How to Delete Google Ad Account

Closing your Google Ads account is a definitive step, but the process itself is quite simple. Before you proceed, it's wise to understand exactly what cancellation entails, how to save your valuable historical data, and what to expect after your account is closed. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from pre-cancellation checks to the final confirmation click.

Before You Click 'Cancel': Key Things to Consider

Canceling a Google Ads account is more than just stopping your campaigns. It's a permanent action that has implications for your data and billing. Here’s a quick checklist to run through before you make the final decision.

1. Settle Any Outstanding Balances

Google requires you to clear any overdue balance on your account before it can be officially closed. You will be billed for any accrued advertising costs your campaigns generated up to the moment they stopped running. If you're on an automatic payment plan, Google will automatically charge your primary payment method for any outstanding costs within the next 31 days.

If you've prepaid and have a credit balance remaining, Google will issue a refund. Refunds are typically processed within 4 to 12 weeks, so be patient and factor this timeline into your planning. The money will be returned to the payment method used for the account.

2. Export Your Historical Data (This is Crucial!)

Once your Google Ads account is canceled, you will lose the ability to manage your campaigns, but you'll retain read-only access to your historical performance data. However, it's always an excellent practice to download your data for future analysis or if you plan to launch similar campaigns on other platforms. You've paid for this data with your ad spend - don't leave it behind.

Here’s what you should download:

• Campaign Performance Reports: Data on clicks, impressions, CTR, conversion rates, and cost per conversion for all your campaigns, ad groups, and keywords.
• Ad Copy: A record of your best-performing headlines and descriptions.
• Keyword Lists: Both the keywords you targeted and your negative keyword lists.
• Change History: This can be helpful for understanding what adjustments led to specific performance shifts over time.

How to Export Your Reports:

1. Log in to your Google Ads account.
2. Navigate to the section you want to export (e.g., Campaigns, Keywords, etc.) from the left-hand navigation panel.
3. Set the date range in the top-right corner to capture the entire period you want to save. All time is a good option.
4. Look for the download icon (usually a downward arrow) above your data table.
5. Click the icon and choose your preferred format (e.g., CSV, Google Sheets, Excel CSV). The file will then be prepared and downloaded.

Repeat this process for keywords, ads, ad groups, and any other specific reports that hold valuable information for your business.

3. Ensure You Have Admin Access

Here’s a common roadblock: only users with Administrative access can cancel a Google Ads account. If you don’t see the option to cancel, it’s most likely because you have Standard or Read-only access. You’ll need to either ask the account administrator to cancel it for you or request that they upgrade your access level.

To check your access level, click on the "Tools and settings" icon (the wrench), then under "Setup," click on Access and security. You'll see a list of users and their corresponding access levels in the "Users" tab.

Pausing Campaigns vs. Deleting Your Account: What's the Difference?

Sometimes, what you really need is a temporary break, not a permanent shutdown. Understanding the difference between pausing and canceling is vital to avoid making a move you might regret later.

When to Pause Campaigns

Pausing campaigns is like flipping a switch off. Your ads stop running immediately, and you stop incurring new costs. However, your account remains fully active. All your campaign structures, ads, keywords, and most importantly, your historical data and optimization settings - stay exactly as they are, ready to go whenever you are.

Consider pausing if you are:

• Temporarily out of stock of a flagship product.
• Facing a short-term cash flow crunch and need to cut marketing spend.
• Reworking your website or landing pages.
• A seasonal business heading into your off-season.
• Wanting to take a break to rethink your entire advertising strategy.

Pausing gives you maximum flexibility. You can resume your campaigns with a single click and pick up right where you left off.

When to Cancel (Delete) Your Account

Canceling is the nuclear option. It's a permanent closure of the account. This is the right choice when you are certain you will no longer use Google Ads for this particular business or project.

Consider canceling if you are:

• Closing down your business entirely.
• Selling the business, and the new owner will set up their own ad accounts.
• Moving all your advertising efforts to different platforms and have no intention of returning to Google Ads.
• Duplicated an account by mistake and need to close the incorrect one.

Even after cancellation, you can reactivate the account later, but it’s a much more deliberate process. If there's any chance you'll want to use your campaigns again, pausing is almost always the safer bet.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Cancel Your Google Ads Account

Ready to proceed? The cancellation process only takes a couple of minutes. Here’s how to do it step-by-step.

Step 1: Sign in to Your Google Ads Account

Go to ads.google.com and log in with the credentials for the account you wish to close. Remember, you must have admin privileges.

Step 2: Navigate to the Admin Section

In the left-hand navigation menu or the top navigation bar, find and click on the Admin section. It's often represented by a gear icon.

Step 3: Go to 'Preferences'

Once you're in the Admin area, look for the 'Account settings' or a similar section and click on Preferences. This is where you can manage your account's time zones, notifications, display language, and account status.

Step 4: Expand the 'Account Status' Section

Within the Preferences page, you'll see a section labeled "Account status." It will likely say "Your account is active." Click on the dropdown arrow to expand this section.

Step 5: Click 'Cancel my account'

You'll now see a button that says Cancel my account. Click it. A pop-up window will appear, asking you to confirm your decision. It may ask for a reason for the cancellation, this feedback is for Google's internal use, and you can choose whether to provide it.

Step 6: Confirm and Finish

Read the confirmation information, and if you’re sure, click the final Cancel Account button. That's it. Your account is now scheduled for cancellation, and your ads will stop running almost immediately.

What Happens After You Cancel? A Post-Cancellation Checklist

So, you’ve canceled the account. What's next? Here's what you can expect.

• Email Confirmation: You will receive an email from Google confirming your account cancellation. Keep this for your records.
• Final Billing: As mentioned, Google will issue a final charge (or a refund) to your payment method on file within the next billing cycle to settle your account balance.
• Read-Only Access: You can still log in to your canceled account to view performance reports. You just won't be able to edit or create anything new.
• Account Reactivation: Changed your mind? You can reactivate a canceled account at any time. Simply log in, navigate back to Admin > Preferences > Account Status, and you should see an option to reactivate the account.

How to Handle Manager Accounts (MCC)

If you're using a Google Ads manager account (also known as an MCC or My Client Center) to manage multiple client accounts, the process is slightly different. You can't cancel a manager account directly if it still has active client accounts linked to it.

You must first unlink every single sub-account from the manager account. Once the manager account no longer has any child accounts under its umbrella, you can follow the same cancellation steps outlined above by going to the manager account's Admin settings.

Final Thoughts

Closing a Google Ads account is an easy task, but the decision to do so should be well-considered. Remember to download all your important performance data before you cancel, and if you have even a small doubt, choose to pause your campaigns instead. This gives you the breathing room to re-evaluate without losing the valuable campaign infrastructure you’ve already built.

If you're stepping away from Google Ads because wrestling with its interface and building performance reports feels like a chore, you’re not alone. The constant struggle to stitch together data just to understand what's actually working can be incredibly draining. At Graphed, we connect directly to your data sources like Google Analytics and Google Ads, so you can stop wrestling with clunky report builders. We let you create real-time dashboards and get answers instantly just by describing what you want to see in plain English. No more pivot tables, no more confusing tools - just ask a question and get a clear, immediate answer.