Reference
GA4 Event Names Reference
Complete searchable reference of Google Analytics 4 events. Includes automatically collected events, recommended ecommerce events, lead gen events, and their parameters.
| Event Name | Category | Auto | Parameters | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
first_visit | Engagement | Yes | -- | First time a user visits your site |
session_start | Engagement | Yes | -- | When a new session begins |
page_view | Engagement | Yes | page_location, page_referrer, page_title | Each time a page is loaded or URL changes |
scroll | Engagement | Yes | percent_scrolled | User scrolls to 90% of page depth |
click | Engagement | Yes | link_url, link_domain, outbound | Outbound link clicks (enhanced measurement) |
file_download | Engagement | Yes | file_name, file_extension, link_url | User downloads a file (.pdf, .csv, .doc, etc.) |
video_start | Engagement | Yes | video_title, video_provider, video_url | Embedded video starts playing |
video_progress | Engagement | Yes | video_title, video_percent | Video reaches 10%, 25%, 50%, 75% thresholds |
video_complete | Engagement | Yes | video_title, video_provider | Video plays to completion |
form_start | Engagement | Yes | form_id, form_name, form_destination | User first interacts with a form |
form_submit | Engagement | Yes | form_id, form_name, form_destination | User submits a form |
view_search_results | Engagement | Yes | search_term | User views site search results |
view_item | Ecommerce | No | currency, value, items[] | User views a product detail page |
view_item_list | Ecommerce | No | item_list_name, items[] | User views a product listing/category page |
select_item | Ecommerce | No | item_list_name, items[] | User selects a product from a list |
add_to_cart | Ecommerce | No | currency, value, items[] | User adds a product to their cart |
remove_from_cart | Ecommerce | No | currency, value, items[] | User removes a product from their cart |
view_cart | Ecommerce | No | currency, value, items[] | User views their cart |
begin_checkout | Ecommerce | No | currency, value, coupon, items[] | User starts the checkout process |
add_shipping_info | Ecommerce | No | currency, value, shipping_tier, items[] | User submits shipping information |
add_payment_info | Ecommerce | No | currency, value, payment_type, items[] | User submits payment details |
purchase | Ecommerce | No | transaction_id, value, currency, tax, shipping, coupon, items[] | User completes a purchase |
refund | Ecommerce | No | transaction_id, value, currency, items[] | A refund is issued for a transaction |
view_promotion | Ecommerce | No | promotion_id, promotion_name, items[] | User views an internal promotion banner |
select_promotion | Ecommerce | No | promotion_id, promotion_name, items[] | User clicks an internal promotion |
generate_lead | Lead Gen | No | currency, value | User submits a lead form or inquiry |
sign_up | Lead Gen | No | method | User creates an account |
login | Lead Gen | No | method | User logs in |
search | Lead Gen | No | search_term | User performs a site search |
share | Lead Gen | No | method, content_type, item_id | User shares content via social or copy link |
conversion | Ads | No | send_to, value, currency, transaction_id | Google Ads conversion event (via gtag) |
Understanding GA4 Event Types
Automatically Collected
These fire automatically when you install the GA4 tag. No GTM configuration needed. Includes page_view, scroll, click (outbound), file_download, video events, and form interactions (if enhanced measurement is enabled).
Recommended (Ecommerce)
Google recommends these for online stores. You must implement them manually (via GTM or code). They feed into GA4's ecommerce reports and are required for Google Ads Smart Bidding to work with shopping campaigns. Key events: view_item, add_to_cart, begin_checkout, purchase.
Custom Events
GA4 accepts any event name that follows the snake_case format (max 40 characters). Custom events appear in your reports but don't trigger built-in ecommerce or engagement reports. Use them for business-specific actions like wishlist_add, compare_products, or subscription_cancel.
Need help implementing these? Read our GA4 Custom Events Guide or GA4 Ecommerce Setup Guide.
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