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Cookie reference · Google Analytics

The _gid cookie

A Google Analytics cookie holding a 24-hour identifier, usually a sign an older Universal Analytics tag is still on the page.

_gid at a glance

Cookie name
_gid
Vendor
Google Analytics
Category
Analytics
Party
First-party
Typical duration
24 hours
Set on
.<your-domain>
Value format
GA1.<domain-level>.<random-number>.<timestamp>
Name match
Exactly _gid

What the _gid cookie does

_gid stores a short-lived identifier that Universal Analytics used to distinguish users within a 24 hour window, alongside _ga.

Google's current GA4 cookie documentation lists only _ga and _ga_<container-id>, so a _gid cookie usually comes from an older Universal Analytics tag (analytics.js, or gtag.js configured with a UA- property) that is still loading on the page. Universal Analytics stopped processing data in 2024, so that tag is worth finding. Google's advertising cookie list confirms the 24 hour lifetime; the purpose description comes from the retired Universal Analytics documentation.

What TagPipes observed

25%

of sites scanned set it (10,183 of 41,162)

1 day

median observed lifetime

TagPipes scanned 41,162 public websites between August 11, 2026 and September 13, 2026, loading up to three pages per site in a real browser as a first-time visitor. _gid was present on 10,183 of them.

It was set as a first-party cookie on 10,106 sites and as a third-party cookie on 84. A site can count in both. Where it was stored as a persistent cookie, the median lifetime we recorded was 1 day.

Often found alongside

Percentage of sites with _gid where the other cookie was also present.

Technologies detected on the same sites

  • Google Analytics on 100% of them (55% of all sites scanned)
  • Google Fonts on 92% of them (78% of all sites scanned)
  • Google Tag Manager on 80% of them (30% of all sites scanned)
  • reCAPTCHA on 21% of them (32% of all sites scanned)
  • DoubleClick on 18% of them (11% of all sites scanned)

Aggregate figures across all sites scanned. Websites of TagPipes customers are excluded, no individual site is named, and cookie values are never read or stored. Snapshot dated September 13, 2026.

How to check for _gid on a website

  1. Open the site in Chrome, then open DevTools (F12, or Cmd+Option+I on a Mac).
  2. Go to the Application tab and expand Cookies in the left panel.
  3. Select each domain listed there and look for _gid. The Expires column shows when it will be deleted.
  4. If it is not there, reload the page. Many cookies are only set after a tag has loaded, and some only after a visitor has made a consent choice.

Other Google Analytics cookies

Sources

Purpose, duration and value format checked against the vendor documentation above on . The figures under What TagPipes observed are TagPipes scan data from September 13, 2026, not values documented by the vendor. Vendors change their cookies, and sites can configure their own names and lifetimes. Browse all cookies.

Know every cookie your own site sets

TagPipes Pulse identifies the cookies dropped on your site and flags unclassified or miscategorized ones. Shield builds your cookie declaration from a real scan rather than a questionnaire.

See Pulse See Shield

TagPipes monitors, configures and reports. It does not determine legal compliance and does not provide legal advice. Output is informational and reflects observed state at the time of observation. Rawsoft's expertise is technology, not law; please confirm any regulatory interpretation with your own counsel.