AnalyticsConsent required
What is the _hjid Cookie?
Set by Hotjar (Hotjar Ltd.). Expires after 1 year.
Purpose
Set by Hotjar when a user first lands on a page. Persists the Hotjar User ID, unique to that site on the browser.
Hotjar records session replays and generates heatmaps. This cookie persists the user identifier for that tracking.
Cookie Details
| Cookie Name | _hjid |
| Service | Hotjar |
| Provider | Hotjar Ltd. |
| Category | Analytics |
| Duration | 1 year |
| Consent Required | Yes — requires explicit opt-in |
Category: Analytics
Analytics cookies help website owners understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously. Consent is required under GDPR.
GDPR Requirements
Under GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive, the _hjid cookie requires explicit user consent before it can be set. This means:
- The cookie must not be set when a user first visits your site — not even for a fraction of a second
- A consent banner must be displayed, and the user must actively accept analytics/marketing cookies
- If the user rejects or ignores the banner, this cookie must remain blocked
- The cookie must be listed in your cookie policy with its name, purpose, and retention period
- Users must be able to withdraw consent at any time, which must also remove or invalidate this cookie
How to Handle This Cookie
- Block it by default — configure your Consent Management Platform (CMP) or tag manager to prevent Hotjar from loading until the user accepts analytics cookies.
- Include it in your consent categories — map it to the "Analytics" category in your CMP configuration.
- List it in your cookie policy — document the cookie name, purpose, provider (Hotjar Ltd.), and expiry (1 year).
- Sign a DPA — ensure you have a Data Processing Agreement with Hotjar Ltd. covering their use of data collected via this cookie.
- Verify it works — in an incognito browser, reject cookies and confirm
_hjidis not set.
Other Hotjar Cookies
| Cookie | Category | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| _hjSessionUser_* | Analytics | 1 year |
| _hjFirstSeen | Analytics | Session |
| _hjAbsoluteSessionInProgress | Analytics | 30 minutes |
| _hjTLDTest | Analytics | Session |
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