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Where UTM Data Shows Up in GA4 (Reports Walkthrough)
Find your UTM campaign data in GA4 - traffic acquisition vs user acquisition, session dimensions, and why "(not set)" appears.
Two Acquisition Reports, Two Perspectives
GA4 has two acquisition reports that show UTM data, and they answer different questions:
- User acquisition: Reports → Acquisition → User acquisition. Shows the first source/medium that brought a user to your site. This is the "how did they first discover us?" view.
- Traffic acquisition: Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition. Shows the source/medium for each session. This is the "what brought them back this time?" view.
For most marketing analysis, Traffic acquisition is what you want - it shows the UTM parameters for the current visit.
Key Dimensions for UTM Data
| GA4 Dimension | UTM Parameter | Example Value |
|---|---|---|
| Session source | utm_source | newsletter |
| Session medium | utm_medium | |
| Session campaign | utm_campaign | 2026-07-summer-sale |
| Session manual term | utm_term | running-shoes |
| Session manual content | utm_content | hero-banner-v2 |
| Session source / medium | (combined) | newsletter / email |
Why "(not set)" Appears
The most common GA4 frustration. "(not set)" means GA4 couldn't determine the value for that dimension. Common causes:
- Missing UTM parameters: The user arrived without UTM tags - e.g., typed the URL directly, or clicked an untagged link.
- Wrong report: You're looking at User acquisition but the UTM was on a return visit (use Traffic acquisition instead).
- Consent mode: If the user declined cookies, GA4 may not record the source.
- Thresholding: GA4 hides data when there are too few users to protect privacy. Try a wider date range.
How to Build a Custom UTM Report
- Go to Explore (left sidebar)
- Create a new Free-form exploration
- Add dimensions: Session source, Session medium, Session campaign
- Add metrics: Sessions, Conversions, Revenue
- Drag dimensions to Rows and metrics to Values
This gives you a campaign performance table that you can filter, sort, and export.
Build Better UTM Links
Consistent UTM naming is the foundation of clean GA4 data. Use the free UTM Builder and follow our UTM Naming Conventions guide to keep your reports clean.