The Complete Guide to Session Recordings (2026)

Session recordings have become essential for understanding how users actually experience your website or app. This guide covers everything from the basics to advanced techniques—whether you're evaluating tools or trying to get more value from your current setup.

Table of Contents

1. What Are Session Recordings?
2. How Session Recording Technology Works
3. What Session Recordings Capture
4. Session Recordings vs. Other Analytics Tools
5. Use Cases and Applications
6. How to Analyze Session Recordings
7. Privacy and Compliance
8. Implementation Best Practices
9. Common Mistakes to Avoid
10. Frequently Asked Questions

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What Are Session Recordings?

Session recordings (also called session replays or user recordings) are video-like reconstructions of how visitors interact with your website. They show mouse movements, clicks, scrolling, typing, and navigation—everything a user does during their visit.

Unlike actual video recordings, session replays don't use cameras. They capture DOM changes and user events, then reconstruct the experience for playback. This means they're lightweight, privacy-friendly, and don't impact site performance.

Think of it this way: Traditional analytics tell you what happened (50% of users dropped off at checkout). Session recordings show you why (users couldn't find the promo code field).

Key Characteristics

• Individual-level data: See exactly what one specific user did
• Full journey visibility: Follow users across multiple pages
• Retroactive analysis: Watch recordings after issues are reported
• No actual video: Reconstructed from event data, not screen capture

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How Session Recording Technology Works

Understanding the technology helps you evaluate tools and set realistic expectations.

The Recording Process

Session recording works in three phases:

1. Data Collection

A JavaScript snippet on your website captures:

• DOM mutations (every change to the page structure)
• User events (clicks, scrolls, mouse movements, keystrokes)
• Metadata (timestamps, browser info, screen size)

This data is sent to the recording platform in small batches, typically every few seconds.

2. Storage and Processing

The raw event data is stored and indexed. Most tools compress this data significantly—a 10-minute session might only require 500KB-2MB of storage.

3. Playback Reconstruction

When you watch a recording, the tool reconstructs the page by:

• Loading the initial DOM snapshot
• Applying each mutation in sequence
• Overlaying cursor movements and interactions

This creates a video-like experience without storing actual video files.

Performance Impact

Modern session recording tools have minimal performance impact:

• Network: 10-50KB per minute of recording (compressed)
• CPU: <1% overhead in most cases
• Memory: 5-15MB buffer for event batching

Well-implemented tools use web workers and efficient compression to stay invisible to users.

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What Session Recordings Capture

User Interactions

Page Context

Session Metadata

Most tools also capture:

• Browser and device information
• Geographic location (country/city level)
• Referral source and UTM parameters
• Session duration and page count
• User identification (if provided)

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Session Recordings vs. Other Analytics Tools

Session recordings work best alongside other tools, not as a replacement.

Session Recordings vs. Traditional Analytics

Best practice: Use analytics to identify where problems occur, then recordings to understand why.

Session Recordings vs. Heatmaps

Best practice: Start with heatmaps for quick patterns, dive into recordings for specific segments.

Session Recordings vs. User Testing

Best practice: Use recordings for scale and real behavior, user testing for deep qualitative insights.

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Use Cases and Applications

Product Teams

Identify UX friction

Watch users struggle with features you thought were intuitive. Common discoveries:

• Buttons that don't look clickable
• Forms that confuse users
• Navigation paths that don't match mental models

Validate new features

After launching a feature, watch how real users interact with it:

• Do they discover it?
• Do they use it as intended?
• Where do they get stuck?

Prioritize fixes

When you can show stakeholders a recording of users struggling, prioritization conversations become easier.

Marketing Teams

Optimize landing pages

See exactly where visitors lose interest:

• How far do they scroll?
• What do they click (or try to click)?
• Where do they abandon the page?

Improve conversion funnels

Identify the specific step causing drop-offs:

• Form field that stops users
• Confusing pricing tables
• Missing trust signals

Understand traffic segments

Compare behavior between:

• Paid vs. organic traffic
• Mobile vs. desktop users
• New vs. returning visitors

Support Teams

Reproduce customer issues

When a customer reports "it's not working," find their session to see exactly what happened. No more back-and-forth asking for screenshots.

Identify common problems

Patterns in support tickets often have visual evidence in recordings. Find them, fix them, reduce ticket volume.

Train new team members

Show real examples of user confusion to build empathy and understanding.

Development Teams

Debug production issues

When errors occur, see:

• What the user did before the error
• The exact state of the application
• Console errors and network failures

Validate bug fixes

After deploying a fix, watch sessions to confirm the issue is resolved.

Understand edge cases

Real users do things you'd never think to test. Recordings reveal unexpected usage patterns.

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How to Analyze Session Recordings

Watching random recordings is a waste of time. Strategic analysis gets results.

Start with a Question

Don't ask: "What can I learn from recordings?"

Do ask:

• "Why are users abandoning the checkout at step 3?"
• "How do mobile users interact with our navigation?"
• "What happens before users contact support?"

Use Filters and Segments

Most tools let you filter recordings by:

• Pages visited: Focus on specific flows
• Events triggered: Find users who clicked a specific button
• Duration: Short sessions often indicate problems
• Errors: Sessions with JavaScript errors
• User properties: Segment by plan, geography, device

Look for Patterns

Individual recordings are anecdotes. Patterns across multiple recordings are insights.

Watch 10-20 sessions of the same segment before drawing conclusions. Look for:

• Repeated confusion points
• Common workarounds users create
• Consistent abandonment moments

Document Findings

Create a simple system:

• Timestamp the issue in the recording
• Screenshot or clip the key moment
• Categorize by type (UX, bug, content, etc.)
• Note frequency (one-off vs. pattern)

Take Action

Insights without action are worthless. For each finding:

1. Decide if it's worth fixing
2. Create a ticket or task
3. Assign ownership
4. Track resolution

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Privacy and Compliance

Session recordings can capture sensitive information. Handle this responsibly.

What to Mask

At minimum, automatically mask:

• Password fields: Always, no exceptions
• Credit card inputs: Numbers, CVV, expiration
• Personal identifiers: SSN, ID numbers
• Health information: Medical data, prescriptions

Consider masking:

• Email addresses (depends on your use case)
• Phone numbers
• Physical addresses
• Any field your users expect to be private

GDPR Compliance

For European users, ensure:

1. Lawful basis: Legitimate interest (with balance test) or consent
2. Privacy policy disclosure: Mention session recording and its purpose
3. Data processing agreement: With your recording tool vendor
4. Data retention limits: Don't keep recordings indefinitely
5. User rights: Process access and deletion requests

CCPA Compliance

For California users:

• Disclose session recording in your privacy policy
• Honor opt-out requests
• Include in "Do Not Sell" mechanisms if applicable

Best Practices

• Mask by default: Better to mask too much than too little
• Respect Do Not Track: Consider honoring DNT headers
• Provide opt-out: Let users disable recording if requested
• Limit retention: Delete recordings after 30-90 days
• Train your team: Ensure everyone knows what's acceptable

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Implementation Best Practices

Technical Setup

1. Install on all pages

Partial installation creates incomplete journeys. Install site-wide, then filter what you don't need.

2. Test before launch

Verify recordings work on:

• Key user flows
• Mobile devices
• Different browsers
• Single-page app navigation

3. Configure privacy settings

Set up masking before you start recording, not after.

4. Set up user identification

Connect recordings to user IDs or emails for logged-in users. This transforms anonymous sessions into user profiles.

// Example: Identify user after login
peeke.identify('user@example.com', 'John Doe');

Organizational Setup

1. Define who has access

Not everyone needs to watch recordings. Define roles:

• Full access: Product, UX, Support leads
• Filtered access: Marketing (their pages only)
• No access: Sales, general staff

2. Create analysis routines

Schedule regular review sessions:

• Weekly: Check key conversion flows
• After launches: Watch new feature usage
• After incidents: Review affected sessions

3. Build feedback loops

Route findings to the right teams:

• UX issues → Design team
• Bugs → Engineering
• Content confusion → Marketing

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

Watching Without Purpose

Random session watching feels productive but rarely produces insights. Always start with a specific question or hypothesis.

Generalizing from One Session

One user's confusion might be an outlier. Watch multiple sessions before concluding there's a pattern.

Ignoring Mobile

Mobile behavior differs significantly from desktop. If you only watch desktop sessions, you're missing half the story (or more).

Over-Relying on Recordings

Session recordings show behavior, not motivation. You see what users do, not why they're doing it. Combine with surveys and user interviews for the full picture.

Collecting Without Acting

The worst outcome: thousands of recordings, zero improvements. Build processes to turn insights into shipped fixes.

Neglecting Privacy

One data breach or privacy complaint can destroy user trust. Take privacy seriously from day one.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do session recordings slow down my website?

Modern tools have minimal impact—typically <1% CPU overhead and 10-50KB of data per minute. Users won't notice any difference.

Are session recordings legal?

Yes, when implemented properly. Include session recording in your privacy policy, implement appropriate masking, and comply with GDPR/CCPA requirements for your user base.

How many recordings should I watch?

Quality over quantity. Watching 20 focused recordings with a clear question beats watching 100 random sessions. For statistically meaningful patterns, aim for 15-30 sessions per segment.

Can users opt out of being recorded?

Yes. Most tools support opt-out mechanisms. You can also respect browser Do Not Track settings or create your own consent flow.

How long should I keep recordings?

30-90 days is typical. Longer retention increases storage costs and privacy risk without proportional benefit. Most insights come from recent sessions.

Do session recordings capture passwords?

No—not if your tool is configured correctly. Password fields should be masked automatically, showing only asterisks in playback.

What's the difference between session recordings and screen recording?

Session recordings reconstruct the experience from event data. Screen recordings (like Loom) capture actual video of the screen. Session recordings are more efficient, more privacy-friendly, and work retroactively.

Can I record mobile app sessions?

Some tools support mobile apps (iOS/Android SDKs), but most focus on web. If mobile apps are important, verify support before choosing a tool.

How do session recordings work with single-page apps (SPAs)?

Modern tools handle SPAs well by tracking virtual page changes and DOM mutations. Verify your chosen tool explicitly supports your framework (React, Vue, Angular, etc.).

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Getting Started

Session recordings bridge the gap between quantitative analytics and qualitative understanding. They turn abstract metrics into real human experiences you can watch, understand, and improve.

Start simple:

1. Choose a tool that fits your needs and budget
2. Install on your key pages
3. Configure privacy settings
4. Pick one conversion flow to analyze
5. Watch 20 sessions with a specific question
6. Document what you learn
7. Make one improvement
8. Repeat

The teams that get the most value from session recordings aren't the ones with the fanciest tools—they're the ones who consistently turn observations into actions.