Counting modes
A counting mode is a switchable way of counting, not a rewrite of numbers you already published: the daily rollup keeps one column per mode. Session counts are not deduped by these modes.
Compare visitor, device, and user totals on ConsoleAll-platform analyticsUsersIdentity map. The privacy preset, which decides whether the visitor salt survives the day, is on ConsoleConfigurationSettingsPrivacy.
Three modes
Visitor mode uses the collector's visitor id. That is the default for website reports. Device mode uses the device id when one exists, otherwise the visitor id. User mode prefers the person id after login, then device, then visitor. On an anonymous project the three columns match, because the later ids are empty, so switching modes alone does not make a chart drop.
Account mode is separate. Its subject is the account key on the event. Events without one are left out of that count. It does not replace the three modes above.
Why the default stays
If a query omits the mode, the API uses visitor. Website headcounts, trends, and comparisons you already looked at stay on that rule after an upgrade. Switching to user mode merges one person's phone and laptop, so the number usually drops. That is a different count, not missing data. Multi-platform overview always uses user mode so platforms are comparable.
User mode diverges from visitor mode only after someone logs in and history has been backfilled. Under strict privacy the visitor salt rotates daily, so "returning" on visitor mode does not cross midnight; that is independent of user mode.
Privacy choices before you start
The default is anonymous analytics without a cookie; identification, autocapture, and replay are separate switches that follow the plan and the compliance preset. The switches change only what is collected next — rows already stored are not rewritten when you change a preset.
Preset and retention are on ConsoleConfigurationSettingsPrivacy. Identification, consent, and replay are on ConsoleConfigurationPrivacy center.
What each choice means
Anonymous analytics counts visitor ids and does not create a person profile. The website script writes neither a cookie nor local storage. New projects start here.
Identified mode writes a device id once consent is granted and the tier is 3, then creates a person at login. Identified mode pins the default tier at 3. People who never log in still appear only in aggregates.
Autocapture records clickable elements. Text is off by default. Password fields and subtrees marked to ignore are skipped. It needs the plan that includes it, and a candidate becomes a real event only after you accept it. See Autocapture & definitions.
Session replay loads a separate script when compliance config enables it, and only for the sampled share. It records page changes. It is not voice, video, or remote control of the visitor's screen.
Two presets
Balanced is the default and keeps a site-level salt so new and returning visitors can be compared. Strict rotates the salt each day and does not report returning visitors across days. Both truncate the address before storage, and city can be turned off on its own.
The privacy center can apply a regional preset. Some presets lock the project back to anonymous and cap retention or text capture. Domestic mode waits for consent before init. Child mode forces anonymous collection and the lowest tier. See Privacy & compliance.