What Are WBRAID and GBRAID? Google's Privacy-Safe Click Identifiers Explained

WBRAID and GBRAID are privacy-safe click identifiers that Google Ads introduced as alternatives to the traditional GCLID (Google Click Identifier). They were developed in response to Apple’s iOS 14.5 App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework and the broader industry shift away from third-party cookies.

The Upload Offline Conversions App (TUOCA) supports all three identifier types — GCLID, WBRAID, and GBRAID — ensuring that offline conversions are tracked regardless of the user’s browser or privacy settings.

Why Google Created WBRAID and GBRAID

The advertising ecosystem underwent a fundamental privacy shift starting in 2021:

• iOS 14.5 (ATT): Apple’s tracking prompt asks the person to allow or refuse tracking across apps. Many people refuse.
• Safari ITP: Safari’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention blocks third-party cookies and limits first-party cookie lifetimes.
• Firefox ETP: Enhanced Tracking Protection blocks third-party tracking cookies by default.
• Chrome Privacy Sandbox: Google is phasing out third-party cookies in Chrome.

GCLIDs rely on third-party cookies for cross-site attribution. When cookies are blocked, the GCLID can still be appended to URLs, but Google’s ability to match the click to a user session is limited. WBRAID and GBRAID solve this by using a privacy-preserving attribution model.

WBRAID vs. GBRAID: The Key Differences

Feature	GCLID	WBRAID	GBRAID
Full name	Google Click Identifier	Web Conversion Attribution ID	App Conversion Attribution ID
Campaign type	All web campaigns	Web campaigns (Search, Display, Shopping)	App campaigns (App Install, App Engagement)
When used	Third-party cookies available	Third-party cookies blocked (Safari, Firefox, iOS)	App-to-web and app-to-app flows
Attribution model	Individual click-level	Aggregated / modeled	Aggregated / modeled
URL parameter	?gclid=	?wbraid=	?gbraid=
Validity window	90 days	90 days	90 days
Offline conversion support	✅ Full	✅ Full	✅ Full
Typical length	50–100 characters	40–80 characters	40–80 characters

When Each Identifier Appears

The identifier Google uses depends on the user’s environment:

1. GCLID — The user clicks your ad in a browser where third-party cookies are available (typically Chrome on desktop/Android with cookies enabled)
2. WBRAID — The user clicks your web ad in a browser where third-party cookies are restricted (Safari on iOS/macOS, Firefox, Brave, or Chrome with cookies blocked)
3. GBRAID — The user interacts with an app campaign (clicks an ad that leads to an app install or engagement event)

On Safari, and in other browsers that block third-party cookies, the landing URL often has a WBRAID instead of a GCLID. Store the parameter that is actually on the URL. If you only look for gclid=, you drop those clicks.

How WBRAID and GBRAID Work

Traditional GCLID Flow

Click → GCLID in URL → Cookie stores GCLID → Conversion happens →
Upload GCLID to Google → Google matches to individual click → Attribution

This flow provides individual click-level attribution — Google knows exactly which click, keyword, ad group, and campaign generated the conversion.

WBRAID/GBRAID Flow

Click → WBRAID/GBRAID in URL → Identifier stored → Conversion happens →
Upload identifier to Google → Google uses modeled attribution → Aggregated reporting

The key difference is in how Google processes the match:

• GCLID: Direct, deterministic matching. One click → one conversion. Full credit to the specific click.
• WBRAID/GBRAID: Modeled, probabilistic matching. Google uses machine learning to attribute conversions at an aggregate level while preserving individual user privacy.

The end result for your reporting is similar — conversions appear in your Google Ads reports attributed to campaigns, ad groups, and keywords. The difference is that WBRAID/GBRAID attribution is modeled rather than deterministic, which can introduce slight differences in how conversions are distributed across campaigns.

What WBRAID and GBRAID Look Like

In Your URL

# GCLID (traditional)
https://yoursite.com/landing?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8dml_ePi9gIVhf7jBx0RowBIEAAYASAAEgKFBfD_BwE

# WBRAID (web, privacy-restricted)
https://yoursite.com/landing?wbraid=CLGHj5Cm4PsCFQEGrQYdK7oEBA

# GBRAID (app campaigns)
https://yoursite.com/landing?gbraid=CLGHj5Cm4PsCFQEGrQYdK7oEBA

Key Characteristics

• WBRAID/GBRAID are shorter than GCLIDs (typically 20–50 characters vs. 50–100 for GCLIDs)
• Only one identifier appears — Google never appends both GCLID and WBRAID to the same URL
• The parameter name indicates the type — gclid=, wbraid=, or gbraid=

Uploading Offline Conversions with WBRAID/GBRAID

CSV Upload Format

If the landing URL gave you a GCLID and a GBRAID, put both on the conversion, and add the hashed email if you have it. You can do that on one row. If the only click ID you saved is a GBRAID or WBRAID, set that conversion action to count every conversion. A count of one can reject the row.

Google Click ID,Conversion Name,Conversion Time,Conversion Value,Conversion Currency
EAIaIQobChMI8dml...,Booked Job,2026-04-10 14:30:00-05:00,4500.00,USD
CLGHj5Cm4Ps...,Booked Job,2026-04-11 09:15:00-05:00,1200.00,USD

Google automatically detects whether the value is a GCLID, WBRAID, or GBRAID based on the format and length.

Data Manager API

When a script uploads the job, send it through the Data Manager API. After June 15, 2026, a developer token that was not already uploading is rejected on the old Google Ads upload call. Pass gclid, gbraid, and wbraid as the values you actually saved. A WBRAID string does not belong in the GCLID field.

Send the identifiers you captured as separate values, with the conversion time and value. A braid does not go in the GCLID field:

{
  "gclid": "EAIaIQobChMI...",
  "wbraid": "CLGHj5Cm4PsC...",
  "conversionTime": "2026-04-10 14:30:00-05:00",
  "value": 4500.0,
  "currency": "USD"
}

Impact on offline conversion tracking

What Changes

• Capture every ID the landing URL has — Store GCLID, WBRAID, and GBRAID separately, and send each one you captured. The upload is not “drop whichever string you saw into one column and stop.”
• Attribution may be modeled — WBRAID/GBRAID conversions use modeled attribution rather than deterministic click-level attribution.
• Reporting granularity — In some cases, modeled conversions may not appear at the same granularity as GCLID conversions in detailed reports.

What Stays the Same

• 90-day validity window — Google keeps a GCLID for 90 days after the click, so a job closed on day 75 can still be uploaded and the same job closed on day 91 cannot, and a WBRAID or GBRAID older than 90 days fails that same too-old check.
• Smart Bidding optimization — Google’s bidding algorithms use all three identifier types equally
• Conversion value — Revenue data flows through identically
• Error handling — The same errors apply (CLICK_NOT_FOUND, EXPIRED, etc.)

Capturing WBRAID and GBRAID

If your website or forms currently capture GCLIDs, you need to update the capture logic to also handle WBRAID and GBRAID:

Updated Hidden Form Field

<input type="hidden" name="click_id" id="click_id" value="">
<input type="hidden" name="click_id_type" id="click_id_type" value="">
<script>
  const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
  const gclid = params.get('gclid');
  const wbraid = params.get('wbraid');
  const gbraid = params.get('gbraid');

  if (gclid) {
    document.getElementById('click_id').value = gclid;
    document.getElementById('click_id_type').value = 'gclid';
  } else if (wbraid) {
    document.getElementById('click_id').value = wbraid;
    document.getElementById('click_id_type').value = 'wbraid';
  } else if (gbraid) {
    document.getElementById('click_id').value = gbraid;
    document.getElementById('click_id_type').value = 'gbraid';
  }
</script>

Call Tracking Tools

CallRail, CallTrackingMetrics, and other call tracking platforms automatically capture all three identifier types from the referring URL. No configuration changes are needed — if your call tracking is capturing GCLIDs, it’s already capturing WBRAID and GBRAID.

Use our Click ID Tester tool to verify which identifiers your pages are capturing.

How TUOCA Handles WBRAID and GBRAID

The Upload Offline Conversions App handles all three identifier types seamlessly:

1. Auto-detection — TUOCA inspects each record from your data source and identifies whether it contains a GCLID, WBRAID, or GBRAID
2. Validation — The identifier is checked for format, and for age against the 90-day limit. Google keeps a GCLID for 90 days after the click, so a job closed on day 75 can still be uploaded and the same job closed on day 91 cannot, and a WBRAID or GBRAID older than 90 days fails that same too-old check.
3. Unified pipeline — All identifier types flow through the same relay pipeline — filtering, deduplication, and transformation work identically
4. Upload — Each captured identifier stays in its own field. Google requires the Data Manager API for a new upload. A developer token that was not already uploading is rejected on the old call.
5. Fallback — When no click identifier was stored, TUOCA can send a hashed email or phone. A hashed email or phone matches for 63 days after the click. From day 64 through day 90 the braid still matches, and the hash does not.

This means you don’t need separate relays or configurations for different identifier types. One relay handles everything.

Best Practices

1. Update your GCLID capture to include WBRAID/GBRAID — Check all hidden form fields, cookies, and CRM integrations
2. Don’t filter by identifier type — All three are equally valid for conversion uploads
3. Supplement with Enhanced Conversions — For maximum coverage, send both the click identifier and hashed PII when available
4. Monitor your identifier mix — Track what percentage of your conversions use each type. A growing WBRAID percentage is normal as privacy controls expand
5. Test with the Click ID Tester — Use the Click ID Tester tool to verify your pages capture all identifier types correctly