Your quick checklist
What does Clarity record, and what stays hidden?
Use this to keep your place while reading. Ticking a box does not send or change anything.
Words explained
- Heatmap
- A summary of where many visitors click and scroll.
- Session recording
- A replay of one visit.
- Masking
- Hiding what visitors type.
Before you start
What Clarity is
Microsoft describes Clarity as a free service forever. Its features include session recordings, heatmaps, funnels and a Copilot assistant. It can also integrate with Google Analytics.
The tool costs nothing. My £79 pays for the setup work.
What it shows you
A recording replays what a visitor did on a page. A heatmap sums up many visits, so you can see which buttons get tapped and how far people scroll.
This can show a button that does not respond, an enquiry form people abandon, or a service explained too far down the page. It shows actions. It does not say why someone did something, so I check what I see against the live page before suggesting a change.
How it works at a high level
- A Clarity project is created in your name.
- The Clarity code is added to your site, set to wait for consent.
- Masking is set so private information stays hidden.
- I test that recordings appear and that nothing loads before the visitor agrees.
Visitor accepts cookies
Form text appears as stars
Recording starts
Recording kept for 30 days
Two rules to know about
Under 18. Microsoft says Clarity shouldn't be used on websites or apps that target users under 18. If your site is aimed at children or teenagers, I will not install it.
UK consent. Microsoft says Clarity has enforced consent signal requirements since 31 October 2025 for visitors in the EEA, UK and Switzerland. The site owner must pass the consent signal to Clarity. A cookie banner that shares the visitor's choice does this, and it is part of my setup.
The ICO says logs or recordings of individual visitors need consent. My practice matches that. Clarity does not start until the visitor agrees. This is general information and not legal advice.
Masking
Clarity's default masking mode is Balanced. Input boxes and dropdowns are masked in all modes. On top of that I mask the form fields on your enquiry form, so names, emails and messages are not visible in recordings. I check this in the test.
How long recordings are kept
Microsoft's FAQ says recordings are kept for 30 days. Favourites and a random sample are kept for up to 9 months. There are no traffic limits, and heatmaps cover up to 100,000 page views.
How I can help
Clarity is included in Tracking setup, with Google Analytics 4, enquiry tracking, Meta Pixel, Google Ads conversion tracking and the cookie banner. It costs £79 including VAT and usually takes up to 3 working days. It does not include monthly reports or someone watching recordings for you.
Questions about Microsoft Clarity
Is Microsoft Clarity totally free?
Microsoft's about page says Clarity is a free service forever. There is no charge for the tool, and its documentation lists no traffic limits.
How does Clarity work?
You add a small piece of code to the site. It records how visitors use the pages, then shows the result as recordings and heatmaps in your Clarity account.
How do you integrate Microsoft Clarity with a website?
You create a project and add the code to every page. I add the Clarity code to your pages as part of Tracking setup.
Is Clarity or Google Analytics better?
Analytics counts visits and actions. Clarity shows how people used a page. I set up both in the £79.
Can Clarity see what people type into my form?
Input boxes are masked in all of Clarity's modes, and I mask the enquiry form fields as well.