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How to create a custom report, schedule and export report as PDF

Custom Reports allow you to build and schedule tailored reports, perfect for sharing insights and data with your team or clients. Whether you start from…

4 min read906 words7 explained imagesUpdated Thu, 6 Aug at 9:03 AM
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  1. Step 1: Access Custom Reports
  2. Step 2: Start from Scratch or Use an Existing Dashboard
  3. Step 3: Using the Report Builder
  4. Step 4: Customize the Cover Page
  5. Step 5: Adding Widgets, Sections and Themes
  6. Step 6: Managing Pages
  7. Step 7: Download Your Report
  8. Step 8: Save, Send, or Schedule Your Report
  9. Step 9: Configure Your Report’s Schedule and Delivery
  10. Step 10: Send a Test Email
  11. Step 11: Final Step – Save and Schedule
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Custom Reports allow you to build and schedule tailored reports, perfect for sharing insights and data with your team or clients. Whether you start from scratch or convert an existing dashboard, this feature gives you full control over your report’s design, content, and scheduling. Here's how to make the most of it.
Important: All plans ($97, $297 and $497) Sub Accounts now have access to multiple dashboards and fully customizable reports
When using the custom report builder, keep in mind how timezones affect the data:

Report Builder Date Range: The data shown in the builder uses the timezone set in your browser.
Email Preview: The scheduled email preview uses the sub-account's timezone.
Google and Facebook Ads Data: For third-party integrations like Google Ads and Facebook Ads, the data is based on the timezone configured in those ad accounts, not the sub-account timezone.

Step 1: Access Custom Reports

  • Navigate to the "Reporting" section and click on Custom Reports.

  • Select New Report to start building your report.

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    All 2 steps in this procedure
    1. Navigate to the "Reporting" section and click on Custom Reports.
    2. Select New Report to start building your report. this image

Step 2: Start from Scratch or Use an Existing Dashboard

  • You can either create a report from scratch or convert an existing dashboard into a report.
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Step 3: Using the Report Builder

  • If starting from scratch, you'll be taken to the Report Builder.

  • At the top, you can rename your report to reflect its purpose.

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    All 2 steps in this procedure
    1. If starting from scratch, you'll be taken to the Report Builder.
    2. At the top, you can rename your report to reflect its purpose. this image

Step 4: Customize the Cover Page

  • The first page of your report is the cover page, which you can customize or remove through the Page Properties menu on the right.
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    Fields in this part of the guide Page Properties Options:
    Next stepPage Properties Options:
    All 2 steps in this procedure
    1. The first page of your report is the cover page, which you can customize or remove through the Page Properties menu on the right. this image
    2. Page Properties Options:
  • Page Properties Options:
    • Upload your company logo.
    • Configure headers for each page.
    • Adjust the background color of the report pages.

Step 5: Adding Widgets, Sections and Themes

  • Once your cover page is set, click the + icon on the left to begin adding widgets.

  • From the widget sidebar, upload or customize the widgets you want to include in the report.

  • Use the Elements Menu to add titles and organize your report into sections for easy readability.

  • Switch to the Themes section to configure one of the predefined themes or add your own custom theme to the report

Step 6: Managing Pages

  • To add a new page, click on the + icon at the top or bottom of an existing page.

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    All 3 steps in this procedure
    1. To add a new page, click on the + icon at the top or bottom of an existing page. this image
    2. To see a list of all pages, click the Page Icon.
    3. Drag and drop pages to reorder them and rename them as needed for better organization.

  • To see a list of all pages, click the Page Icon.

  • Drag and drop pages to reorder them and rename them as needed for better organization.

    Step 3 of 3: Drag and drop pages to reorder them and rename them as needed for… What this shows Step 3 of 3: Drag and drop pages to reorder them and rename them as needed for better organization. What this shows Shows what this covers for step 3 of 3 in the "Step 6: Managing Pages" section of "How to create a custom report, schedule and export report as PDF". This screenshot accompanies step 3 of 3 in the "Step 6: Managing Pages" section of "How to create a custom report, schedule and export report as PDF". At this point in the walkthrough you drag and drop pages to reorder them and rename them as needed for better organization. Step 3 of 3Image 6 of 7 What this coversDrag and drop pages to reorder them and rename them as needed for better organization.
    All 3 steps in this procedure
    1. To add a new page, click on the + icon at the top or bottom of an existing page.
    2. To see a list of all pages, click the Page Icon.
    3. Drag and drop pages to reorder them and rename them as needed for better organization. this image

Step 7: Download Your Report

  • When you're done, you can download a PDF version of your report by clicking the Download button at the top.
Note: PDF export and preview link from email behave differently. Table widgets are capped at the first 100 records; drill-downs aren't available.

- Preview link: Images and iframes are included and visible to recipients. 
- PDF download: Images and iframes are excluded due to security restrictions.

For best results when embedding images, use JPEG or PNG formats — other 
formats may not render correctly depending on browser and encoding.

Step 8: Save, Send, or Schedule Your Report

  • After creating your report, click on Save and then choose Send or Schedule.

Step 9: Configure Your Report’s Schedule and Delivery

  • Frequency: Set how often the report should be sent (daily, weekly, etc.).

  • Time: Select the exact time for the report to be delivered.

  • Date Range: Choose the data period to be included in the report.

  • Toggle "Widget-Level Date Settings": If enabled, widgets with custom date ranges and comparisons will retain those settings in the emailed report.

  • Comparison Trends: Toggle the "Compare With" option to add trends and comparison data.

  • Sender Email: Customize the email address the report will be sent from.

  • Subject: Add a subject line for the report email.

  • Recipients: Enter the recipients' email addresses.

  • Optional Email Body: Add a custom message if needed.

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    All 9 steps in this procedure
    1. Frequency: Set how often the report should be sent (daily, weekly, etc.).
    2. Time: Select the exact time for the report to be delivered.
    3. Date Range: Choose the data period to be included in the report.
    4. Toggle "Widget-Level Date Settings": If enabled, widgets with custom date ranges and comparisons will retain those settings in the emailed report.
    5. Comparison Trends: Toggle the "Compare With" option to add trends and comparison data.
    6. Sender Email: Customize the email address the report will be sent from.
    7. Subject: Add a subject line for the report email.
    8. Recipients: Enter the recipients' email addresses.
    9. Optional Email Body: Add a custom message if needed. this image

Saved values, comparison behavior, and email snapshots

Custom reports follow the same persistence logic as dashboards.

  • Report-level date ranges and saved filter values persist after you save the report.
  • When the report creator clicks Save, saved dropdown values update for users who access that report.
  • You can set a report-level comparison date range for general widgets.
  • If a widget has its own comparison date range, the widget-level setting overrides the report-level comparison.

Email sharing uses a snapshot of the report values at the time the email is generated.

  • Sent emails keep the values that were active when the email was created.
  • Later changes to the report do not update emails that were already sent.

Note: Widget-level date settings can still differ from the report-level date range.

Step 10: Send a Test Email

  • Before finalizing, you can send a test email to check how your report will appear to recipients.

Step 11: Final Step – Save and Schedule

  • Once everything looks good, click Save and Schedule to have your report automatically sent based on your configured schedule.

FAQ

Q: Can I send scheduled reports to people who don't have a GHL Customer Care account?
Yes. In the Schedule setup, add any valid email address under Recipients — they'll receive the report directly in their inbox with no GHL Customer Care login required. Note: Use Custom Reports (not the Dashboard share link) for this; Dashboard links require authentication. Note that, the table widgets in the email and PDF show only the first 100 records, and drill-down charts aren't available in either format. To see the complete dataset or use drill-downs, the recipient needs to log in and open the report or dashboard directly in GHL Customer Care.

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