How to set up user attributes on Hotjar

Log into your Hotjar account and navigate to your site dashboard. Click on Settings in the left sidebar, then select User Attributes from the menu. This section shows all currently configured attributes for your site.

Click Add User Attribute to create new attributes. Enter a Name (e.g., 'subscription_type') and select the Data Type (string, number, or boolean). Add a Description to help team members understand the attribute's purpose.

Common attributes include:

• User ID or email
• Subscription plan
• User role
• Geographic location

Add the Hotjar identification script to your website. Place this code after user login or on pages where user data is available:

hj('identify', 'USER_ID', {
  subscription_type: 'premium',
  user_role: 'admin',
  signup_date: '2026-01-15'
});

Replace USER_ID with the actual user identifier and update the attributes with real user data.

For dynamic user data, implement conditional logic to capture different user states:

if (user.isPremium) {
  hj('identify', user.id, {
    plan: 'premium',
    features_enabled: user.features.length
  });
} else {
  hj('identify', user.id, {
    plan: 'free',
    trial_days_left: user.trialDaysLeft
  });
}

Open your website in a new browser window and perform actions that should trigger the hj('identify') function. Open browser developer tools (F12) and check the Console tab for any JavaScript errors. You can also verify the implementation by checking the Network tab for Hotjar API calls.

Return to your Hotjar dashboard and navigate to Recordings. Wait 10-15 minutes for data to process, then click on any recent recording. In the recording details panel, you should see your custom user attributes listed under User Information. Verify that the values match your implementation.

Go to Recordings or Heatmaps and click Add Filter. Select User Attributes from the dropdown menu. Choose your custom attribute and set the filter criteria (equals, contains, greater than, etc.). Apply the filter to view segmented data based on your user attributes.