Returning User Breakdown in GA4

Calculating the percentage of returning users

1. Login to GA4 and go to Reports > Retention.
   This will give you the retention overview page. On this page, you get a breakdown of new vs returning users and this can be set to any timeframe you like, e.g. last 30 days, by changing the date in the top right corner.
2. To calculate the percentage of your users who are new, use this equation:
   returning users / (new users + returning users) = % of users who are returning

Calculating the percentage of users who return within 7 days

1. From Reports > Retention, select Add comparison + at the top of the page next to the All Users segment.
2. You’ll be given the option to select a Dimension to include in the report. From those options, select User lifetime > First visit date. From there, select a specific day and apply the comparison and the report.
3. You’ll then want to filter the dates to view the 7 days following. In this example we have selected April 17, 2023 as the first visit date with a report date range of April 17 to April 23, 2023
   • This will give you a report of new users on that day, and how many of them return within the following 7 days.
4. Use the figures from this view to calculate:
   returning users / (new users + returning users) = % of users who return within 7 days

Calculating the percentage of users who return after 8 days

1. Use the same approach as above but tweak the first visit date and date range for the reports to reflect the new range.
2. For example, set the first visit date to March 25, 2023. 
3. Then set the report date range to start on the 8th day from your first visit date and end on day 30. In this example, our range would be April 1, 2023 to April 23, 2023.
   • This will provide you with the number of users who return between 8 and 30 days after their first visit.
4. Use the figures from this view to calculate:
   returning users / (new users + returning users) = % of users who return between 8 and 30 days