How to Set Up a Funnel in Google Analytics 4 (Step by Step)
Build a funnel in GA4 with Funnel exploration — define each step, see where users drop off, and break it down by segment. A clear walkthrough with an interactive demo you can click through.
To set up a funnel in Google Analytics 4, open Explore, start a new exploration, and choose the Funnel exploration technique. Define each step as an event or condition (for example page_view → view_item → add_to_cart → purchase), and GA4 shows how many users reach each step and where they drop off. Funnels in GA4 live in Explore, not a fixed report — you build the steps yourself. Here's the full walkthrough.
Step 1: Open a Funnel exploration
In the left-hand menu, click Explore, then choose the Funnel exploration template (or start blank and pick the technique in Tab Settings → Technique). You'll get a default funnel you can replace with your own steps.
Step 2: Define your steps
In Tab Settings, find Steps and click the pencil to edit them. For each step:
- Give the step a name (e.g. "Viewed product").
- Add the condition — usually an event (
view_item,add_to_cart,purchase) or a page condition. - Add the next step, in order, and so on.
The order matters: GA4 counts a user at step 2 only if they completed step 1 first (in a closed funnel).
Step 3: Choose open or closed
In the funnel settings, toggle Make open funnel:
- Closed (default) — users must start at step 1 to be counted. Best for measuring one specific flow end to end.
- Open — users can enter at any step. Best when people legitimately join the journey partway through.
Step 4: Add a breakdown (optional)
Drag a dimension into Breakdown (e.g. Device category or Session source) to see drop-off split by group — for example, whether mobile users abandon at checkout more than desktop.
Watch the elapsed-time and abandonment columns, not just the counts. The step with the biggest percentage drop is where you're losing people — that's the one screen worth fixing first.
Step 5: Read the drop-off
The funnel visualization shows the count and completion rate at each step, and the abandonment between them. The biggest single drop is your priority. Right-click any step to create an audience of the users who abandoned there, so you can retarget them.
Fixing the step that loses people
A funnel tells you where people drop off; it can't tell you why. Often the answer is that the step is confusing or asks too much. If that step is part of an onboarding or sign-up flow, the fix is usually to make it clearer — and the fastest way to test a clearer flow is an interactive demo or product tour that walks users through it. For the reporting side, pair this with a custom report in GA4 to track the drop-off step over time.
Common mistakes
- Looking for a "Funnels" report. There isn't one — funnels are built in Explore as Funnel explorations.
- Steps that can't happen in order. If a later event can fire before an earlier one, a closed funnel will under-count. Use an open funnel or reorder.
- Naming an event that doesn't exist. Confirm each step's event is in your Events list, or the funnel empties out.
Frequently asked questions
Where are funnels in GA4?
In the Explore section. Open Explore from the left-hand menu, start a new exploration, and choose the Funnel exploration technique. GA4 doesn't have a fixed 'Funnels' report the way Universal Analytics did — funnels are built as explorations, which means you define the steps yourself and can change them anytime.
What's the difference between an open and closed funnel in GA4?
In a closed funnel (the default), users must enter at the first step to be counted. In an open funnel, users can enter at any step. Toggle 'Make open funnel' in the funnel settings. Use a closed funnel to measure a specific start-to-finish flow, and an open funnel when people can join the journey partway through.
Can you build a funnel from past data in GA4?
Yes — unlike audiences, funnel explorations are retroactive. Because the funnel is built from events GA4 already collected, you can set any date range and see the funnel for that period, as long as the events existed then. This is one of the advantages of GA4's exploration-based approach.
Why does my GA4 funnel show 100% drop-off?
Usually the step conditions don't match any real events. Each step is an event (or condition) that must fire in order — if you named an event that doesn't exist, or the events can't happen in the sequence you defined, the funnel empties out. Confirm each step's event appears in your Events list first, then rebuild the steps.