Why can’t I create custom reports in GA4 like I could in UA?

GA4 has no “Custom Reports” section like Universal Analytics, but you can still build your own reports: either by customizing and creating reports in the Library, or by building an exploration. Both need the right role in the property. If the options are missing, you are usually signed in with Viewer or Analyst access, or you are looking in the wrong place.

The difference to Universal Analytics is not only the menu. GA4 is built on events instead of sessions and pageviews, so many old report definitions cannot be copied one to one. It is usually faster to rebuild the question a report answered than to rebuild the old report.

Where do I build custom reports in GA4?

• Library. At the bottom of the left navigation under Reports you find the Library. Here you create new detail and overview reports and organize them into collections and topics that appear in the left navigation for everyone in the property.
• Customize a report. In any detail report, the pencil icon at the top right opens the editor. You can change dimensions, metrics, charts and filters and save the result as a change to the current report or as a new report.
• Explorations. Under Explore you build free-form tables, funnels, path analyses, segment overlaps and other techniques. Explorations are the closest equivalent to the flexible custom reports of Universal Analytics and are meant for deeper, ad hoc analysis.

Why can’t I create or edit reports?

1. Missing role. According to Google, only administrators and editors can customize reports and see the Library. If the pencil icon or the Library is missing, ask an administrator to raise your role.
2. Overview instead of detail report. Dimensions and metrics are set in detail reports. In an overview report the editor shows cards instead, which often looks as if the options were missing.
3. Limits reached. Google lists limits per property, for example up to 150 custom reports and up to 12 metrics per detail report. Reports that are no longer needed should be deleted.
4. Collection not published. A new collection appears in the left navigation only after it has been published in the Library. Until then, it is only visible in the Library.
5. Field not available. Your own event parameters only appear as dimensions or metrics once they have been registered as custom definitions. Data is then collected from that point onwards, not retroactively.

Report or exploration: which should I use?

Use a report in the Library for figures that several people check regularly, such as leads per channel or revenue per campaign. Reports are visible to everyone with access to the property and can be added to the navigation.

Use an exploration for one-off questions, such as the path from a landing page to an enquiry or the comparison of two segments. Explorations are personal by default and can be shared in read-only form with others in the property.

For dashboards that combine GA4 with other sources, such as Google Ads or a CRM, Data Studio (formerly Looker Studio) is the better choice.

Check your role first, then rebuild your most important Universal Analytics reports as detail reports in the Library and use explorations for everything you only need once.

Sources

• Analytics Help: Customize detail reports
• Analytics Help: Customize report navigation
• Analytics Help: Get started with Explorations

Want GA4 reports that answer your actual questions instead of rebuilding old ones? We set up reports, collections and custom definitions in your property. Book a free intro call or read more about our tracking services.