Get Back Your Analytics Account From Ex-Staff, Agencies & Lost Accounts

Have you lost control of your Google Analytics? Did a digital agency set up your Analytics account without giving you admin access and now you've fired them you can't get it back? Did a member of staff who controlled access to your web properties just leave and take all the passwords? Or have you simply got no idea which email address you used to set up your Analytics account, and now you can't get in? Don't worry - you're not the only one, and there is a simple solution!

This is a situation that seems to happen to a lot of businesses, including myself when I was an in-house Online Marketing & Ecommerce Manager. It is actually quite serious because that data is valuable to you and your competitors - so you don't want to lose access to it or allow it to get in the wrong hands. In hindsight, the lesson is simple...

In hindsight, the lesson is simple... Be in control

Always set up web property accounts with a centralised business email address (not your own work email) and keep a record of the property, email and password that can be accessed by more than one person. I personally use a password protected spreadsheet. Never let a 3rd party do it for you unless you specify that they must use your centralised work email address.

How to get access to your Analytics account after losing it

1. Visit the Analytics Help Centre and make sure you're logged in to your Google account.

2. Click 'Contact' at the top right and in the dropdown menu click 'See local phone number'.

3. Call the local phone number and when asked by the automated phone service, enter the customer ID shown at the top of the page.

4. Select 2 for Google Analytics when prompted.

5. You'll speak to a Google representative. Explain that you need to regain access to Google Analytics as you don't have the master log in. If possible, supply the UA number (this is the ID of the Google Analytics account which can be found in Google Analytics if you still have at least read-only access).

6. Google will tell you that they will send an email to the account(s) with admin control requesting that they give you admin control. Google will not tell you the email address or name of the admins.

7. If the admins do not respond within a few days, Google will contact you explaining that to prove your right to access to your website's analytics, you need to upload a file to the website. This is normally a .txt file that needs to be uploaded to the root. If you're using a hosted service you may not be able to upload a file to the root of the site - in which case inform Google and they will offer a different solution.

8. Google will send you an email with instructions on what the .txt file should contain and what it should be called.

9. Once you have uploaded the .txt file, check that it works by going to http://yourwebsite.com/textfilename.txt

10. Reply to Google's .txt file instructional email to confirm it's done and they will check it.

11. If they have been able to confirm you have access to the website, they will grant you full admin access to the Google Analytics property, you will breathe a deep sigh of relief, and life will go on.

12. I strongly recommend that now you have full admin access to the Google Analytics account, check which other users have access by clicking Admin at the top of Google Analytics and then Users on the left.  Remove or reduce access for users where necessary. Congratulations - you are now in control!

I hope you found this post useful. If you did, please share as this is such a common problem. Thank you.