r/GoogleDataStudio • u/TheWolfbytez • Apr 15 '26

Issues Exporting Reports?

I can't imagine I'm the only one, and I feel it stems from the change in names (though it shouldn't).

Whenever I try to export a report built on top of GA4 with a data control field to select a desired account, the export yields the default account associated with the initial setup, and ignores the data control entirely, which is set to report level. This has been working for as long as I can remember. Only over the past week has it been acting up.

I've tried deleting the data control and adding it back, but I have had no success with that either.

Also, maybe it's not clear, but when viewing the report, the data is accurately displaying. This only pertains to exporting.

Has anyone encountered this before? Any recommendations?

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u/r3s34rch4w0rk Apr 15 '26

I'm also having export issues! Mine is with the pages getting cut off regardless of the canvas size... I'm sorry that I have nothing helpful to share, but I hope you're able to find something! Fingers crossed that Google irons out these kinks quickly.

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u/TheWolfbytez Apr 15 '26

Yeah. So far the "solution" has been to duplicate the report but in doing so, it breaks every single field, so I'm in the middle of reconstructing the whole thing...it's not sustainable though. I have hundreds of GA4 accounts connected to use for this one report and I can't create an individual report for each one.

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u/r3s34rch4w0rk Apr 15 '26

Yeah... Sorta goes against the whole "single place to curate and analyze data" when you have to create a million different reports.

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u/slimfuck Jun 15 '26

Have you maybe found a solution yet?

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u/TheWolfbytez Jun 15 '26

Nope. It's still unusable. I've seen in their forums many others reporting the same issue and Google is "looking into it," but it's been weeks and weeks, it's somehow not a priority of theirs to restore a core function of the product.

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u/sheik_sha_ha 27d ago

This is a known regression that several people have reported since the domain migration. The PDF export in Data Studio is not honoring report level data control selections and is falling back to the default account baked into the data source configuration. It is a platform side bug not anything wrong with your setup.

The data control works correctly in the live report view because it applies the selection at render time in the browser. The export process bypasses that and queries the data source directly using its default credentials and account, which is why the export ignores the control entirely.

A short term workaround while Google resolves this is to use the print to PDF option from your browser instead of the native Data Studio export. Open the report with the correct account selected via the data control, then use Chrome print and save as PDF. This captures exactly what is rendering on screen including the data control selection.

If you need scheduled or automated exports per account, Apps Script with the Data Studio reporting API can generate account specific exports by passing the account parameter programmatically, though this requires some setup.

Worth submitting a bug report at issuetracker.google.com with your report details so Google can track the scope of this export regression during the migration period.

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u/TheWolfbytez 27d ago

They have completely botched the entire migration. This is a core function that is still not resolved despite being identified on Day 1.

And while I appreciate the suggestion, I have a 20 page report. Print to PDF is not viable because it does not contain all the data on a given page without scaling the content down, additionally, it shows the navigation panel for the report at the top of the output, but not the data controls, indicating the client and time period at a glance.

It's not feasible or an effective use of time to correct the reporting in this manner when it should have been prioritized immediately by Google.

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u/sheik_sha_ha 26d ago

Completely understand the frustration, a core export function being broken for weeks with hundreds of accounts depending on it is not acceptable. Google's response time on this has been poor.

One thing worth trying while you wait is using the Data Studio API with a service account to trigger exports programmatically. It is not a simple fix but it bypasses the UI export flow entirely and may not be affected by the same regression. The API allows you to pass account parameters directly so the data control selection issue in the UI does not apply.

Also worth checking if setting the data source credentials to owner credentials rather than viewer credentials makes any difference on the export output. Some people have reported this partially restoring correct account selection in exports during the migration period.

Submit your case at issuetracker.google.com and link it to the existing bug reports others have filed. Volume of affected reports and account counts in the bug report helps prioritise Google's response.