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Filters allow you to narrow down your analytics data to focus on specific criteria. Unlike segments (which are saved), filters are applied on-demand for quick analysis and exploration.

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Understanding Filters

Filters help you answer specific questions about your data:

Quick Analysis

Apply temporary filters to explore data:
  • Test hypotheses
  • Investigate anomalies
  • Answer ad-hoc questions
  • Drill into specific metrics

Data Refinement

Focus on what matters:
  • Exclude bot traffic
  • Isolate specific pages
  • Focus on campaigns
  • Remove outliers

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Applying Filters

Add filters to your dashboard or reports:
1

Open Filter Panel

Click the Filter button in the dashboard controls.
2

Add Filter Rule

Click Add Filter to create a new filter criterion.
3

Configure Filter

Choose:
  • Field: What to filter (URL, browser, country, etc.)
  • Operator: How to match (equals, contains, etc.)
  • Value: What value to match
4

Apply Filters

Your dashboard or report updates to show only matching data.
Filters are applied in real-time and affect all visible metrics and charts.

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Filter Fields

All available filter criteria:

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Page Filters

Filter by page URLs:Examples:
  • path equals /home - Exact page match
  • path contains /blog/ - All blog pages
  • path starts with /products/ - Product section
  • path ends with .pdf - PDF downloads
Use cases:
  • Analyze specific page performance
  • Exclude admin pages
  • Focus on content sections
Filter by query string parameters:Examples:
  • query contains ref=email - Email referrals
  • query contains ?id= - Pages with ID parameter
Use cases:
  • Track specific page variants
  • Analyze search results
  • Filter dynamic content
Filter by HTML page title:Examples:
  • title contains "Product" - Product pages
  • title equals "Home Page" - Exact title
Use cases:
  • More readable than URL paths
  • Filter dynamic URLs by title
  • Content category analysis
Filter by domain/subdomain:Examples:
  • hostname equals blog.example.com - Subdomain
  • hostname contains staging - Staging sites
Use cases:
  • Multi-domain tracking
  • Separate production from staging
  • Subdomain analysis

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Traffic Source Filters

Filter by referring website:Examples:
  • referrer equals google.com - Google traffic
  • referrer contains facebook - Facebook referrals
  • referrer is empty - Direct traffic
Use cases:
  • Analyze specific traffic sources
  • Compare referrer performance
  • Exclude internal referrals
Filter by specific referring page:Examples:
  • referrer_path contains /article/ - From articles
  • referrer_path starts with /search - Search results
Use cases:
  • Deep referrer analysis
  • Content performance on external sites
  • Link source tracking
Filter by campaign source:Examples:
  • utm_source equals google - Google campaigns
  • utm_source equals newsletter - Newsletter traffic
Use cases:
  • Campaign performance
  • Source comparison
  • Marketing attribution
Filter by marketing medium:Examples:
  • utm_medium equals cpc - Paid ads
  • utm_medium equals email - Email campaigns
  • utm_medium equals social - Social media
Use cases:
  • Channel performance
  • Medium comparison
  • Budget allocation
Filter by campaign name:Examples:
  • utm_campaign equals summer_sale - Specific campaign
  • utm_campaign contains 2024 - All 2024 campaigns
Use cases:
  • Campaign-specific analysis
  • A/B test comparison
  • Seasonal performance
Filter by ad variation or keywords:Examples:
  • utm_content equals banner_a - Ad variant
  • utm_term contains shoes - Keyword groups
Use cases:
  • Ad variation testing
  • Keyword analysis
  • Creative performance

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Technology Filters

Filter by web browser:Examples:
  • browser equals Chrome - Chrome users
  • browser not equals Safari - Non-Safari users
Use cases:
  • Browser-specific issues
  • Cross-browser comparison
  • Feature support analysis
Common values:
  • Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
  • Mobile browsers (Chrome Mobile, Safari Mobile)
Filter by OS:Examples:
  • os equals Windows - Windows users
  • os equals iOS - iPhone/iPad users
Use cases:
  • Platform-specific behavior
  • Mobile vs desktop analysis
  • OS compatibility testing
Common values:
  • Windows, macOS, Linux
  • iOS, Android, Chrome OS
Filter by device category:Examples:
  • device equals mobile - Smartphones
  • device equals desktop - Desktop computers
  • device equals tablet - Tablets
Use cases:
  • Responsive design analysis
  • Mobile optimization
  • Device-specific features
Filter by screen size:Examples:
  • screen equals 1920x1080 - Full HD
  • screen contains 1920 - All 1920px wide screens
Use cases:
  • Responsive breakpoint analysis
  • Design optimization
  • Screen size distribution

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Geographic Filters

Filter by country:Examples:
  • country equals US - United States
  • country equals GB - United Kingdom
Use cases:
  • Geo-targeted campaigns
  • Regional performance
  • International expansion
Use 2-letter ISO country codes (US, CA, GB, AU, etc.)
Filter by state or province:Examples:
  • region equals California - California
  • region equals Ontario - Ontario, Canada
Use cases:
  • Regional marketing
  • State-specific analysis
  • Local campaign tracking
Filter by city:Examples:
  • city equals New York - New York City
  • city contains San - Cities starting with San
Use cases:
  • Hyper-local analysis
  • City-specific campaigns
  • Urban vs suburban trends

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Behavioral Filters

Filter by custom events:Examples:
  • event equals click - Click events
  • event contains purchase - Purchase-related events
Use cases:
  • Event-based analysis
  • User action tracking
  • Conversion funnel filtering
Filter by event property values:Examples:
  • event_property.plan equals premium - Premium users
  • event_property.value > 100 - High-value events
Use cases:
  • Advanced segmentation
  • Property-based analysis
  • Custom data filtering

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Session Filters

Filter by browser language:Examples:
  • language equals en-US - US English
  • language contains en - All English variants
Use cases:
  • Localization analysis
  • Language-specific content
  • Translation priority
Filter by user identifier:Examples:
  • distinct_id equals user123 - Specific user
Use cases:
  • Individual user tracking
  • User journey analysis
  • Support issue investigation
Requires implementing distinct ID tracking in your code.

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Filter Operators

How filters match values:

Equals

Exact matchExamples:
  • country equals US
  • browser equals Chrome
Use when: You know the exact value

Not Equals

Exclude exact matchExamples:
  • path not equals /admin
  • device not equals desktop
Use when: Excluding specific values

Contains

Partial matchExamples:
  • path contains /blog/
  • referrer contains facebook
Use when: Flexible matching needed

Does Not Contain

Exclude partial matchExamples:
  • path does not contain /admin/
  • title does not contain test
Use when: Excluding patterns

Starts With

Match beginningExamples:
  • path starts with /products/
  • utm_campaign starts with 2024
Use when: Matching prefixes

Ends With

Match endingExamples:
  • path ends with .pdf
  • path ends with /checkout
Use when: Matching suffixes

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Empty/Not Empty

Some fields support empty checks:Is Empty:
  • referrer is empty - Direct traffic
  • utm_source is empty - No campaign tracking
Is Not Empty:
  • referrer is not empty - Has referrer
  • event is not empty - Has events

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Combining Multiple Filters

Filters use AND logic - all filters must match:

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Example: Mobile Users from Paid Ads

Filter 1: device equals mobile
Filter 2: utm_medium equals cpc
Filter 3: country equals US

Result: Mobile users from US paid ads
All filters must match for data to be included. There is no OR operator - use separate analyses or segments for OR logic.

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Filter Strategies

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Inclusion Filters

Focus on specific data:
  • Include only specific pages
  • Include only certain traffic sources
  • Include only target locations
Example: 
path starts with /products/
country equals US
device equals mobile

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Exclusion Filters

Remove unwanted data:
  • Exclude admin pages
  • Exclude internal traffic
  • Exclude test data
Example: 
path does not contain /admin/
path does not contain /test/
referrer does not contain mycompany.com

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Combination Strategy

Combine inclusion and exclusion: Example: Clean Product Page Analysis 
INCLUDE:
  path starts with /products/
  
EXCLUDE:
  path does not contain /admin/
  referrer does not contain internal.com

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Common Filter Patterns

Campaign Analysis

Filters:
  • utm_campaign equals summer_sale
  • utm_medium equals email
Purpose: Email campaign performance

Mobile Experience

Filters:
  • device equals mobile
  • path contains /checkout/
Purpose: Mobile checkout analysis

International Traffic

Filters:
  • country not equals US
  • language contains en
Purpose: English speakers outside US

Content Performance

Filters:
  • path starts with /blog/
  • referrer contains google
Purpose: Blog SEO performance

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Saving Filters as Segments

Convert useful filters into reusable segments:
1

Apply Filters

Set up your filter criteria in the dashboard.
2

Navigate to Segments

Go to the Segments section.
3

Create Segment

Manually create a new segment with the same filter criteria.
4

Use Segment

Apply the segment instead of recreating filters each time.
Convert filters to segments when you’ll use the same criteria regularly.

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Filter Performance

Applying many filters simultaneously can slow down data loading. Start with broad filters and add more as needed.

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Optimization Tips

  • Use specific operators (equals vs contains) when possible
  • Limit the number of simultaneous filters
  • Consider creating segments for complex filter combinations
  • Use shorter date ranges with multiple filters

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Filters in Different Views

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Dashboard Filters

  • Affect all dashboard panels
  • Persist while browsing tabs
  • Can be cleared all at once
  • Don’t persist across sessions

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Report Filters

  • Specific to each report
  • Can be saved with report configurations
  • Independent of dashboard filters
  • Apply to report results only

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Real-time Filters

  • Apply to live data
  • Update as new data arrives
  • Useful for monitoring specific activity
  • Can combine with date filters

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Troubleshooting Filters

Possible causes:
  • Filters too restrictive
  • No matching data in date range
  • Typo in filter value
  • Wrong operator used
Solutions:
  • Remove filters one by one
  • Check filter values against actual data
  • Extend date range
  • Try different operators
Possible causes:
  • Case sensitivity issues
  • Contains matching too broadly
  • Multiple filters conflicting
Solutions:
  • Use more specific operators
  • Check exact values in raw data
  • Test filters individually
  • Verify filter logic (all must match)
Possible causes:
  • Field not being tracked
  • Data not yet available
  • Filter syntax incorrect
Solutions:
  • Verify tracking implementation
  • Check recent data availability
  • Try different field/operator

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Best Practices

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Filter Usage

  • Start broad, then narrow down
  • Test filters on known data first
  • Document complex filter combinations
  • Clear filters when done to avoid confusion
  • Use consistent naming in UTM parameters for easier filtering

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Filter Naming

When creating segments from filters:
  • Use descriptive names
  • Include key criteria in name
  • Be consistent across team
  • Avoid generic names

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Team Collaboration

  • Share useful filter combinations
  • Convert common filters to segments
  • Document filter strategies
  • Use consistent UTM naming conventions
  • Create naming guidelines for campaign parameters

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Filters vs Segments

FeatureFiltersSegments
SavedNoYes
ReusableNoYes
SpeedInstantInstant
SharingManualAutomatic
Best ForQuick analysisRecurring analysis
PersistenceSession onlyPermanent
Use filters for exploration and one-time analysis. Convert to segments for recurring use.

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Advanced Filtering Techniques

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Funnel Stage Analysis

Filter by funnel stages: 
Top of Funnel:
  path equals /landing
  
Middle of Funnel:
  path contains /product/
  
Bottom of Funnel:
  path equals /checkout

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Multi-Device Journey

Track cross-device behavior: 
Mobile Entry:
  device equals mobile
  path equals /home
  
Desktop Conversion:
  device equals desktop
  event equals purchase

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Campaign Attribution

Attribute conversions to campaigns: 
Campaign:
  utm_campaign equals holiday_sale
  
Conversion:
  event equals purchase
  event_property.value > 50

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Next Steps

Segments

Save your filters as reusable segments

Reports

Apply filters to custom reports

Dashboards

Use filters to analyze dashboard data

UTM Tracking

Set up campaign tracking for better filtering

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