Session Replay Viewer
When you need to understand how a user navigated, where they got stuck, or what triggered an error, the Session Replay viewer shows you the session alongside a logged event timeline and developer tools. Product managers use it to spot UX friction; developers use it to correlate user actions with API calls and JavaScript errors.
Resizable panels
The expanded viewer opens when you select the expand icon on any replay. The expanded viewer contains three panels you can resize to fit your workflow:
- The replay list, on the left
- The video player, in the center
- The side panel, on the right, which shows the event timeline, summary, profile, and comments
To resize a panel, drag the divider between any two panels. The panels adjust to the position you set.
Amplitude saves your panel sizes to your browser's local storage. The next time you open the viewer, the panels reopen at the widths you set. To return panels to their default sizes, select Reset panel sizes in the toolbar.
Skip Inactivity toggle
Select the tune icon in the player controls to open Watch Settings, then toggle Skip Inactivity. The toggle controls whether the replay skips periods where the user was idle. When the toggle is on, the player fast-forwards through inactivity so you can focus on active behavior. When it's off, the replay plays through idle time at normal speed.
Amplitude remembers your choice per user in your browser's local storage. After you set the toggle on or off, that preference applies the next time you open any replay, including in embedded contexts such as carousels and list modals.
- Default for new users: Skip Inactivity is on.
- Scope: Per user and per browser. Clearing site data for Amplitude resets the preference.
- Embedded players: Some embedded views can override your saved preference. For example, Agent Analytics session replays always skip inactivity regardless of your saved setting.
Comments
Use the Session Comments tab in the side panel to discuss a recording with your team without leaving Amplitude. Comments appear alongside the Events, Summary, and Profile tabs as a flat, oldest-first thread that shows each comment's author, timestamp, and text. Product managers, developers, and support teams use comments to flag a moment in a session, ask a question, or hand off an investigation.
Add a comment
- Open a session replay and select the Session Comments tab in the side panel.
- Enter your comment in the text field.
- To link to a specific moment, select Add current timestamp, or type a timestamp manually using bracket syntax, such as
[00:10]. Amplitude inserts a clickable timestamp badge that seeks the player to that second when anyone selects it. - To notify a teammate, type
@and choose a name from the typeahead. You can mention more than one person in a single comment. - Select Post to add your comment to the thread.
Amplitude notifies mentioned teammates through email, in-app, and Slack. You can also mention external users who have permission to view the replay, which sends them an invite.
Edit or delete a comment
- To edit a comment you posted, select the edit action, change the text, then save.
- To delete a comment you posted, select the delete action, then confirm.
You can edit and delete only the comments you post.
Track comment activity
The All Activity tab collects your comment activity across every replay in one place, and an unread badge marks new activity. Select an item to open that replay and jump to the related comment. When you select a comment notification, Amplitude opens the replay and highlights the comment.
Comment behavior and limits
- Comments support plain text, up to 2,000 characters each.
- You can edit and delete only the comments you post, and deleting a comment requires confirmation.
- Commenting on a replay requires the same permission as viewing that replay.
- Commenting on a replay bookmarks it automatically. The bookmark persists even if you later delete the comment.
- Comments persist after the replay's retention window expires. The comment remains, but the replay shows as no longer available.
DevTools Network tab
The DevTools section of the Session Replay viewer includes a Network tab. The Network tab displays network requests captured during the replay, showing what the user's browser requested and how those requests resolved.
Each network request entry shows:
- URL
- HTTP method
- Status code
- Response time
Select a row to open a detail panel with four tabs:
| Tab | Contents |
|---|---|
| Headers | The request URL, HTTP method, status code, and any captured request and response headers. |
| Payload | The captured request body. This tab appears only when you configure a requestBody capture rule in your SDK settings. |
| Response | The captured response body. This tab appears only when you configure a responseBody capture rule in your SDK settings. |
| Timing | When the request started relative to the replay and how long the request took, with a waterfall visualization. |
requestBody and responseBody capture rules in your networkTracking SDK configuration. For setup instructions, refer to Track network requests.Use the Network tab to correlate user actions with API calls or identify failed requests that contributed to a broken experience. For example, if a user encountered an error during checkout, check the Network tab to see whether a payment API call returned a non-200 status code at that moment in the replay.
Network tab and the Console tab
The Network tab works alongside the Console tab, which shows JavaScript console logs captured during the replay. Together, these tabs give you a complete picture of client-side behavior during a replay.
To capture console logs, go to Session Replay settings and enable console tracking.Was this helpful?