[GA4] Delete/Restore Accounts/Properties

This article explains how the Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Trash works, which items can be restored, what happens when you restore accounts and properties, and how to restore them step by step.

About the Trash in GA4

The Trash is a temporary storage area for GA4 accounts and properties that have been flagged for deletion. It gives you a grace period to recover items before they are permanently removed.

• Items in the Trash are retained for 35 days before permanent deletion.

• After 35 days in the Trash, Analytics automatically deletes the account or property and records the action in the Change History, attributing it to the Analytics System user.

• The Trash shows a list of entities scheduled for deletion, including:

  • The account or property name

  • The user who moved it to the Trash

  • The scheduled permanent deletion date

• To restore an entity, you select it and move it out of the Trash.

• You must have the Editor role on the account to access and use the Trash.

Items Eligible for Restoration

When you restore accounts or properties from the Trash, their associated items and settings are handled in specific ways.

Restoring Accounts

• When you restore an account, all properties that were part of that account are automatically restored, except for properties that were individually moved to the Trash.

Restoring Properties and Data Streams

• When you restore a property, all data streams that existed when the property was moved to the Trash are automatically restored.

• You cannot move an individual data stream to the Trash; data streams can only be deleted directly.

• When you delete a property, its data streams are automatically moved to the Trash along with the property.

Examples of Restoration Behavior

Consider the following setup:

• Account A contains Property P1 and Property P2.

• Property P1 includes Data Streams DS1 and DS2.

• Property P2 includes Data Streams DS3 and DS4.

Example 1:

• When Account A is moved to the Trash, restoring Account A will automatically restore:

  • Property P1 with DS1 and DS2

  • Property P2 with DS3 and DS4

Example 2:

• If Property P1 is first moved to the Trash, and then Account A is moved to the Trash:

  • Restoring Account A will restore:

    • Account A

    • Property P2 with DS3 and DS4

  • Property P1 will not be restored, because it was individually moved to the Trash.

Settings, Configurations, and Data Processing

• When you restore an account or property from the Trash, settings and configurations remain intact, including:

  • Filters

  • User permissions

  • Links to other Google products

• While accounts and properties are in the Trash, data processing is halted.

• After restoration:

  • Processing for core reports typically resumes within about one hour.

  • Real-time processing usually resumes within seconds.

Subproperty and Roll-Up Properties

There are additional considerations when trashing or restoring subproperties and roll-up properties.

• Learn more about the process of trashing and restoring roll-up properties: Discover more about the process of trashing and restoring roll-up properties.

• Learn more about trashing and restoring subproperties: Explore further information on trashing and restoring subproperties.

How to Restore an Account or Property

Use this procedure to restore a GA4 account or property from the Trash. You must have the Editor role to perform these steps.

• If all Analytics accounts have been deleted, you must first create a new Analytics account in order to access the Trash.

1. Step 1: In GA4 Admin, under the Account column, select Trash.

2. Step 2: In the Trash table, locate the account or property you want to restore by scanning the list or using the search field in the table.

3. Step 3: Select the item you want to recover and click Restore.