You need to understand how users move through your product, not just whether they convert. User Paths in Amplitude shows you the exact sequence of events users take—and where they drop off. It's essential when you're trying to optimize flows, identify friction, or understand what successful users do differently.
What User Paths Actually Shows
User Paths (also called Pathfinder in the Amplitude UI) visualizes the journey users take through your product as a flow diagram.
Understand the core concept
User Paths displays sequences of events in chronological order. Start with one event (like View Pricing Page or Sign Up) and see what events users perform next. The diagram shows nodes for each event and flows between them, with drop-off percentages. This is different from a funnel, which only shows conversion rates between steps you define—paths show what users actually do, in any order.
// Events you'd track to feed User Paths analysis
amplitude.track('View Pricing Page');
amplitude.track('Initiate Checkout', {
plan: 'professional',
currency: 'USD'
});
amplitude.track('Apply Coupon', {
coupon_code: 'SUMMER2024',
discount_amount: 20
});
amplitude.track('Complete Purchase', {
total_amount: 80,
payment_method: 'card'
});Recognize what problems it solves
Use User Paths when you want to answer: What's the most common path to conversion? Where do users abandon the flow? What events precede a high-value action? What alternative routes do power users take? Funnels answer 'did they convert,' but paths answer 'how did they get there.'
How to View and Filter User Paths
Accessing User Paths in Amplitude is straightforward—you pick a starting event and apply filters to focus on specific user segments.
Navigate to Pathfinder
In the Amplitude web app, go to Analyze > Pathfinder. This opens the User Paths interface. Choose a Starting Event—the event you want to trace users from (e.g., Sign Up, View Pricing). Amplitude will show all subsequent events and their frequencies.
Apply segmentation filters
Use the Segmentation panel to isolate specific user groups. Filter by user properties (e.g., Country = US), event properties (e.g., Plan = Pro), or cohorts. This narrows the path diagram to only users matching your criteria, revealing patterns specific to subgroups.
// When you track with user and event properties, Amplitude uses them for filtering
amplitude.setUserId('user_12345');
amplitude.setUserProperties({
'country': 'US',
'plan_type': 'professional',
'signup_source': 'organic'
});
amplitude.track('Feature Adoption', {
'feature_name': 'advanced_analytics',
'adoption_day': 14
});Configure path depth and display
Choose how many steps forward to show (Path Depth: 1–10 levels). Adjust the Minimum Event Frequency to hide rare paths (e.g., only show paths taken by 5%+ of users). Click Run to generate the diagram.
Extracting Insights from Path Data
Once you have the path diagram, you can export data, drill down into specific flows, and combine it with other analyses.
Identify drop-off points
Look for nodes in the path diagram where the flow narrows sharply—this is where users abandon the sequence. If 80% of users hit View Feature but only 20% hit Complete Setup next, you've found friction. Click on a node to see detailed metrics (count, percentage, conversion rate).
Export path data for deeper analysis
Click the Export button to download the path data as CSV. This includes event counts, conversion percentages, and the exact user populations for each path. You can then use this in SQL or your BI tool for cohort analysis and funnel-based validation.
// Fetch event catalog via Amplitude's REST API for programmatic analysis
fetch('https://api.amplitude.com/2/eventtypes', {
method: 'GET',
headers: {
'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
}
})
.then(res => res.json())
.then(data => {
console.log('All tracked events:', data);
data.data.forEach(event => {
console.log(`Event: ${event.event}`);
});
});Common Pitfalls
- Not tracking events in the right order: If events are tracked with the same timestamp or out of sequence (due to offline tracking), User Paths may show incorrect flows. Always include proper timestamps.
- Filtering by too many conditions: Overly restrictive filters can reduce your sample size to a few users, making the path diagram statistically unreliable. Validate that your segment has at least 50+ users.
- Confusing User Paths with Funnel: Funnels enforce a predefined sequence; User Paths show what actually happens. Use Funnel when you need strict stage-by-stage tracking, and User Paths when you want to discover behavior.
- Ignoring property spikes: The path diagram shows aggregated flows, but clicking through to individual user sessions reveals outliers—they matter if they're high-value accounts or represent a new behavior pattern.
Wrapping Up
User Paths reveals the story behind your conversion metrics. By visualizing the event sequences users take, you'll spot friction points, alternative routes, and the behaviors that separate converters from churners. Use it alongside funnels and cohort analysis to build a complete understanding of user behavior. If you want to track and analyze these paths automatically across your entire product stack—without manual filtering in Amplitude every time—Product Analyst can help.