About debug mode

Tag Manager

Before you publish any tag, you can check if it works correctly in debug mode. The debug mode will load your website with unpublished changes and you will be able to test how tags, triggers, and variables work.

To use debug mode, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Menu > Tag Manager.
  2. From the website picker, choose a website or app you want to work with.
  3. In the top-right corner click Debug.
    Debug mode in Tag Manager in Piwik PRO

    Tip: To open debug mode, you can also add ?_stg_debug at the end of your website’s URL.

    Note: If you can’t see the debug mode, here are the possible reasons:

    • Your browser or ad blocker blocks our tracking code (and debug mode). Read more
    • You’ve set up Content Security Policy (CSP), but haven’t adjusted it correctly. Read more
  4. Your website will open in a new tab with debug mode running.
    Debug mode in Tag Manager in Piwik PRO
  5. Optionally, toggle Prevent page reload. This will freeze the page, and when you click any element it won’t open a new page.
    Debug mode in Tag Manager in Piwik PRO

    Tip: This option is useful for checking form submissions and button and menu-item clicks.

  6. Perform an action which you want to test and see if the tag was fired. For example, click a button.
    Debug mode in Tag Manager in Piwik PRO
  7. You can also check what data is collected when the tag is fired. In the debug mode, navigate to Events Log > stg.click (or other action) > Name of your tag > Variables. Here you will see a list of all variables that are tracked for this tag.
    Debug mode in Tag Manager in Piwik PRO
  8. When you’re satisfied with how the tag works, go back to Tag Manager and click Publish.
    Debug mode in Tag Manager in Piwik PRO

    Tip: When you click Publish, Tag Manager will publish all changes in tags, triggers, and variables. So make sure that everything is set up well before you make changes live.

Tip: In addition to our debug mode, you can also use the following debugging tools:

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