Google Ads AI Max migration: settings and checklist

Which campaigns are affected?

Google’s developer announcement schedules Search campaigns using the campaign-level broad match setting or standalone automatically created assets (ACA) for a phased migration during September 2026. Using individual broad match keywords is not the same as enabling the campaign-level setting. Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) has a separate February 2027 timeline.

As of September 21, advice to prepare before September 1 is no longer useful. Establish whether each campaign has migrated and record its active features. For campaigns using both legacy features, inspect the actual configuration rather than assuming it fits only one group.

Defaults for the two groups

• Campaign-level broad match: search term matching on; text customization and final URL expansion off.
• Standalone ACA: search term matching and text customization on; final URL expansion off.

These are the announced automatic migration defaults. Do not assume manually enabling AI Max applies the same configuration. Review the options before confirming a change.

Can you turn AI Max off?

Google’s setup instructions document disabling AI Max and managing individual features. Disabling text customization stops its generated assets from serving. Legacy ACA opt-out instructions also exist, but a disabled legacy ACA feature cannot be re-enabled through that old experience.

Neither “there is no exit” nor “one switch guarantees the old setup back” is a useful general instruction. The migration schedule, disabling active features and recreating legacy structures are distinct questions. Check the account’s migration state and available controls before choosing an action.

Review generated ad copy

Google describes a review at least every 48 hours, with assets refreshed when needed. That does not mean every ad is necessarily rewritten every two days.

Text guidelines allow 25 term exclusions per campaign. This is not a negative keyword limit. Review generated assets for prices, product names and unwanted claims; defining a restriction does not replace inspection. If you enable final URL expansion, test the relationship between the served copy and landing page too.

An account review checklist

1. Record the baseline. Keep campaign IDs, migration dates, active features, budgets and bidding targets together. If migration already happened, use change history to reconstruct the earlier configuration.
2. Verify measurement. Run a test conversion and check tags, conversion values and whether important actions are counted correctly.
3. Inspect content and destinations. Review generated assets, search terms, brand controls and landing pages.
4. Separate interventions. Simultaneous changes to budgets, targets and the website make results harder to interpret. Log each intervention and its date.
5. Evaluate business outcomes. Compare suitable periods while allowing for conversion lag. Look at qualified leads or sales value as well as conversion volume.

Teams using the API can inspect campaign.aca_migration_date_time and campaign.broad_match_migration_date_time. Check each field independently so campaigns migrating from only one feature are not missed.

When should you intervene?

Fix inaccurate copy, incorrect destinations or broken conversion tracking first. A short performance fluctuation alone is not proof of failure: consider conversion lag, changing demand and other account interventions. Our Google Ads management service can help plan the relevant account checks.

This guide combines and updates the articles published on August 11 and August 25. Reviewed September 21, 2026.