How to turn off auto-apply recommendations in Google Ads

To turn off auto-apply, open Recommendations, go to Auto-apply settings, uncheck the types you don’t want, and save. That stops future changes only, so also look through the last 30 days of change history, where Google says you can undo most recent changes.

What auto-apply is

Google Ads shows recommendations, which are suggested changes to your account. You can apply them, dismiss them or ignore them.

Auto-apply goes one step further. When it’s on, Google applies selected recommendation types for you, without asking each time. Google checks daily which ones are eligible and applies them when it considers them relevant. It’s set for the whole account, and you choose the types, either one by one or as a bundle (“Maintain your ads” or “Grow your business”).

What it can change

Google’s help lists the types that can be auto-applied. They include:

• Keywords and reach: add keywords, add broad match keywords, expand your reach with Google search partners, use Display expansion, use targeting expansion, add audiences, and remove redundant or non-serving keywords.
• Bidding: switch to Maximize clicks, Maximize conversions, target CPA or target ROAS, and set or adjust CPA or ROAS targets.
• Ads: improve responsive search ads, add dynamic search ads and use optimized ad rotation.
• Measurement: upgrade your conversion tracking.

Google says auto-apply won’t raise your budget. Since January 26, 2026, the “Add responsive search ads” type is no longer offered for auto-apply.

Why it can cost you money

Some of these changes widen where your ads show and what you pay for:

• Search partners are other websites that show Google search ads. Results there can differ from Google Search. See Google search partners.
• Display expansion can put ads on websites and apps, where clicks often behave very differently from search clicks.
• Broad match (the loosest keyword setting) can show your ad for searches only loosely related to your keywords. See broad match.
• Maximize clicks aims for as many clicks as possible, not leads or sales.

Each can be right for some businesses. But switched on without you noticing, they can move spend toward traffic you didn’t plan for.

How to check what was applied

1. Go to Recommendations in the Campaigns menu. (If you can’t find it, search for “auto-apply” in the Google Ads search bar.)
2. Click Auto-apply settings.
3. Open the History tab. It shows when each type was first turned on, how many times it applied in the past week, and when it last applied.

For the details of each change, use change history:

1. Open Change history. (If you can’t find it, search for “change history” in the Google Ads search bar.)
2. Set the date range to the last 30 to 90 days.
3. Filter by change type and look at the User column to separate your own edits from automatic ones.
4. Look for changes to networks, keyword match types and bid strategies.

Change history keeps 2 years of changes. If you want a weekly summary of what auto-apply did, Google sends one by email when campaign maintenance notifications are on in your preferences.

How to turn auto-apply off

1. Go to Recommendations and click Auto-apply settings.
2. On the Manage tab, uncheck the types you don’t want applied.
3. Click Save.

(If you can’t find it, search for “auto-apply” in the Google Ads search bar. You can also reach the same list from Admin, then Account settings, then Auto-apply.)

You can also turn off a type from the History tab: select it and click Disable. A red dot then marks it as turned off.

Turning off auto-apply doesn’t undo past changes. Reverse them by hand:

• Search partners or Display: open the campaign’s Settings, go to Networks, and uncheck the network you don’t want.
• Broad match keywords: review new keywords and change or pause the ones you didn’t add.
• Bid strategy: open the campaign’s bidding settings and switch back to the strategy you chose.

When it’s fine to keep

Auto-apply isn’t bad by itself. Some types are low risk, such as removing keywords that never show. If you check your account often and like the results, leaving a few on can save time.

The key is knowing what’s on. Keep only the types you’d approve anyway. For anything that changes networks, match types or bidding, review it by hand before it goes live. If someone else manages your account, see what your agency changed.

Check it automatically

The free SpendCanary scan reads the last 30 days of your change history. SpendCanary flags auto-applied recommendations that switched on Search Partners, the Display Network, broad match or Maximize Clicks in the last 30 days.