Universal Analytics stopped collecting data on July 1, 2023 and was fully shut down on July 1, 2024, when Google deleted its data. Google Analytics 4 replaced it. The biggest change is the model: GA4 tracks everything as events instead of Universal Analytics' sessions and pageviews, which is why metrics like bounce rate gave way to engagement rate.
If you learned web analytics on the old Google Analytics, GA4 can feel like someone rearranged your entire kitchen. The metrics have new names, the reports are in different places, and some old favorites are gone.
Here’s what actually changed between Universal Analytics and GA4, and what it means for how you read your data.
The short version
Universal Analytics (the version many marketers grew up on) is gone. It stopped collecting new data on July 1, 2023, and on July 1, 2024 Google shut off access and deleted the data. You can read Google’s own notice in Google Analytics 4 has replaced Universal Analytics.
GA4 is the replacement, and it’s not a redesign of the old tool. It’s a different measurement model. Understand that one shift and the rest of the changes make sense.
The big shift: sessions to events
Universal Analytics was built around sessions and pageviews. A session was a visit, and most reports counted pageviews within those visits.
GA4 is built around events. Every interaction is an event with a name: a page_view, a click, a scroll, a purchase. Sessions still exist, but they’re calculated from events rather than being the main unit.
Here’s why that matters: because everything is an event, GA4 can track actions Universal Analytics needed extra setup for (like scrolls, outbound clicks, and file downloads) automatically. It also means the metrics had to change to match the new model.
Metrics that changed
This is where most of the confusion lives. Here are the swaps worth knowing.
| Universal Analytics | GA4 | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Bounce rate (primary) | Engagement rate (primary) | Engagement rate is roughly the inverse. Bounce rate still exists in GA4, redefined as non-engaged sessions. |
| Goals | Key events | You mark an event as a key event instead of configuring a goal. |
| Pageviews | Views | Same idea, renamed, and now another kind of event. |
| Users / sessions | Users / sessions | Still here, but counted with an event-based method, so numbers can differ from UA. |
The practical takeaway: don’t expect GA4 numbers to match your old Universal Analytics numbers. They’re measured differently, so a gap is normal and expected.
Reports look different
Universal Analytics had dozens of prebuilt reports down the left side. GA4 has fewer, grouped around the customer life cycle: Acquisition, Engagement, Monetization, and Retention.
For anything custom, GA4 moves you into the Explore workspace, and for a polished, shareable dashboard you connect to Looker Studio. If the new layout is throwing you, our GA4 reports walkthrough maps out where everything lives.
What’s better, and what’s harder
A fair scorecard.
Better in GA4:
- Tracks web and app data together in one property.
- Automatic tracking of scrolls, outbound clicks, downloads, and more.
- Free export to BigQuery, which used to be a paid-only feature.
- Built for a privacy-first world with consent controls baked in.
Harder in GA4:
- The interface has a real learning curve.
- Fewer prebuilt reports, so you build more yourself.
- Data thresholds and sampling can hide small numbers.
Do I still have my Universal Analytics data?
Only if you exported it. When Google shut Universal Analytics down on July 1, 2024, it removed access to the interface and the API, and the historical data was deleted.
If you saved your UA data to a spreadsheet, BigQuery, or a reporting tool before then, you have it. If you didn’t, it’s gone, and there’s no way to pull it back. This catches a lot of people, so it’s worth checking what you actually kept.
If you’re new to GA4
Good news: you don’t have to un-learn anything. If GA4 is the only analytics you’ve used, skip the comparison and learn it on its own terms.
Start with the basics of the event model, then get your key events set up so you’re measuring what matters.
What to do next
Now that you know what changed, here’s where to go from here:
- Learn the event model properly with the GA4 events guide.
- Set up your key events so GA4 tracks the actions that matter. See the key events guide.
- Get comfortable with the reports using our GA4 reports walkthrough.
For the full picture, start with our GA4 beginner’s guide.