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Guide 131 · Setup · GA4 + Tag Manager

Turn on file download tracking: the extensions that trigger file_download

Checked 11 November 2026 · Verification: download extensions counted in the documented regex (29 extensions trigger file_download) · Steps traced to Analytics Help, read 11 November 2026 · 5-minute read

File download tracking is the toggle that shows which lead magnets, price lists, and manuals visitors actually take. When a visitor clicks a link to a file with a common extension — a PDF, a spreadsheet, a zip — GA4 fires file_download with the file's name and extension attached. No code is needed. This guide confirms the toggle and lists exactly which extensions count.

Expected signal

After step 3, the File downloads option is on, and clicking a link to a PDF sends one file_download event with file_name set to the file and file_extension set to pdf.

Download the reference: the file download reference (JSON) (1207 bytes, MD5 649d9e7b54c42bd8ab844e99be317ae3). The file extensions from Google's enhanced measurement page, counted in Python: 29 extensions trigger file_download, 8 of them document or text types.

What you need

  • A web data stream. Enhanced measurement applies to web streams, and File downloads is one of its options.
  • The Editor role or above at the property level. Google requires Editor or above to enable or disable enhanced measurement events.
  • At least one downloadable file linked on the site. A PDF, a spreadsheet, or a zip on a real page is the test case.

The trace

  1. Open the stream. In Admin, under Data collection and modification, click Data streams, then click the name of the web data stream.
  2. Open the enhanced measurement options. Under Enhanced measurement, click the settings icon to edit individual options.
  3. Check File downloads. Confirm the File downloads option is on. It is on by default when the stream is created. Save if you changed anything.
  4. Know the trigger. The file_download event fires when a user clicks a link leading to a file with a common file extension. Google documents the match as a regular expression of extensions, and counting the alternation in that expression gives 29 extensions: pdf, xlsx, xls, docx, doc, txt, rtf, csv, exe, key, pps, ppt, pptx, 7z, pkg, rar, gz, zip, avi, mov, mp4, mpeg, mpg, wmv, mid, midi, mp3, wav, and wma. The list covers documents, text, executables, presentations, compressed files, video, and audio.
  5. Count the document types. Of the 29 extensions, the document and text types are pdf, xlsx, xls, docx, doc, txt, rtf, and csv — 8 of 29. The rest are installers, archives, video, and audio. A link to a file type outside the list, such as a webp image, sends no file_download event at all.
  6. Know what the event carries. The file_download event carries 6 parameters: file_extension, file_name, link_classes, link_id, link_text, and link_url. The file_name and file_extension parameters fill the File name and File extension dimensions, and link_text shows the words on the link the visitor clicked.
  7. Find the event in the reports. Open Reports, then Engagement, then Events, and look for file_download. Standard reports can take 24 to 48 hours to show new data; Realtime and DebugView show the event sooner.

Dead ends

DEAD END — EXPECTING EVERY FILE TYPE TO COUNT. Only the extensions in Google's list trigger the event. A download link to an unusual extension — a font file, a CAD file, a webp file — sends nothing through this toggle. Check the extension against the list before calling the toggle broken.

DEAD END — COUNTING THE SAME DOWNLOAD TWICE. One click on a file link sends one file_download event. If the reports show two downloads for one click, look for a second install of the tag, not at this toggle.

DEAD END — READING A MISSING EVENT AS A DEAD TOGGLE ON AN UNUSUAL LINK. The event fires on a click on a link leading to a file. A download started by a button that runs JavaScript instead of linking to the file fires no event, because there is no link for the toggle to watch.

End state

File downloads is on. Clicks on links to the 29 documented file extensions send one file_download event each with the file name, extension, and link text attached, and the event appears in Engagement, then Events, as file_download.

Sources

Checked 11 November 2026. The extension list and parameters above are the ones in Google's enhanced measurement page, opened 11 November 2026. No step in this guide was run inside a live Analytics property, because that needs a Google sign-in and this site does not sign in as anyone. The reference file was checked in Python: its figures were recomputed from the documentation values and match the numbers on this page. Google moves menu items without warning; if a path on this page no longer matches, the linked help page is the current map.