_gat — Google Analytics (Universal Analytics)
By the OpenCookies team · published 2026-10-22 · updated 2026-10-22
- Service
- Google Analytics (Universal Analytics)
- Category
- Analytics
- Default duration
- 1 minute
- Type
- First-party cookie (set by your own site)
- Consent required?
- Yes, in principle: only audience measurement meeting strict conditions can be exempt from consent in the EU.
What is it for?
Throttles the rate of requests sent to Google Analytics. The name sometimes takes the form _gat_gtag_UA_XXXXX.
What does it look like?
The value is usually 1. The cookie only matters for the following minute.
How to see it in your browser
Open your site, press F12, then choose the “Application” tab (Chrome, Edge) or “Storage” (Firefox). Under “Cookies”, select your site’s address: the _gat cookie appears in the list if present, with its value and expiry date.
What does the rule say?
Audience measurement in principle requires the visitor’s prior consent. The French CNIL accepts an exemption for some tools configured very strictly (statistical purpose only, no cross-referencing with other data and no cross-site tracking); detailed conditions are on its website.
How to prevent it before the choice
Do not load Google Analytics before consent.
How OpenCookies handles it
Common services like this one are in OpenCookies’ tracker list: the banner neutralizes their script before the visitor chooses and only restarts it after “Accept”. The test shows whether this cookie appears before the choice, after “Refuse” and after “Accept”.
Step-by-step guide : Google Analytics 4 and cookies: what to do before consent
Check it on my site
Does this cookie appear on your site before the visitor chooses? The OpenCookies test shows it in two minutes.
Related cookies
Frequently asked questions
Why does it last only one minute?
It is only used to space out the requests sent to Google Analytics, not to recognize the visitor in the long term.
Is it exempt from consent?
It belongs to the Google Analytics system: as long as the script is not allowed, it should not appear.
Durations are defaults and may change with configuration. This page describes a cookie; it is not legal advice.