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Troubleshooting MonsterInsights: Common Google Authentication and Profile Selection Issues

25 threads Sep 7, 2025 Plugin → Monsterinsights

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Many WordPress users rely on the MonsterInsights plugin to seamlessly integrate Google Analytics with their website dashboard. However, a frequent point of confusion and frustration involves the plugin's authentication process with Google and the subsequent selection of an analytics profile. This guide covers the most common problems and their workarounds, compiled from community discussions.

Common Problems and Their Solutions

1. Cannot Select a Profile from the Dropdown List

The Problem: After successfully authenticating with a Google account, the dropdown list of analytics profiles appears, but you are unable to click and select any profile to complete the setup.

The Cause: This is often a UI conflict caused by other plugins or themes that use a JavaScript library called Select2, which interferes with the MonsterInsights interface.

The Solution: A known workaround is to search for your profile using its specific UA code (e.g., UA-XXXXXXXX-X) instead of the website name. Typing the UA code directly into the search field can often allow the profile to be selected. The MonsterInsights team has addressed this in more recent versions of the plugin.

2. The Wrong Google Account Profiles Appear

The Problem: You've authenticated with a new Google account, but the profile dropdown continues to show websites and properties from a previous, different Google account.

The Cause: This is caused by a caching mechanism within the plugin that stores the previously fetched account data.

The Solution: To clear this cached data, a complete reset of the plugin's settings is often required. This can sometimes be achieved by using a dedicated 'reset' plugin provided by the MonsterInsights team for this specific purpose. Manually deleting the plugin's options from the WordPress database (prefixed with yoast_ or yst_ in older versions) is another method, though this should only be attempted by users comfortable with directly accessing their database.

3. Settings Not Saving on WordPress Multisite Installations

The Problem: On multisite networks, the authentication and profile selection may not save correctly on subsites. The page may refresh after entering the code, but the settings are lost.

The Cause: This can be due to a conflict with other network-wide plugins, custom code, or security measures that periodically clean or optimize database tables, inadvertently removing the stored authentication data.

The Solution: Investigate any database optimization or security plugins active on the network. If found, try temporarily deactivating them to see if the settings persist. If the problem continues, review any custom code that might be clearing transients or options from the wp_options table for individual subsites.

4. Random Disconnections from Google Analytics

The Problem: The plugin randomly becomes disconnected from Google Analytics, requiring re-authentication.

The Cause: There are a few potential reasons for this:

  • Google's Token Limit: For free Google Analytics accounts, Google imposes a limit of 20 active refresh tokens per account. If you authenticate more than 20 websites, the token for the first site will be revoked.
  • Revoked Access: The refresh token may have been manually revoked in your Google account security settings under 'Third-party apps with account access'.

The Solution: If you manage many sites, consider using a Google Analytics 360 account, which has a higher token limit. Otherwise, be mindful of the 20-site limit for standard accounts and avoid unnecessary re-authentications.

5. Administrator Privacy and Security Concerns

The Problem: After authentication, any WordPress administrator user can see the entire list of all properties and profiles available in the connected Google account via a dropdown menu, which may be a privacy concern for agencies managing multiple clients.

The Cause: In previous versions of the plugin, this was a design choice to make switching profiles easier.

The Solution: The MonsterInsights team has indicated that newer versions of the plugin address this by locking the profile selection after authentication. If you are using an older version and this is a concern, the recommended workaround is to manually enter the UA code in the plugin's settings instead of using the OAuth authentication method. Note that this will disable the analytics dashboard within WordPress.

General Troubleshooting Tips

  • Always ensure you are using the latest version of the MonsterInsights plugin, as many historical bugs have been patched in subsequent releases.
  • Clear your browser cache and try using a different web browser during the authentication process to rule out local caching issues.
  • If a problem persists, temporarily disable other plugins and switch to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-One) to check for a conflict.

By understanding these common issues, users can often resolve authentication problems themselves and get back to monitoring their website traffic efficiently.

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