Microsoft Clarity: free heatmaps and session recordings

The short version

• Clarity is free, with no traffic limits, according to Microsoft.
• Install it with a platform plugin or by pasting its code into your site’s head section.
• Watch a handful of recordings of real visits, and check the heatmaps for your key pages.
• Typed text in form fields is always masked. Leave the default masking on.
• From October 31, 2025, Clarity needs a consent signal for visitors from the EEA, UK and Switzerland.

How do I set up Microsoft Clarity?

These steps follow Microsoft’s setup guide.

1. Sign up at clarity.microsoft.com and add a project for your website.
2. In the project, go to Settings, then Setup.
3. Pick an installation method:
   • Install on a third-party platform, for WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace and others. Select View all platforms to find yours.
   • Install manually: select Get tracking code and paste it into the head section of every page.
   • Share code sends the code and instructions to whoever manages your website.
4. Check it works. Microsoft says data appears as soon as the code is added; the project shows live users, and you can select Watch now.

Clarity can also connect to Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager from the same Setup page.

What should I look at first?

• Recordings: watch five to ten visits that reached your contact or quote page. Look for people tapping things that aren’t links, scrolling past the form, or leaving after an error.
• Heatmaps: open your homepage and main service pages. See how far down people scroll before most of them leave.
• Dashboard: Clarity highlights “rage clicks” and “dead clicks,” which are often a broken button or something that looks clickable but isn’t.

Why would a small business use Clarity?

Analytics tells you how many people left a page. Clarity gives you clues about why. You see what people did, not what they thought, but watching a few real visits can point to a problem quickly: a phone number that isn’t tappable, a form that hides its error message, or a menu that doesn’t open on some phones.

What does Clarity collect, and how long does it keep it?

From Microsoft’s Clarity FAQ:

• Cost and limits: “Clarity is a free service forever,” with no traffic limits and no sampling.
• Recordings: kept for 30 days from the time of recording. Favorite recordings and a random sample are kept for up to 9 months.
• Heatmaps: available for up to 9 months.
• Masking: by default, Clarity masks sensitive content, and text typed into input boxes “is masked in all modes and can’t be customized.”
• Deleting one visitor’s data: not possible on its own; you’d have to delete the whole project.
• Who it’s for: Microsoft says Clarity “shouldn’t be used on any websites/apps targeting users under the age of 18.”

Do I need cookie consent for Clarity?

It depends on where your visitors are. Microsoft’s Consent Mode page says that starting October 31, 2025, Clarity enforces consent signal requirements for visits from the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland. Without a valid signal, Clarity limits what it collects for those visitors.

The FAQ adds that if no visitors come from those regions, there’s no impact today, but Microsoft recommends sending the signal anyway in case enforcement extends further. You can pass consent through a supported consent platform or Clarity’s Consent API. Microsoft also says support for Google Consent Mode is “coming soon,” so don’t count on it yet.

Whatever your location, mention Clarity in your privacy policy. This isn’t legal advice. Our privacy guides explain when you need cookie consent and how to measure with fewer cookies.

What are the common mistakes?

• Installing it and never looking. Put fifteen minutes a month in the diary.
• Turning off masking to see more. It risks recording personal details you don’t need.
• Using it on a site for children or teens, which Microsoft’s documentation rules out.
• Watching every recording. Filter to visits that reached a key page, or that included rage clicks.
• Forgetting the privacy policy. Visitors should be told you record sessions.

What if this didn’t work?

• No recordings appear: right-click your page, choose Inspect, open Network, and look for requests to clarity.ms/collect while you click around. If they’re missing, first rule out your own setup: accept the cookie banner if you have one, and turn off ad blockers or privacy extensions. If they’re still missing, the code isn’t on the page or a cache is serving an old version.
• Recordings look broken or blank: Clarity can’t capture what’s inside a canvas or a third-party iframe, such as some embedded booking widgets.
• Recordings stop at each new page: cookies are off or consent wasn’t given, so pages aren’t linked into one visit.
• Lots of odd sessions: bot detection is on by default, but Microsoft notes some advanced bots still get through.

How much does it cost, and how long does it take?

Clarity is free. Installing it takes ten to twenty minutes with a plugin, longer if you need a consent banner to pass the signal. Reviewing recordings and heatmaps takes about fifteen minutes a month.

How does E-3 handle this?

Tracking and lead measurement are part of our SEO and AI search service. Because Clarity records sessions, it needs the business’s own privacy and consent decision before it goes on a site. Changes to a site are tested on a staging copy first.

Related questions

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• Which free tool should I use when something looks wrong?
• Why isn’t my contact form bringing in leads?

Sources

1. Frequently asked questions (Microsoft Clarity documentation)
2. How to setup Clarity manually (Microsoft Clarity documentation)
3. Consent Mode (Microsoft Clarity documentation)