About debug mode

Tag Manager

Before publishing a tag, you can check if it works correctly in debug mode. Debug mode loads your website with unpublished changes and lets you test how tags, triggers and variables function.

To use debug mode, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Menu > Tag Manager.
  2. Choose the site/app you want to work with. Use the site/app picker in the upper right corner.
  3. 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 is blocking 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 in debug mode.
    Debug mode in Tag Manager in Piwik PRO
  5. (Optional) Turn on Prevent page reload. This will freeze the page and clicking on any element won’t open a new page.
    Debug mode in Tag Manager in Piwik PRO

    Tip: This option is useful for checking form submissions and clicks on buttons and menu items.

  6. Perform the action you want to test and check if the tag fires. Example: click a sign-up button.
    Debug mode in Tag Manager in Piwik PRO
  7. You can also check what data is collected when the tag is fired. Go to Events log > stg.click (or other event) > Variables. Here you’ll see a list of all tracked variables.
    Debug mode in Tag Manager in Piwik PRO
  8. When you’re happy with how the tag works, go back to Tag Manager and click Publish.
    Debug mode in Tag Manager in Piwik PRO

    Tip: Once you click Publish, Tag Manager will publish all changes to tags, triggers and variables. So before you make changes live, make sure everything is set up correctly.

  9. Done!

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

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