Update time: January 14, 2025
This article introduces how to track file_download in GA4.
Suppose I want to track the file download tracking at this location, such as:
Enhanced Measurement Events
GA4’s enhanced measurement events have built-in file download tracking, called the file_download event.
| Measurement option | Events | Triggered… | Parameters |
| File downloads | file_download | Triggered when the user downloads the following file:
pdf|xlsx?|docx?|txt|rtf|csv|exe|key|pp(s|t|tx)|7z|pkg|rar |gz|zip|avi|mov|mp4|mpe?g|wmv|midi?|mp3|wav|wma
|
file_extension file_name link_classes link_domain link_id link_text link_url |
Enhanced measurement settings in Web stream details:
Click the gear icon to see the enhanced measurement settings interface:
Just check 「File downloads」 and save, and you’re all set.
Read More : GA4 Event Tracking Series ② —— Enhanced Measurement Events
Custom Event
Track click file downloads as custom events.
Step 1 : Enable Built-In Variables
First enable some Built-In Variables, which will automatically get attributes to variables in GTM.
In GTM , click「Variables」——「Configure」，Check these Built-In Variables of click：
The main thing is to enable Click URL and Click Text.
Step 2 : Set Up the Trigger
View the source code of the tracked location:
We can know that the Click URL is https://www.bbccss.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/2025011405111591.zip, and the Click Text is “Download File Demo”, we can use these two attributes for trigger positioning.
In GTM , click「Triggers」——「New」——「Choose a trigger type to begin setup…」——「Click – All Elements」，Name it “Click-File Download “, and make the following settings:
Step 3 : Set Up the Tags
In GTM , click「Tags」——「New」——「Choose a tags type to begin setup…」——「Google Analytics: GA4 Event」，Name it “GA4-Event-File Download”, and make the following settings:
Event parameters Use the default event parameters downloaded by Enhanced Measurement Events so that you can use these parameters directly in GA4 reports and share custom dimensions.
Step 4 : Preview and Publish
Next is the Preview test:
Tags is triggered，click it to check if the event parameter value is correct：
The event parameters are accurate and can be published.
Read More：
Step 5 : Verify Data in Reports
Generally, after 24 hours, we can see the data in GA4, such as:
