How to update data retention settings for Google Analytics

Google Analytics has a feature called retention setting that determines how far back you can access your website analytics data. By default, this setting is configured to retain data for only 2 months. This means you can only retrieve analytics data for the past 2 months.

To improve your data accessibility, we recommend adjusting your analytics Data Retention settings to the maximum option, which is 14 months. This allows you to access analytics data for a longer period, providing you with more comprehensive insights into your website’s performance.

To change this setting:

  1. Go to Google Analytics at https://analytics.google.com
  2. Choose your property from the dropdown menu in the upper left corner of the screen.
  3. Select the Gear icon in the lower left corner of the screen to go to the Admin settings for your property.
  4. In the box for “Data collection and medication” select the “Data Retention” option.
  5. Select the option for 14 months in both drop down lists.
  6. Click Save to save your change.

Updating this setting will not recover any lost data, but ensure any new data isn’t deleted from Google Analytics for 14 months.