If you need to delete data from the Analytics servers for any reason, then you can use a data-deletion request to issue a request for its removal.
A data-deletion request is used to delete text collected by event parameters. The specific text data will be erased and replaced with “(data deleted)”, but the event will still be counted in the overall metrics in your reports.
In this article:Create a data-deletion request
- In Admin, under Data collection and modification, click Data deletion request.
Note: The previous link opens to the last Analytics property you accessed. You can change the property using the property selector. You must be an Editor or above at the property level to create a data-deletion request.
- The table lists your most-recent requests. To make a new request, click Schedule data deletion request.
- Select your deletion type:
Delete all parameters on all events This option deletes all registered and automatically collected parameters across all collected events. Delete all registered parameters on selected events This option deletes all registered parameters collected across a list of events you select in the next step. Delete selected parameters on all events This option deletes registered parameters that you select in the next step across all collected events. Delete selected parameters on selected events This option deletes registered parameters that you select in the next step across a list of events that you also select in the next step. Delete selected user properties This option deletes user properties that you select in the next step - Select the Start and End dates.
Keep in mind that the deletion process uses your property's time zone when deleting data. - Select the specific data field(s) you want to delete:
- Events
When applicable, select up to 100 events from the events list. The list shows the most recent events you’ve collected and may not be a complete history. You may also enter any event name and press Enter to add any custom event name to the list. You may add up to 100 events to any single request. - Parameters
When applicable, select up to 100 parameters from the parameters list. The list shows a complete set of all historically registered parameters you’ve collected. - User Properties
When applicable, select up to 100 user properties from the user property list. The list shows a complete set of all historically registered user properties you’ve collected.
- Events
- Enter a value to identify which data you want to delete.
Optionally, select Only delete parameter values that contain the following text.
Enter a value in the text box. Analytics will only delete dimension values for the specified events/parameters/user dimensions that contain the value you enter here. Analytics treats this as a contains operator, and uses a case-insensitive match when it applies values for deletion.
You cannot specify a reserved value like “(not set)”: Analytics does not delete reserved values. - Click Submit.
After request is created
Editor role users are notified of the request via email. There is a preview period that begins shortly after you submit the request.
The first 7 days of the preview period are also a grace period during which Editor role users can cancel the request from the request-details page. From day 8 of the preview period until the deletion request completes, your request status is Preview active / Deletion in progress.
Cancellation/Deletion
You can cancel any request within 7 days from the time it was created. Use the request-details page. During the first 7 days, you can also see a preview of the effects of the deletion in your reports and in Explorations.
You can have a maximum of 12 (grace period/pending deletion) active requests per property at any one time.
A data-deletion request can take between 7 and 63 days to be processed, (depending on the amount of data to be deleted), and data must be more than 12 days old before it can be deleted.
A list of the most-recent requests is visible for each property under Property column > Data Deletion Requests. Once the request is completed, the deletion of the data is not reversible.
Editor role users are notified again when data deletion begins and again when it finishes.
Parameters available for deletion
Analytics supports the deletion of auto-collected parameters and custom parameters registered as custom dimensions.
Analytics does not delete numeric parameters, text parameters derived from internal trusted identifiers, nor the reserved values "", "(not set)", and "(data deleted)".
Auto-collected parameters
Auto-collected parameters can only be deleted when selecting Delete all parameters on all events.
List of auto-collected parameters that Analytics does not delete
- age
- app_instance_id
- audience
- browser
- browser_version
- city
- continent_name
- country
- gender
- hour
- latitude
- link_url
- longitude
- platform
- platform_version
- region
- stream_name
- sub_continent_region
- user_property_name
Custom parameters
Analytics deletes custom parameters that were registered as custom dimensions. If you do not see the parameter you want to delete in the list, it's possible that the parameter was never registered. You must confirm the name and registration of the parameter you are trying to delete.
If you created a custom dimension that gets its value from an auto-collected parameter, the deletion of the custom parameter will not delete the auto-collected parameter.
- delete all parameters across all events, or
- delete all parameters for a set of events.
How data deletion impacts other GA4 features
Campaign attribution
When a deletion is completed, from that point forward all historical campaign information is no longer available for attribution - that information will have been deleted. Attribution credit going forward could go to other campaigns (if any are available from 1st-party ad clicks, or new campaign information collected after the deletion) or it will be considered "Direct".
Consent Mode
If you're using Consent Mode for your property, you may need to add seven calendar days to the end date of your data-deletion request to ensure that any value you are specifically targeting for deletion is deleted from behavioral models. This is because Analytics trains machine-learning models on data from consented users (i.e., the data you may be trying to delete) and approximates future user behavior based on that training data.
Consented data may be used to model data for up to seven days beyond when the consented data was present in reporting, and therefore you may need to add seven additional days to your deletion request. For example, if the original end date for your data-deletion request is January 1, change that to January 8 instead.
Subproperties
Any data that you delete from a source property is also deleted from its subproperties. However, any data that you delete from a subproperty is only deleted from that subproperty. Learn more about subproperties
Roll-up properties
When you make a data-deletion request for a source property, that same data is also deleted from the roll-up property. When you make a data-deletion request for a roll-up property, that data is deleted only from the roll-up property. Learn more about roll-up properties
