Methods to prevent Google Analytics from tracking you
Below I will show you different methods you can implement to prevent Google Analytics from tracking your browsing and internet activity.
1. Installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Extension
Using this official extension is the best way to opt out of Google Analytics. The main advantage of using the opt-out extension is that you can ensure that it will always work, even if Google makes changes to its services.
However, there are also some disadvantages of this extension. One of them is that you need to install it on your computer. Installing software to block other software from tracking your activity is not very productive. The other disadvantage is that this extension cannot prevent Google from knowing the websites you visit. It just blocks events from being sent to Google Analytics.
ThatOpt-out extension for Google Analyticsworks with all major browsers including Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer and Opera.
2. Installing the “Block Yourself from Analytics” Chrome extension.
Another easy way to block Google Analytics is to use a Chrome extension called "Block Yourself from Analytics". It prevents Google Analytics from tracking your visits to certain websites if installed. Interestingly, this extension allows you to create a list of domains that you don't want your visits to be tracked from.
Below are the steps to install and set up the Block Yourself from Analytics Chrome extension.
Step 1:Open the Chrome browser
Step 2:Visitthis linkto find the extension.
Step 3:Click on the blue button "Add to Chrome" and in the following popup click on "Add extension".
Press "Add extension".
Step 4:Now you can see an orange icon like below on the top right of your browser.
Step 5:Now navigate to the website that you do not want Google Analytics to track your visits to. Then click on the small orange icon in the browser and then on "Block analytics for this website".
You can also add any website(s) you want manually (without navigating to the website) or view the list of websites you have blocked by clicking "Options". To add a website manually from the Options panel, enter the website's URL in the text box at the bottom of the window and click Add. At the end, make sure to save all added websites before exiting the process.
The main disadvantage of this method is that it only works with Chrome browser.
3. Using a firewall to block Google Analytics
If you have a firewall that can block specific IP ranges or domain names, you can block Google Analytics for your entire network. This option also has some disadvantages, e.g. B. IP addresses changing without notice or multiple services using the same IP address. If your firewall can block DNS requests to specific domain names, you can add a rule to block the google-analytics.com and www.google-analytics.com domains to opt out of Google Analytics.
4. Using the hosts file to block Google Analytics
You can also opt out of Google Analytics by reassigning the domain name in the hosts file to a different IP address. The local hosts file is checked to determine if the hostname/domain name is assigned a specific IP address before servicing a DNS request.
This is similar to blocking Google Analytics' DNS request, which we discussed earlier. The steps of this method vary depending on the operating system, but it works with operating systems like Linux, Windows, and macOS.
Below are the steps to disable Google Analytics for Microsoft Windows. Here we are mapping the Google Analytics domain name to a non-existent IP address, resulting in each request being terminated instead of being sent to Google.
Step 1:Run Command Prompt in Administrator mode.
Search for "cmd" in the search bar and right-click on the "Command Prompt" entry that appears there.
Then click on the “Run as administrator” option and Command Prompt will be launched as administrator.
Windows 10 users need to right-click the Windows icon and select "Command Prompt (Admin)".
Step 2:Enter the following command in the command prompt.
Notizblock „C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts“
It opens the hosts file on your computer.
Step 3:Add a non-existing IP for Google Analytics.
Add two lines at the end of the hosts file like this:
0.0.0.0 google-analytics.com
0.0.0.0 www.google-analytics.com
Step 4:Finally, save the hosts file and close all open web browsers.
Sometimes you may need to restart your computer for these changes to take effect.
5. Use of Ad Blockers
Ad blockers have been attracting more attention lately due to their widespread use. While their main purpose is to block the annoying (marketing) ads that follow you across the internet, they can also affect the collection of traffic data in various ways, e.g. B. by blocking Google Analytics.
Ad blockers do this by blocking all attempts by the Google Analytics JavaScript library to transfer data between websites and analytics servers.
By default, many ad blockers blacklist Google Analytics, while some ad blockers require configuration.
- ThatuBlock Originis a popular ad blocker that comes as a Chrome extension. It blocks Google Analytics by default and is used by more than 10 million users.
- ThatAdblock PlusThe Chrome extension can be used to block Google Analytics by enabling the easylist option.
Below are some easy steps to install and configure Adblock Plus free ad blocker and configure to block Google Analytics.
Step 1:Visit theChrome Web Store pagethe Adblock Plus extension.
Step 2:Click the "Add to Chrome" button and then click the "Add Extension" button in the following popup.
Step 3:Now you will see a small Adblock Plus icon in your browser and it will show a popup when you hover over it.
Step 4:Click the Settings icon at the top right of the popup and go to the Advanced tab on the settings page.
Step 5:Turn on the “Easy List” option there to block Google Analytics.
In addition to the above two ad blockers, some other popular ad blockers can block Google Analytics, e.g. B. AdBlock Pro, AdGuard AdBlocker, AdRemover, Ghostery and Block Ads! and SuperBlock adblocker.
5. Using the Brave browser
Brave is an open-source Chromium-based web browser that is free to download and use. It is similar to all other standard browsers that allow users to navigate websites, view any online content, and run web applications.
However, Brave's main differentiator among other Chromium browsers is its focus on user privacy. By default, Brave achieves this by blocking all ads, third-party cookies, and website trackers like Google Analytics. Therefore, using Brave browser is a good option to hide your online activity from Google Analytics while browsing the web.
Since the Brave browser also acts as an ad blocker, spaces appear in the areas of websites that contain ads. Sometimes pages do not load properly, and in such cases you must either select a different browser or change the "Shields Up" setting to "Shields Down" to disable Brave's privacy and security protections.
Below are some easy steps to download and install the Brave browser.
Step 1:Visit thefollowing linkto navigate to the Brave browser official page.
Step 2:Then click the required download option in the middle of the page and it will download the Brave browser installable file.
Step 3:Double click on the installable file and a prompt will be generated as shown below. From there, click Run and the Brave browser will be installed and launched on your PC.
That's it.
Looks and works like any other web browser:
6. Using a script blocker to disable JavaScript
Finally, you can also use an extension that blocks JavaScript from loading for specific domains or servers to opt out of Google Analytics. Numerous extensions are capable of serving this purpose.
You can even disable JavaScript in your web browser. However, this method is not recommended as almost all modern websites require JavaScript to run correctly and blocking JavaScript will prevent most websites from loading properly.
FAQs
How do I get Google Analytics to stop counting me? ›
- Select Create new Filter.
- Call the filter whatever you want, but something like Exclude office traffic is a pretty good idea.
- Set Filter Type to be Predefined.
- Set Select filter type to Exclude.
- Set Select source or destination to be traffic from the IP addresses.
By default, Google Analytics tracks each and every pageview on your site, including admin pageviews and visits by bots. So, when you're writing, editing, and previewing your site, it records each of your visits as a real pageview and prepares reports including those logged in pageviews.
How do I hide myself in Google Analytics? ›On Google Analytics, go to Admin > Account > All Filters. Click Add Filter. Enter a filter name (e.g. exclude my own visits)
How do I manipulate Google Analytics? ›...
Temporary Google Analytics Manipulation
- Segments. ...
- Report Filters (Standard) ...
- Report Filters (Advanced) ...
- Campaign Tracking. ...
- Custom Channel Groupings.
- Sign in to Google Analytics..
- Click Admin.
- In the ACCOUNT column, use the menu to select the account in which you want to update settings. ...
- In the ACCOUNT column, click Account Settings.
- Enter a new name, and select or clear the relevant data-sharing options.
- Click Save.
Go to Settings > Location, and toggle the location button to Off. That will turn off all location tracking on an Android. You can manage location tracking permissions for specific apps by tapping Location services in your location settings (see the screenshot above).
How do I get rid of Google tracking? ›For either iPhone or Android, go to Google Maps > Account Circle > Your Timeline > More > Settings (Settings and Privacy for Android ) > Delete Location History Range. After tapping Delete Location History Range, you then select the start and end dates of the range, then tap Delete.
Does incognito mode block Google Analytics? ›Google has clarified in the court filing that “incognito” does not mean “invisible” and that a user's activity during a session on Incognito mode means that the session will be visible to the websites they visit and also any third-party analytics or ad services that the website uses.
Should you block Google Analytics? ›Why You Should Block Google Analytics from Tracking You. Tracking user behavior is very beneficial for website owners. The collected data can be used for marketing, conversion rate optimization, user experience (UX) improvement, auditing, etc.
What can Google Analytics not tell you? ›Historical Data
Google Analytics will only process information from the moment you start tracking on your site. It can't access any historical data before you connect to Google Analytics. You can, however, use data import to combine data collected from other sources.
Can data be removed from Google Analytics? ›
If you need to delete data from the Analytics servers for any reason, then you can use the Data Deletion Requests feature to issue a request for its removal. You can have a maximum of 250 active (pending) requests per property.
Can you alter Google Analytics data? ›After you create a view, you can edit its settings. Note that there are more view settings for web properties than there are for app properties. If you're editing a view within an app property, many of the options listed below don't appear.
What counts as data manipulation? ›Data manipulation is the process of changing or altering data in order to make it more readable and organized. For example, you can arrange data alphabetically to expedite the process of finding useful information. Another example of data manipulation is website management.
How does one eliminate internal traffic from being tracked in Google Analytics? ›To prevent internal traffic from affecting your data, you can use a filter to filter out traffic by IP address. You can find the public IP address you are currently using by searching "what is my ip address" on google.com.
How do I turn off switch on Google Analytics? ›From the homepage, go to Nintendo's eShop and log in to your profile. Next, tap your profile icon and scroll to the bottom of the page that loads up on the next screen. Under Google Analytics Preferences, tap Change. Select Don't Share on the next screen.
Does iPhone block Google Analytics? ›Google Analytics still functions as an analytics platform, but you can't use it for retargeting and other features that rely on cross-website tracking. So Safari does not block Google Analytics, but Apple's “Privacy Report” did accelerate a privacy trend that is not stopping anytime soon.
Does Google Analytics count yourself? ›The thing is, Google Analytics counts each visit to your website, including your own, as real data. And since you're not a 'real' visitor, you'd typically do things that your real audience wouldn't do, and as a result, you'll skew the accuracy of your data.
Should you turn off Google Analytics? ›There are a few reasons to opt-out of Google Analytics. The first is to partially prevent websites from tracking your activity. Google Analytics can track various on-page events such as clicking on a video, clicking on a link to go to a different website, or how long you are spending on a web-page.
How do I get rid of spam traffic in Google Analytics? ›Step-1: Navigate to the admin section of your GA reporting view. Step-2: Click on the 'Filters' link under the 'View' column. Step-3: Click on the '+Add Filter' button. This filter should block all of the traffic from spam referrers you identified.
Is Google Analytics still legal? ›Is Google Analytics ILLEGAL in your country? Due to recent rulings on the GDPR, Google Analytics users are under fire for transmitting personal data outside of the EU. If your country is bound by the GDPR, continuing to use Google Analytics may now be illegal.
Is Google Analytics an invasion of privacy? ›
Google has been criticized for collecting data about Internet users, aggressive tracking and disclosing too much information to governments for a very long time, with Google Analytics recently raising some of the biggest privacy concerns.
Is it possible to block Google Analytics? ›If you're an administrator of Google accounts for an organization, you can control who uses Google Analytics from their account. Just turn Analytics on or off for those people in your Admin console. People who have Analytics turned on can use it to monitor traffic at your websites or mobile apps.
Does AdBlock disable Google Analytics? ›Does AdBlock stop Google Analytics? The short answer is Yes. AdBlock can stop Google Analytics from tracking. If a user blocks Analytics, then GA cannot track the user.
Which browsers block Google Analytics? ›...
88% of Firefox users block Google Analytics.
In addition to tracking the number of visitors, Google Analytics provides key insights into how your website is performing and what you can do to meet your goals. You can track everything from how much traffic your website is getting to where that traffic is coming from and how visitors are behaving.
Does Google Analytics block bot traffic? ›In Google Analytics 4 properties, traffic from known bots and spiders is automatically excluded. This ensures that your Analytics data, to the extent possible, does not include events from known bots.