Short answer: Looker Studio is called Data Studio again. It’s Google’s no-cost tool for dashboards and reports. Sign in at datastudio.google.com, click Create, then Report, and connect Google Ads, Google Analytics or Search Console. Add charts and a date range control, then share the report or email it on a schedule.
What Data Studio is, and what changed
Data Studio, formerly Looker Studio, turns your data into dashboards and reports you can share and customize. Google describes it as a no-cost tool.
In April 2026, Google gave Looker Studio back its original name, Data Studio. The product address is now datastudio.google.com.
You don’t need to update your reports, Google says. Links to lookerstudio.google.com redirect to the new domain automatically.
If your company uses proxies to restrict access to external sites, your IT administrator needs to add the new domain to the access control list.
A report can pull data from many sources without programming, and you build it with a drag-and-drop editor.
Which marketing data you can connect
| Data | What Data Studio offers | Our tip |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | One account per data source, or up to 50 sub-accounts through a manager account | Set up conversion tracking first, or you’ll see clicks without results |
| Google Analytics 4 | Any GA4 Data API field, with at least Read & Analyze permission | Use UTM parameters to see each campaign on its own |
| Search Console | Site Impression or URL Impression, one per data source | Place it next to Google Ads to compare paid and unpaid clicks |
| Google Sheets | All the data in the sheet, by default | Use it for sales you close by phone or in person |
| Meta ads | No Google connector; Data Studio also uses third-party community connectors | Check who built a connector before you give it access |
What Data Studio offers comes from Google’s documentation; the tips are ours.
For Google Ads, campaigns and ad groups with zero impressions won’t appear in the data source, Google says.
If you pick a manager account, report viewers need access to it and to every selected sub-account. Access to the sub-accounts alone isn’t enough.
Our Google Ads conversion tracking guide shows how to count leads and sales before you report on them.
For GA4, Data Studio matches the data in Google Analytics reports, but not in explorations. GA4 segments and comparisons aren’t available through the connector.
Our guide to setting up Google Analytics 4 covers the property you’ll connect, and our UTM parameters guide shows how to tag each campaign link.
For Search Console, sign in to Data Studio with the same Google Account you use in Search Console. You also need at least view permission on the property.
Our Google Search Console guide explains how to set it up and what to check first.
How to build a marketing dashboard in Data Studio
- Write down the numbers you check each week, such as leads, cost per lead and calls.
- Sign in to Data Studio, click Create and select Report.
- In the Connect to data tab, select a connector such as Google Ads, provide your account details and click Add.
- In the toolbar, click Add a chart, select a chart and click the canvas where you want it.
- Click Add a control and place a date range control, so viewers can choose their dates.
- Click Untitled Report in the top left and type a name for the report.
- Click Share to invite people, or choose Schedule delivery to email the report regularly.
Step 1 is our own advice. The rest follows Google’s documentation.
A report can combine sources. On the Search Console connector page, Google suggests adding data from Google Analytics and Google Ads for a more complete view.
To show site impressions and URL impressions side by side, Google suggests two data sources in a single report.
A new date range control uses the default of its data source. The Google Analytics connector shows the last 28 days, and Google Sheets shows all the data in the sheet. One control governs all the charts on the page where it sits, unless you group it with a chart.
Choose a responsive layout if your team reads the report on a phone or tablet. The default freeform layout is tailored for desktop screens.
To start faster, open the Template Gallery. Google built templates for Google Ads, Google Analytics, Search Console and Google Sheets, among other products.
Click Use my own data, then choose your account or one of your data sources, to see your figures in a template. Google’s templates are only in English, but your data appears in the language it was collected in.
How to share it or send it on a schedule
Click Share to invite specific people or Google Groups to view or edit the report. When you share a report, you share all its pages.
Editors always need a Google Account. Viewers don’t need to sign in to see a report shared with a public link.
Sharing a report doesn’t share its data source. The data source credentials decide whether a viewer can see the data.
With owner’s credentials, other people can view the data without having their own access to it. With viewer’s credentials, each person needs their own access.
Be careful with public links. Anyone with the link can also access the report’s embedded data sources, so make a data source reusable if they shouldn’t.
To send it on a schedule, view the report, click Share and select Schedule delivery. Data Studio emails a PDF of the report, with a link to the full report.
You’re always on the recipient list. In the Repeat options, choose Custom for a pattern such as every Tuesday and Thursday.
The PDF uses the report’s default filters and date range. You can change their values for each schedule in its Filters tab, but you can’t add or delete controls there.
Data Studio or Data Studio Pro
Data Studio Pro is the paid version. It adds team workspaces and Cloud Customer Care, and it delivers reports to Google Chat and Slack.
Without Pro, each report can have one schedule, sent at most once a day. With Pro, a report can have up to 200 schedules, sent up to once an hour.
Pro reports and data sources belong to your organization, not to the person who made them. Linked to a Google Cloud project, they keep working if that person leaves.
You can try Pro in your organization at no cost for 30 days. After the trial, billing begins automatically, unless you cancel before it ends.
In our view, a small business with one weekly report can stay on the no-cost version. Pro makes sense when several people build the reports or you need more schedules.
Before you share your dashboard
- The report has a name, not Untitled Report.
- Conversions are set up in Google Ads and GA4, so results show.
- Each page has its own date range control.
- You chose owner’s or viewer’s credentials on purpose.
- No public link exposes an embedded data source by accident.
- The scheduled PDF goes to the right people, with the dates you want.
RememberLooker Studio is now Data Studio, at datastudio.google.com, and your reports need no update. Connect Google Ads, GA4 and Search Console, add a date range control, and check the credentials before you share.
A dashboard can only show what you measure. In our automation service, measurement sets up Tag Manager, GA4, the Meta pixel with Conversions API and Google Ads conversions for up to 8 events. The accounts are yours.
Questions about Data Studio
Is Looker Studio the same as Data Studio?
Yes. In April 2026, Google gave Looker Studio back its original name, Data Studio. The product address is now datastudio.google.com, and lookerstudio.google.com redirects there automatically. Google says you don’t need to update your reports for the change.
Is Data Studio free?
Yes. Google describes Data Studio as a no-cost tool. Data Studio Pro is the paid version, with team workspaces, Cloud Customer Care and up to 200 schedules per report. Your organization can try Pro at no cost for 30 days, and billing begins automatically after the trial.
Can one report show several Google Ads accounts?
Yes, through a manager account. One data source can include up to 50 sub-accounts. Report viewers need access to the manager account and to every selected sub-account to see the data. A data control also lets viewers pick the account they want to see.
Why don’t my Data Studio numbers match GA4?
Data Studio matches the data in Google Analytics reports, but not in explorations. GA4 segments and comparisons aren’t available through the connector, and reports are subject to GA4 Data API quotas. Compare your dashboard with a standard GA4 report and the same date range.
Can people see my report without a Google Account?
Yes, with public link sharing: no login is needed to view a report shared that way. Anyone with the link can also access its embedded data sources, so make a data source reusable when they shouldn’t. Editing always requires a Google Account.
Sources
Sources read on November 6, 2026, from Google’s Data Studio documentation. To start: Welcome to Data Studio, Quick start guide, Create a report and Available connectors. For the data: Connect to Google Ads, Connect to Google Analytics, Connect to Search Console, Date range control and Create a report from a template. For sharing: Ways to share your reports, Invite others to your reports, Schedule automatic report delivery and About Data Studio Pro.