Tag Assistant sessions are the preferred diagnostic standard for complex Google Ads, Google Analytics, and Google Tag Manager troubleshooting, especially for conversion tracking and data discrepancies. Recordings offer a deep-tier technical payload, essential for root-cause analysis. This goes beyond live screen shares. They help you understand tag and web page interactions, and isolate the root cause of issues quickly.
In this article, you’ll learn how to record and export a Tag Assistant session to improve the quality of technical data provided to support agents.
On this page
- Before you begin
- How to record and export a Tag Assistant session
- Share your session with support
- Understand security and privacy safeguards
- Avoid common recording errors
Before you begin
Existing support data indicates the first 15 to 20 minutes of technical appointments are frequently lost to access issues or environment mismatches. To ensure a smooth process, complete the following checklist before recording:
- Browser requirements: Use Google Chrome (latest version) and recommend Incognito Mode to prevent interference from third-party extensions or cached data.
- Access levels: Ensure Admin access to the Google Tag Manager container or the Google tag (
gtag.js) before starting. - Path definition: Identify the specific conversion path to ensure the recording captures the full journey. For example, “Landing page > Cart > Purchase confirmation”.
How to record and export a Tag Assistant session
- Go to tagassistant.google.com.
- Enter the URL of the website that you want to debug, and click Connect.
- Navigate through your defined conversion path on your website in the newly opened browser tab.
- Once you've completed the desired actions, click Finish at the bottom-right corner of the window.
- In the overflow menu
, click Export, then click Export again to save the .json file.
, click Export, then click Export again to save the .json file. Important: Use a standardized naming format for your .json exports to streamline case handling and internal organization. This prevents file confusion during handovers between frontline agents and technical specialists.
- Recommended format:
CID_YYYYMMDD_TagRecording.json - Example:
1234567890_20260306_TagRecording.json
Don’t modify the file extension after exporting, as this can corrupt the session data.
Share your session with support
Once you have exported your session, securely deliver the data to Google support. Directly attach the exported .json file to your existing support ticket or reply to your specialist's initial email with the file attached.
Our support specialist will import the file in a read-only format to replicate your experience and troubleshoot effectively. This means that they don’t need live site access.
Understand security and privacy safeguards
Tag Assistant includes built-in safeguards to address customer hesitation regarding data sharing:
- Masking clarification: Sensitive information isn’t recorded by default, even though .json files capture data layer variables. This includes passwords or full credit card numbers.
- Best practice: Before recording, close unrelated browser tabs and windows. This ensures no tangential session data is accidentally captured.
- Disclaimer: Don’t record sessions if your website manually sends sensitive information through custom tags.
Avoid common recording errors
Invalid recordings often result from the following errors. These recordings can’t be used for troubleshooting:
- Starting on the Thank-you page: Users often mistakenly begin recording on the conversion page itself. To ensure the full trigger firing is recorded, always start recording from the landing page or begin a step prior to the event you wish to capture.
- Premature window closure: Closing the Tag Assistant "Companion" window prematurely will terminate the debug session. Until you explicitly select Finish in the Tag Assistant "Companion" window, keep both the Tag Assistant tab and your website tab open.
- Incomplete snippets: Avoid "altered snippet" errors. For proper functionality, ensure the global site tag (
gtag.js) or Google Tag Manager container snippet is placed high in the<head>section of your website's HTML. This placement ensures proper functionality.