Currently, Hotjar's Heatmaps have the following limitations:
- Scrolling element on the < div > container: Hotjar builds Heatmaps on top of screenshots. When we load your page to take a screenshot of it, we check how large the page is and take a full-sized screenshot of it. The issue with pages that contain the scrolling part of a page within a < div > container rather than using the < body > container is that Hotjar cannot detect the scrolling content inside the < div > container when we take a screenshot.
- Pages that use "scroll-lock": Although the Heatmap is generated, the data collected is incorrect due to how scroll-lock pages work. Heatmaps are generated on top of screenshots that we take of your site. To do this we load your page in a 'screenshot browser' in a full-size mode which takes a screenshot of the page.
- Pages that use parallax scrolling: The screenshot taken of the page is not correct. Parallax scrolling does not support viewports which extend all the way to show the page, which is how Hotjar takes screenshots of pages.
- Dynamic content: Currently our Heatmaps take a screenshot exactly when the page loads. We don't offer the ability to take screenshots of different sections which are revealed in the page dynamically, such as items that show only after a user scrolls down or menus that open on scroll over/click. Clicks collected on these dynamic elements will not be visible on the Heatmap. We are searching for solutions.
- Content displayed using Adobe Flash: Due to security risks and the Adobe Flash plugin phase-out by all major browsers by the end of 2020, Hotjar no longer supports Flash content in Heatmaps.
- iFrames: Although the iFrames are within the HTML of the page, we are unable to collect data. Content will show within the iFrame but clicks will not be present.
- Internet Explorer Browsers: The screenshot may appear cut-off if taken from Internet Explorer due to a browser limitation that causes the browser to stop rendering after 8,192 pixels.
- Height Limitations: When we take screenshots of a page, we do this by taking a single screenshot of all the page, however, Hotjar’s renders a maximum of 15,000 pixels in height. Pages longer than this will be cropped to this point.
- Pages with large file sizes: Hotjar has a limit of 10MB when capturing the HTML of a page. Large pages that contain images and source code within the body of the HTML will not be captured if they are over this limit.
There may be other limitations or edge cases we are unaware of
The items above cover only the most relevant and most requested.
Limitations in the beta release of Continuous Heatmaps
Your Heatmaps may be based on Continuous Capture
If you are on a Hotjar Business or Plus plan, your Heatmaps are based on Continuous Capture by default. As we transition to Continuous Capture, you will still have access to manual snapshot-based Heatmaps as well. To learn more about Continuous Heatmaps, check out this article: Continuous Heatmaps.
You may want to consider using snapshots:
- When your page changes frequently: we would advise that you continue using snapshots. In their initial version, Continuous Heatmaps do not track page changes.
- If you use the retaker regularly: the Heatmap Retaker is currently unavailable for Continuous Heatmaps.
- If you use Javascript triggers: Javascript triggers are not currently available in the initial release of Continuous Heatmaps.
- If you need to download Heatmap images and data: We are working on allowing you to download Heatmap images and data for Continuous Heatmaps.
- For sharing Heatmaps: We’re also still working on a sharing tool for Continuous Heatmaps. Any member of your Hotjar team can also view a Heatmap report by searching for the same URL.
Not Seeing Your Issue Here?
Check out our Troubleshooting FAQ for Heatmap Guide for more information.