Guide 86 · Admin · GA4 + Tag Manager
Set user properties in GA4: describe groups of users with a Google tag Event Settings variable
User properties describe groups of users, such as language or membership tier. Set them in Tag Manager with a Google tag Event Settings variable, then assign it to the Google tag.
After the trace, the Google tag carries an Event Settings variable with the user property, and the property name appears in the tag's configuration.
Download the reference: the set user properties reference (JSON) (364 bytes, MD5 bf864e60a4c1e2fbc5e4d1f9e312dfb0). It holds the worked example from this guide with every figure recomputed. The file was built for this guide and checked the same day; it was not exported from a live property.
What you need
- A Tag Manager container with the Google tag.
- The user property name, in lower case with underscores, decided before you build.
- Editor access to the container.
The trace
- Decide the property name first. Google's example is a property that records each user's favourite food. Names are lower case with underscores. A name you cannot explain in one line is not ready to build.
- Create a Google tag Event Settings variable. In Tag Manager, open Variables, then New, and choose Google Tag: Event Settings. This variable holds the user properties the Google tag will send.
- Add the user property to the variable. Enter the property name and the value it should carry, such as the membership tier or language preference for the visitor. Google says you can set up to 25 additional user properties per GA4 property.
- Assign the variable to the Google tag. Open the Google tag, find the Event Settings field, and select the variable you just built. The Google tag then sends the property with its events.
- Check the worked example in the download. The property already holds 7 user properties, so 25 - 7 = 18 slots remain. Adding 3 more leaves 15. Count before you add, because the 26th property is silently ignored.
- Publish the container as a version, then confirm in DebugView that events from the site carry the user property. A property that never arrives in DebugView was not assigned to the tag, or was assigned to a different tag.
Dead ends
DEAD END — MORE THAN 25 USER PROPERTIES. GA4 allows 25 additional user properties per property. The 26th is ignored without an error. Audit the list monthly and remove unused ones.
DEAD END — A PROPERTY WITH NO REPORT WITHOUT A DIMENSION. A user property sent by the tag does not appear as a dimension in your reports until you register it as a user-scoped custom dimension. Sending and reporting are two steps.
DEAD END — THE VARIABLE BUILT BUT NEVER ASSIGNED. An Event Settings variable does nothing on its own. Until it is assigned to the Google tag, no event carries the property.
End state
Seven user properties are in use and 18 slots remain; adding 3 leaves 15. The Event Settings variable is assigned to the Google tag, and DebugView shows the property on events.
Sources
- Tag Manager Help — Set up Google Analytics in Tag Manager — set up to 25 additional user properties per GA4 property, using a Google Tag Event Settings variable assigned to the Google tag
Checked 11 November 2026. The click paths above are the ones in Google's help and developer pages, opened 11 November 2026. No step in this guide was run inside a live Analytics property or a live Tag Manager container, because both need a Google sign-in and this site does not sign in as anyone. The figures on this page were recomputed in Python 3 and are shown in the downloadable file, which was checked the same day. Google moves menu items without warning; if a path on this page no longer matches, the linked help page is the current map.