What does (not set) mean in GA4?
Google’s definition: “(not set) is a placeholder name that Analytics uses when it hasn’t received any information for a dimension.”[1] The cause depends on the report you see it in, so the fix does too.
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What causes (not set), report by report
| Where you see it | Common cause |
|---|---|
| Google Ads reports | The Google Ads account is not linked to the property, or auto-tagging is off.[1] |
| Source / medium (session source / medium) | The session_start event is missing, often because the Google tag’s trigger is not Initialization. The channel then shows as Unassigned.[1] |
| Links you tag yourself | UTM tags that are incomplete or wrong, from any source, not only Google Ads.[1] |
| Landing page | A visit with no page_view event.[1] |
| Content group | Automatic events such as session_start and first_visit don’t take content_group, or the value sent is empty.[1] |
| A new custom parameter | The first 24 hours after you register it.[1] |
| Consent mode | The default command used to set every consent value, including updates after the visitor chose, or extra events sent with consent denied after it was granted.[1] |
| Links with srsltid | A link with the srsltid parameter when the referrer is not google.com; Google says these are not classified as organic.[1] |
What to change first
- Link Google Ads and turn on auto-tagging, if the (not set) rows are in your ads reports.[1]
- Fire the Google tag first. Google says to avoid firing custom tracking before the config command.[2]
- Check your own tags on links you share, for missing or misspelled UTM values.[1]
Google also names a related value, (data not available), that you typically can’t act on.[1]
How Convertlyft labels this
Convertlyft has no (not set) channel. Every visit gets a channel; a visit with nothing to go on, no link from another site and no tags, is Typed or bookmarked (direct). A link carrying srsltid is labelled Free shopping listings, whether or not the visit came from google.com.
The examples in this section run through our labeller in a test on every change. More: what Unassigned means and the other GA4 terms.
Questions
Why is my landing page (not set) in GA4?
Google says the landing page can be (not set) when a visit had no page_view event.[1]
Why is source / medium (not set)?
Usually because the session_start event is missing, for example when the Google tag’s trigger is not set to Initialization. That traffic then shows as Unassigned.[1]
Can I get rid of (data not available) too?
Usually not. Google says you typically can’t act on (data not available), while action is generally possible on (not set).[1]
Sources
- Google Analytics Help, “What the value (not set) means in your reports”, support.google.com/analytics/answer/13504892, checked 8 November 2026.
- Google Analytics Help, “Tagging best practices to avoid unassigned, (not set), and direct traffic issues”, support.google.com/analytics/answer/14847402, checked 8 November 2026.
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