GA4 annotations: how to use them, limits and alternatives
GA4 annotations are short notes attached to a date or date range in a Google Analytics 4 property. They appear on line charts across reports. Users with Analyst access or above can create them; each property can hold up to 1,000 annotations, with a 60-character title and a 150-character description.
How do you add an annotation in GA4?
- Open a report with a line chart in the GA4 property.
- Right-click a point on the chart (or use the annotation option in the chart menu).
- Add a title, an optional description, a date or date range and a colour.
- Save. The annotation now shows on line charts across the property's reports.
Annotations can also be created and managed through the Google Analytics Admin API.
What are the limits of GA4 annotations?
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Annotations per property | 1,000 |
| Title | 60 characters |
| Description | 150 characters |
| Who can create or edit | Analyst role or above |
| Who can see | Viewer role or above |
| Where they appear | Line charts in that property |
Google also adds system annotations for events that affect your data. You can see those but not edit or delete them.
Read also: Looker Studio annotations: how to mark changes on your charts · Marketing change log: what it is and how to keep one
When are GA4 annotations enough?
Annotations work well for a single site with a small team that lives in GA4: a redesign, a tracking fix, a campaign launch. They put context exactly where people look at the data.
Example: A manager sees organic sessions drop 12% on Thursday in a GA4 report and asks why. Two annotations sit just before it: a GTM publish on Tuesday and the site redesign on Wednesday. The context is on the chart, right where the question was asked.
- TueGTMContainer version 18 published
- WedWebsiteSite redesign goes live
- ThuOrganic sessions −12%
Where do GA4 annotations fall short?
- One property only. Agencies with 20 clients have 20 separate sets of notes, and a change that affects several properties has to be added to each one.
- Limited space. 150 characters rarely fit what changed, why and what you expect.
- No structure. There are no channels, owners, links or results to filter by.
- Tied to GA4 access. People who work in Google Ads, Meta or the CRM, and clients, often don't open GA4 at all.
- A cap. An active account logging a few changes a day will reach 1,000 in about a year.
What are the alternatives to GA4 annotations?
- Looker Studio: a data source with your changes (from a sheet) plotted on the same chart. Flexible, but you maintain it.
- A shared spreadsheet: our free change log template is the quickest start.
- A dedicated marketing change log: Changeline keeps changes from every channel on one to-scale timeline per client, with tags, notes, links, roles and a full edit history.
Many teams use both: the change log as the full record, and a GA4 annotation for the few changes that matter most to people reading GA4 reports.
One change log for the whole team, beyond GA4 annotations
Changeline puts your team’s changes, imported Google Ads changes and site, tracking and CRM edits on one timeline per client.
Free plan: 1 project, 2 editors, 15 days of history. No card.
FAQ
Did Universal Analytics have annotations?
Yes. Universal Analytics had annotations, but GA4 launched without them. Google added annotations to GA4 in 2025.
Can I export GA4 annotations?
You can read and manage annotations through the Google Analytics Admin API. The GA4 interface has no simple export button for them.
Why can’t I add an annotation in GA4?
You need the Analyst role or above on that property. Viewers can see annotations but not create them. Also check that you’re on a report with a line chart.