Difference Between Distinct ID and User ID Explained
what is the difference between distinct id and the user id? I also have one distinct id as property and the another distinct id as a user property
what is the difference between distinct id and the user id? I also have one distinct id as property and the another distinct id as a user property
Hi Juan I., Please stand by as I search the Mixpanel knowledge base for an AI-powered answer. I normally take about 15 seconds or so. In case AI cannot answer your question, feel free to reach out to Mixpanel support at mixpanel.com/get-support. If you have follow-up questions for this thread, please tag me again with your question: @kapa.ai <follow-up question> 👋
Feel free to ask a follow-up question once I've answered by mentioning me with @kapa.ai
In Mixpanel, there's an important distinction between distinct_id and $user_id:
Distinct ID vs User ID
Distinct ID is Mixpanel's core identifier used to uniquely track users in the system. It's the fundamental property that determines user uniqueness across all Mixpanel reports and analysis. When two events have the same distinct_id, they're considered as being performed by the same user.
User ID ($user_id) is a property used specifically in Mixpanel's ID Merge system to identify users in an authenticated state. It's one of the reserved properties that helps with identity management.
In the Simplified ID Merge system:
- $device_id is used to track anonymous users
- $user_id is used to track identified/authenticated users
- When both appear in the same event, Mixpanel creates a mapping to merge them together
The distinct_id is then determined based on these properties:
- If an event contains only $device_id, that value becomes the distinct_id
- If an event contains $user_id, that value becomes the distinct_id
Identifying Users (Simplified) explains that when a user logs in and you call .identify(<user_id> ), you're telling Mixpanel that the anonymous $device_id belongs to a known user with ID user_id.
Your Property Situation
Regarding having distinct ID as both an event property and a user property:
This is actually a common practice. The distinct_id is automatically included in events, but many implementations also store it as a user profile property to ensure consistent identification across Mixpanel's systems.
As mentioned in the FAQ for Original ID Merge, Mixpanel recommends: "As a best practice, please set your chosen user ID as a separate user profile property and event property so that you can always query and see your own chosen user ID."
This recommendation exists because the canonical distinct_id that Mixpanel displays might not always be your preferred identifier, so storing your own ID as a separate property ensures you can always reference it.
kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.
Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! 📚
Based on your description, it sounds like you have a user in Mixpanel with:
1. A distinct_id that's a long hash-like string of characters
2. A $user_id that contains an email address
This is a common implementation pattern in Mixpanel's identity management system. Here's what it means:
The long hash-like distinct_id is likely either:
- An automatically generated anonymous identifier (if using client-side SDKs)
- A hashed version of a user identifier (which is a privacy best practice)
The email as $user_id indicates this is an identified user who has logged in or registered.
In Mixpanel's Simplified ID Merge system, when a user logs in, both identifiers get linked together in an identity cluster. This means all events from before login (tracked with the hash) and after login (tracked with the email) will be attributed to the same user.
Using an email as the $user_id is convenient but has some limitations:
- If the user changes their email, they'll appear as a separate user in Mixpanel
- It may raise privacy concerns since emails are personally identifiable information
Protecting User Data mentions: "If you want to analyze aggregate user behavior without being able to drill down into any particular user, we recommend generating a hash of some unique ID of the user and using that hash as the user's ID when you call the .identify() method in our SDKs."
For better identity management, Mixpanel recommends using a stable, non-changing identifier (like a database ID) as the $user_id rather than an email that might change.
Would you like me to explain more about how to optimize your identity management approach in Mixpanel?
kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.
Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! 📚
Based on your question about why some distinct IDs appear as hashes while others show as emails, this is directly related to how Mixpanel's identity management system works.
Why Different Types of Distinct IDs Appear
In Mixpanel's ID management system, the distinct_id value can vary depending on:
1. User State: Whether the user is anonymous or identified 2. ID Merge System: Which ID merge system your project is using
For Anonymous Users
When a user first visits your site or app (before logging in):
- Mixpanel's client-side SDKs automatically generate a $device_id (a random hash-like string)
- This becomes the distinct_id for anonymous events
For Identified Users
When a user logs in and you call .identify() with their email:
- The email becomes the $user_id
- This email then becomes the distinct_id for subsequent events (in Simplified ID Merge)
Identifying Users (Simplified) explains that calling .identify(<user_id> ) when a user logs in tells Mixpanel that the anonymous $device_id belongs to a known user with that ID.
Why Some Users Show Email While Others Show Hash
There are several reasons why you might see this mixed pattern:
1. Partial Implementation: Some users may have triggered the .identify() call while others haven't
2. ID Merge System Behavior:
- In Simplified ID Merge, the $user_id (email) becomes the distinct_id
- In Original ID Merge, the canonical distinct_id is selected by Mixpanel from any ID in the cluster, which could be either the email or the hash
3. Timing: It can take up to 24 hours for ID merging to fully propagate through Mixpanel's system
The FAQ section notes: "The canonical distinct_id is selected by Mixpanel using any of the IDs inside of a cluster. This means that even after identifying your user, Mixpanel may choose your user ID or one of the other IDs inside of the cluster (such as the device ID) to serve as the displayed ID for the user. This is random and not user-configurable."
This explains why you might see a mix of hash-like IDs and email addresses as distinct IDs in your Mixpanel project.
kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.
kapa.ai I have this in the user profile with all this disntict ids: 1753e0d570685-0f529834515db8-7f25425c-29b80-1753e0d57088a 1753e0d570685-0f529834515db8-7f25425c-29b80-1753e0d57088a gustavodipaolo42@gimail.com what does it mean
Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! 📚
1753e0d570685-0f529834515db8-7f25425c-29b80-1753e0d57088a 1753e0d570685-0f529834515db8-7f25425c-29b80-1753e0d57088a XXXX@gimail.com kapa.ai
Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! 📚