Short answer: In Google Analytics 4, bounce rate is the percentage of sessions that weren’t engaged. A session is engaged when it lasts longer than 10 seconds, has a key event or has 2 or more page or screen views. Bounce rate is the opposite of engagement rate, so both always add up to 100%.
How GA4 defines bounce rate
Google defines both metrics in terms of engaged sessions. The engagement rate is the percentage of engaged sessions on your website or app, and the bounce rate is the percentage of sessions that were not engaged.
| Criterion | The session is engaged when | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Time | It lasts longer than 10 seconds | Someone reads your services page for half a minute |
| Key event | It has a key event | Someone sends a form you marked as a key event |
| Page views | It has 2 or more page or screen views | Someone opens a second page of your site |
Our summary of Analytics Help, read November 6, 2026.
Google’s own example: a person reads some content for less than 10 seconds and leaves without any event or second page. That session isn’t engaged, so it counts as a bounce. Events such as first_visit and session_start don’t count toward engagement, even if you mark them as key events.
What changed from Universal Analytics
Universal Analytics, the older version of Google Analytics, counted a bounce as a single-page session with no interaction, with a duration of 0 seconds. Someone who read your home page for several minutes and left without clicking counted as a bounce.
In GA4 that same visit lasts longer than 10 seconds, so it’s engaged. Google says the old bounce rate became less useful as websites and apps changed, for example on single-page applications.
How to add bounce rate to your GA4 reports
- Sign in to Google Analytics with an Editor or Administrator role.
- From the left menu, select Reports.
- Open a detail report, such as Pages and screens.
- Click Customize report in the upper-right corner.
- In Report data, click Metrics, then Add metric.
- Add Engagement rate and Bounce rate, then click Apply.
- Save the changes to the report and find both metrics in the last two columns.
Most reports leave both metrics out by default, and you can only add them to detail reports, not overview reports. Our guide to setting up Google Analytics 4 covers the tag itself.
How to change the 10-second rule
The 10 seconds is a default. In your Google tag settings, the Adjust timer for engaged sessions option sets how long a session must last to become engaged. A longer timer makes fewer sessions engaged, which raises your bounce rate, so note any change before you compare periods.
What to do when engagement is low
Google suggests using reports and explorations to see whether a low engagement rate is uniform or comes from certain channels, source and medium pairs, pages or screens. If a few pages are low, check whether their content matches the marketing that sends people there and whether they offer an easy next step.
If one channel is low, review the marketing for that channel. If the problem is everywhere, check that every page is tagged correctly. To see which campaigns bring engaged visits, our guide to UTM parameters shows how to label your links.
Before you judge your bounce rate
- You’re reading GA4’s definition, not Universal Analytics’.
- Bounce rate and engagement rate are added to your detail reports.
- You know the engaged session timer your property uses.
- You compare pages and channels, not only the site average.
- Every page of your site carries the Google tag.
- You compare against your own past periods.
RememberIn GA4 a bounce is a session that wasn’t engaged, not a single page view. Read it next to engagement rate, page by page and channel by channel.
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Quick answers about bounce rate in GA4
What is a good bounce rate in GA4?
Google’s help page on the metric gives no target number. It suggests looking at whether a low engagement rate is uniform or comes from certain channels, pages or screens, so compare your own pages and channels over time.
Does someone who reads one page for minutes count as a bounce?
Not in GA4. A session that lasts longer than 10 seconds is an engaged session, so it isn’t a bounce. In Universal Analytics, a single-page session with no interaction counted as a bounce however long the person read.
Why can’t I see bounce rate in my GA4 reports?
Most reports don’t include engagement rate or bounce rate by default. An Editor or Administrator can add them to a detail report with Customize report and Add metric, and then save the report.
Can I change the 10-second rule?
Yes. In your Google tag settings, the Adjust timer for engaged sessions option sets how many seconds a session needs to become engaged. The default is 10 seconds.
Why is my GA4 bounce rate different from Universal Analytics?
The two versions define it differently. GA4 counts sessions that weren’t engaged, while Universal Analytics counted single-page sessions with no interaction. Google says the old measure became less useful as websites and apps changed.
Sources
All read on November 6, 2026. Analytics Help: [GA4] Engagement rate and bounce rate. Configure your Google tag settings. Comparing metrics: Google Analytics vs. Universal Analytics.