GA4 includes several user metrics: total users, new users, active users, and returning users. Each of them reflects a different view of user behaviour, from who visited, to who engaged at a minimum level, to who came back. Understanding these metrics properly is essential if you want to interpret acquisition, engagement, and retention data consistently.
It is also useful to understand how GA4 identifies users, because that directly affects how these metrics are counted. My previous article on user identification in Google Analytics 4 can serve as a starting point for understanding how GA4 assigns these values.
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Why are there several user metrics in GA4?
Google Analytics 4 includes four different user metrics: Total users, New users, Active users, and Returning users. Each one answers a different question: how many people arrived, how many were new, how many engaged at a minimum level, and how many came back.
This is not just a matter of counting visitors. GA4 only counts a user once there is at least one registered event, and some metrics, such as Active users, require a minimum level of interaction before the user is included. That is why Total users covers the widest scope, while the other metrics capture more specific aspects of user behaviour.
It is also important to understand that these metrics cannot simply be added together. For example, New users + Returning users does not equal Total users, because the same user can appear in both categories within the selected date range. In the same way, not every new visitor becomes an active user, because some of them do not meet the minimum engagement criteria.
Finally, it is worth keeping in mind that GA4 processes this data based on sessions and automatic events, which can create results that look counterintuitive at first. For example, it is perfectly normal to see New users higher than Active users, because many first-time visitors do not interact enough to qualify as active.
User metrics in Google Analytics 4
Before breaking down each metric, it is important to know that GA4 officially presents four different ways of counting users: Total users, New users, Active users, and Returning users. Each one measures something different, so they need to be interpreted differently in reports.
Total users
Total users refers to the number of unique users who triggered any event during the selected period. Any interaction that fires an event, even a minimal one, counts toward this metric.
This metric is calculated automatically without any manual setup. Any standard or custom event associated with a detectable identifier, such as client_id, user_id, or Google Signals when available, can include the user in the total count.
Because GA4 deduplicates identifiers, each user is counted only once, which is why Total users is independent from the sum of New and Returning users.
New users
New users refers to users who triggered the first_visit event on web or the first_open event on app for the first time during the period being analysed. These are users GA4 identifies as new to that property.
GA4 populates this metric automatically when it detects a new identifier that did not exist before, so it does not require any extra configuration. It is tied to the first_visit or first_open event.
Although the number of new users is always below the overall total, it can still be higher than Active users, because many new users do not go on to meet the criteria required to be considered active.
Active users
This metric shows users who had an engaged session. By default, a session is considered engaged when it lasts at least 10 seconds, includes at least 2 page or screen views, or generates a key event.
GA4 automatically uses signals such as engagement_time_msec, user_engagement, and the first_visit or first_open events to count these users as active, so no additional setup is required to measure them.
It is also important to know that the Users metric shown in many GA4 reports usually refers to active users, not to total users. This is one of the main reasons people can become confused when comparing user counts across different parts of the interface.
Returning users
Returning users are users who had already visited the property before and then come back during the selected period. GA4 detects them by recognising the same identifier, such as client_id or user_id, used in a previous session.
An engaged session is not required here. It is enough for the user to start a new visit in order to be counted as returning, even if they do not meet the engagement criteria.
Because of the way the metric works, the same user can appear as both new and returning if their first visit happens within the date range and they come back again during that same range. That is why New users + Returning users can exceed Total users.
| Metric | What does it measure? | How is it calculated? |
|---|---|---|
| Total users | Unique users who triggered any event | Any standard or custom event detected, such as session_start or custom events |
| New users | Users who triggered first_visit or first_open for the first time during the selected period | Automatic event generated by GA4 when it detects a new identifier, such as client_id or user_id |
| Active users | Users with an engaged session (≥ 10 seconds, ≥ 2 page/screen views, or a key event) or users who are new | GA4 uses signals such as engagement_time_msec, user_engagement, or first_visit / first_open |
| Returning users | Users who had already visited before and returned during the selected period | The system detects identifiers such as client_id or user_id that were already used in previous sessions |
Key differences between the user types
It is easy to think that these four user metrics are similar and can be used interchangeably, but each one has its own use cases. Understanding how they differ is essential if you want to extract insights correctly.
GA4 treats each user internally as a unique entity. That is why you cannot get Total users by summing New users and Returning users. The total metric deduplicates identifiers and represents unique users within the selected period. A single user can appear as both new and returning, while still only being counted once in the total.
It is also common to see New users higher than Active users, because not every first-time visitor reaches the minimum interaction threshold that GA4 requires to classify someone as active. A session of at least 10 seconds, more than one page or screen view, or a key event is needed. That makes Active users a stricter metric, focused on meaningful interaction, while New users only requires the first automatic event.
Another important aspect is data thresholding, which is a privacy protection mechanism in GA4. When reports include low user counts, especially when Google Signals or demographic data is involved, GA4 may withhold or limit some values. This can create discrepancies between standard reports, explorations, and exports.
Best practices for analysing users in GA4
It is a good idea to choose coherent and comparable date ranges, avoiding incomplete or arbitrary intervals. Comparing full weeks or full months usually gives a cleaner view and reduces bias caused by low-activity periods or partial days. Very short ranges can also make thresholding more likely, especially when working with segments such as new or active users.
It is also very useful to combine user metrics with other business metrics, such as conversion rate, average engagement time, key events, or average revenue per user. This makes it easier to distinguish which part of the audience is actually creating value. The question is not only how many users arrived, but how many interacted, converted, or generated revenue.
Another important recommendation is to make sure user identification is configured properly. Using user_id, Google Signals, and device-based identifiers together can improve consistency and reduce duplication in user counts. At the same time, you need to be careful not to send static or incorrect identifiers, because that can distort the metrics or create empty values.
In the end, understanding user metrics in Google Analytics 4 (Total users, New users, Active users, and Returning users) is essential if you want to interpret visitor behaviour correctly across a website or app. Each metric offers a different perspective on the audience, and recognising those differences is the key to avoiding misleading conclusions.
