How do fire limits work in Matomo Tag Manager?
A fire limit is defined in a tag to control how often it runs when the trigger conditions are met. This helps to reduce unnecessary requests and ensure tags execute only as often as intended.
Without a fire limit, a tag can run multiple times for the same user and action. For example, scroll or visibility triggers can fire repeatedly. Page reloads or dynamic content can also cause the same tag to run again.
This guide explains the available fire limit options and how to choose the correct one based on what the tag is tracking.
Available fire limit options
Each fire limit controls how often a tag runs when its trigger conditions are met. Selecting the right option for your setup ensures the tag fires at the intended frequency and prevents excessive tracking.
- In Tag Manager, go to Tags and click Create New Tag or edit an existing one.
- Scroll down to Advanced settings and click the link to view the available Fire limit options.
Unlimited (default)
The tag runs every time its trigger conditions and you want to capture every occurrence of an interaction. Each trigger represents a meaningful step in the user journey that should be counted individually. For example, tracking every pageview to analyse navigation paths and tracking repeated actions such as adding multiple items to a cart.
Once per pageview
The tag runs only once during a single page load, even if its trigger conditions are met multiple times. Use this to restrict the same interaction being triggered more than once on a page. For example, where tracking a banner impression that re-renders on the same page or a pop-up that should only be counted once.
Once per 24 hours
The tag runs once and is then blocked for the next 24 hours. This restricts how often a tag runs for the same user and restrict repeated triggers that occur across multiple visits within a short period. For example, when you only need to track survey engagement once per day or limit tracking on elements for returning visitors within a 24-hour window.
Once in lifetime
The tag fires only once when the condition is met for the first time in a given browser. This setting uses browser storage to remember that the tag has already fired and applies only to the current browser. It does not guarantee a single execution across different browsers, devices, or if browser storage is cleared. For example, track the first time a user sees a specific feature, or record a one-time promotion interaction.
The tag should not fire again on refresh. If it does, possible reasons include:
- Browser storage is not being saved or is blocked.
- The page runs in a restricted environment (for example, some privacy modes).
- The tag name was changed.
- Testing is done in Preview/debug mode.
Using fire limits with other advanced settings
Fire limits control how often a tag runs. Other advanced settings for tags control when or in what order a tag runs.
- Fire delay delays execution by a set time.
- Priority controls the order in which tags fire.
- Start date / End date restricts when a tag is active.
These settings do not limit how many times a tag can run. They can be used together with fire limits to control both timing and frequency.
Fire limits in Preview / debug mode
By default, in Preview / debug mode, tags may appear to fire every time their trigger conditions are met, regardless of the configured fire limit. This is expected default behaviour because Preview mode is used to validate trigger and tag execution, and does not enforce fire limits.
You can enable the tag fire limits to work in Preview mode by updating the Container settings.
Alternatively, to verify that a fire limit is working correctly, test the tag use a standard browsing session (not in Preview mode). This ensures the fire limit is applied as it would be for real users.