knowing so you can pick the right tool before you build anything.
| Route | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Reports Builder add-on for Google Sheets | An editable table in your sheet, refreshed on a schedule | A simple monthly worksheet |
| Looker Studio Google Analytics connector | Charts and dashboards | Sharing a visual report |
| BigQuery export | Raw GA4 event data | Large datasets, SQL queries, combining GA4 with other data |
Google's available connectors list names the Google Analytics connector for Looker Studio. Google's BigQuery export help page describes the export as raw event data, with daily exports once per day. A manual CSV download from a GA4 report also works, but you repeat it every month.
Looker Studio and BigQuery fit when you need something other than a table
Looker Studio is a dashboard tool. It shows your GA4 numbers as charts you can share with a link, and its Google Analytics connector generally refreshes every 1, 4 or 12 hours, with 12 hours the default, according to Google Cloud's data freshness page. If your goal is a live-looking view for a team meeting, that is the tool. If your goal is a table you can copy, sort and compare month to month, the Sheets add-on fits better.
BigQuery is the heavy option. It holds raw event-level data, and Google's page on querying Analytics reports from BigQuery shows how to pull results from it. You would use it for large datasets, advanced queries, or joining GA4 with other data. A small business monthly review rarely needs that.
Third-party connectors for GA4 and Sheets also exist. They are made by other companies, not Google. Before you connect one, check what access it asks for on your analytics account and whether it charges.
Installing the add-on and creating the report takes a few minutes
Open a new Google Sheet using the Google account that has access to your GA4 property. A property will not appear in the list if you are signed in with a different account, so confirm the sign-in at the top right before you start.
Then follow Google's path for installing and building the first report:
- In Google Sheets, choose Extensions, then Add-ons, then Get add-ons.
- Search for Reports Builder for Google Analytics and install it.
- Open the add-on's menu under Extensions and choose Create new report.
- Select your Analytics account and your GA4 property.
- Set a date range, then choose your dimensions and metrics.
Google's documentation labels the menu "GA4 Report Builder for Google Analytics," so the wording under Extensions may differ slightly from the add-on's listing name. Google's Marketplace help page explains how to find and install an app if the search does not show it right away. Confirm any terms on the listing before you install.
Saving, running and scheduling the report keeps the sheet current
Once the configuration looks right, save it. Then open the add-on's menu again and choose Run reports. The add-on writes the results into a new tab. If the tab fills with rows, the connection works.
Next, open Schedule reports from the same menu, choose how often the add-on should poll for fresh data, and save. Google's page says scheduled reports periodically poll for the latest report data. For a monthly review, a schedule that runs once a month, or a bit more often, is plenty.
Keep the report small and the date range stable, and give the returned data its own tab. Build your comparison tabs on top of that data tab instead of typing over it. If you rename, move or overwrite the sheet, or lose sharing permissions, the scheduled run can fail. Check the first scheduled run before you promise anyone a report that depends on it.
Google's Data API basics say every report needs a property, a date range, dimensions and metrics. If any one is missing, the add-on has nothing to ask GA4 for.
Six fields are enough for a monthly sheet
You do not need every dimension GA4 offers. Six fields answer the questions a monthly review needs: how much traffic arrived, where it came from, and what visitors did that matters to the business.
| Field | What it measures | Why it earns a column |
|---|---|---|
| Sessions | Sessions that began on your site | The basic traffic count |
| Session primary channel group | Organic Search, Direct, Referral, Paid Search and similar | Shows where visits came from |
| Key events | Times visitors triggered events you marked as key events | Counts inquiries, calls, bookings or purchases |
| Session key event rate | Percentage of sessions with any key event | Shows whether traffic turns into action |
| Landing page | The page path of the first pageview in a session | Shows which pages start visits |
| Active users | Distinct users who visited | A people-level count next to sessions |
Those definitions come from Google's API dimensions and metrics reference and its guide to sessions and user engagement. Use session-scoped channel fields with session metrics, and use Landing page rather than page path when you want to know which page began a visit.
A service business can add a second report with landing page, sessions and key events. That one answers which pages start the visits that end in a call or a form. An online store can add total revenue and transactions.
A completed month gives you numbers that will not move
Run your first report on the last full calendar month, not the month in progress. Google Analytics Help says standard reports can take "24-48 hours for full data processing and reporting," and its data freshness page adds that key event attribution can change for up to 12 days.
A schedule does not make unfinished data final. If you pull the last few days, expect those rows to shift when you refresh. When the month closes, give it a couple of days and then run the report, so the totals you present are the ones you keep.
Limits exist on the Data API side, and a small monthly report stays far below them. Google's quotas page lists, for standard properties, 200,000 core tokens per property per day, 40,000 per hour, and 10 concurrent requests. Token use rises with a longer date range, more rows, more dimensions and filters. That is one more reason to keep the report short.
Sampling and thresholding can also change what you see. Google's data sampling help page explains when GA4 samples a large query, and its data thresholds page explains why some demographic rows can be withheld to protect privacy. A six-field report seldom runs into either.
A blank or odd sheet usually traces to a short list of causes
If the sheet comes back empty or the totals look wrong, work down this list. It is a troubleshooting order, not a ranking of how often each one happens.
- Wrong property or account: Select the correct Analytics account and property again.
- No saved or run configuration: The add-on is installed, but nobody created and ran a report.
- Fields that do not go together: Remove conflicting dimensions or metrics and check them against the Data API schema.
- A date range still processing: Move the range to the last completed month.
- Key events missing or duplicated: Check that each action you care about is marked as a key event once.
The first four are small jobs. Key event problems take longer, because the fix is in how GA4 collects the event, not in the sheet. Sheet permissions and structure problems sit in between: restore access and keep the report configuration tab separate from the presentation tabs.
If tracking itself is incomplete, the sheet will report the gap faithfully. Google's troubleshooting guide for your Analytics setup is the place to test whether events are firing.
You can skip most of what GA4 offers
A useful monthly sheet is short and repeatable. You do not need every GA4 dimension, every event, a live dashboard or a real-time sheet for a monthly review. Last month's numbers are the same this afternoon as they will be next week.
A small gap between GA4 and another platform, such as an ad account or a booking system, does not prove one of them is broken. Each platform uses its own definitions, attribution and counting. Pick one source for the monthly review, write down what it counts, and compare month to month on that same basis.
Spend your attention on the key events. A key event should stand for a real inquiry, call, booking or sale, not a page view or a scroll. If you want to see how to set that up for forms, our post on tracking contact form leads in Google Analytics covers it.
For deciding which reports earn a place, see the Google Analytics reports that matter for a small business. If your channel numbers depend on tagged links, UTM parameters for a small business explains how to keep them consistent.
Paid help makes sense when the measurement behind the sheet is the problem
You can install the official add-on and build this report yourself. Nothing in the steps above requires a specialist, and a connector sold as a shortcut will not give you understanding on its own.
Help starts to earn its place when the sheet is fine but the numbers behind it are not. That looks like unclear key events, broken form or call tracking, several properties that need to roll up into one report, inconsistent UTMs, or consent gaps that leave holes in the data. It also looks like a monthly report that has to survive website changes and still mean the same thing a year from now.
That work is measurement setup and maintenance: confirming the right property, testing that forms and calls record, choosing compatible fields, documenting what each number means, and keeping the report intact when the site or analytics setup changes. You can still open the sheet and see where every number came from.
When the monthly report feeds a wider review of how your site performs in search, what a monthly SEO report should show is the next piece to read.
Is your GA4 monthly sheet set up right?
Pick an answer to begin.
1. Which Google tool puts GA4 data into an editable table in Google Sheets?
2. Which date range should your first monthly report use?
3. A scheduled report returns the same totals GA4 receives, and your form tracking is broken. What will the sheet show?
Frequently Asked Questions About Connecting GA4 to Google Sheets
Is there an official GA4 Google Sheets add-on?
Yes. Google documents the Reports Builder for Google Analytics add-on for pulling GA4 data into Google Sheets.
Can the report refresh automatically?
Yes. The add-on has a Schedule reports option that polls for updated data on the schedule you choose. Check the first scheduled run before relying on it.
Should I use Looker Studio instead?
Use Looker Studio for dashboards and sharing. Use Sheets when you want an editable table or a simple monthly worksheet.
When would I use BigQuery?
BigQuery holds raw event-level data. It fits large datasets, advanced queries, or combining GA4 with other data.
Why do the numbers change after I pull them?
GA4 can take 24 to 48 hours to finish processing standard reports, and key event attribution can change for up to 12 days. Pull a completed month and run it a couple of days after the month ends.
Which GA4 fields belong in a monthly sheet?
Start with sessions, session primary channel group, key events, session key event rate, landing page and active users.
Moving Forward
To connect GA4 to Google Sheets, install Reports Builder for Google Analytics, choose your property, pick the six fields, save, run and schedule. Use a completed month so the totals hold still. Keep Looker Studio for dashboards and BigQuery for raw data, and treat any third-party connector as a separate decision with its own access and cost.
Once the sheet runs, the monthly review stops depending on a login you avoid. You open one tab, compare to last month, and see which channels and landing pages produced the calls, forms and sales that matter.
If your sheet shows numbers you do not trust, Web Leveling can check the tracking behind it, set up key events for your forms and calls, and keep the report accurate when your site changes. That work sits alongside our search engine optimization service, where a monthly report feeds a wider search review. We work with small and medium businesses across the country and overseas. Tell us what your analytics should be counting, and we will help you get it right.
Terms
GA4 and Sheets words in this post
Tap a term to see what it means.
GA4. Google Analytics 4, the current version of Google's website analytics.
Reports Builder for Google Analytics. Google's Google Sheets add-on that pulls GA4 report data into a spreadsheet.
Google Analytics Data API. The Google service the add-on uses to request report data from GA4.
Key event. An action GA4 is set to count as important, such as a completed form or a booking.
Session primary channel group. The grouping GA4 assigns to a session's main traffic source, such as Organic Search or Direct.
Landing page. The page a visitor sees first in a session.
Looker Studio. Google's dashboard tool, which can show GA4 data as charts.
