How-to · Updated October 11, 2026
Turn off AI Max in a Google Ads Search campaign
Updated October 11, 2026
15 minutes
To turn off AI Max in a Google Ads Search campaign, open the Campaigns menu, select the Settings tab, tick the campaign, select AI Max and switch it off, then Save. That stops search term matching, generated text and Final URL expansion together. Write down its brand and location settings first, because they stop too.
Before you start
- A Google Ads login that can edit campaigns. AI Max is a campaign setting.
- A list of which Search campaigns have AI Max on. New Search campaigns have it on by default, and Google says campaigns using automatically created assets or the campaign-level broad match setting are being upgraded to it automatically starting in September 2026.
- The last 30 days of search terms. Export the search terms report to compare before and after.
Find the campaigns where AI Max is on
AI Max can be on in campaigns nobody switched it on in, so list every campaign's setting first.
- Open the Campaigns menu, select Campaigns, then the Settings tab. Google says AI Max settings can be filtered or added as columns in this list: add them as a column, or filter by them, and read the result for every Search campaign.
- For each campaign with AI Max on, open AI Max in the section menu and note what is on: Search term matching, and under Asset optimization, Text customization and Final URL expansion.
- In the same section, write down anything in Brands (brand inclusions and exclusions), any URL exclusions, and any Locations of interest or URL inclusions on the ad groups. Google says all of these are AI Max features and are disabled when AI Max is turned off.
Campaigns that used automatically created assets are easy to miss: Google's announcement says they are upgraded with search term matching on too, so they can now match searches beyond their keywords.
Switch AI Max off
Turning AI Max off is one switch per campaign, and it takes every AI Max feature with it.
- Open the Campaigns menu and select the Settings tab. Tick the campaign you want to change and select AI Max.
- Toggle to opt out of all AI Max settings, then select Save. Google says that with text customization off, its generated assets are reported as Removed and no longer serve.
- Several campaigns can be ticked at once before selecting AI Max. Google also offers Edit, then Change AI Max settings, on the Settings tab for editing AI Max in bulk; if that panel has no off switch, use the path above.
- Open Keywords and read the Match type column. Google says broad match, the default for new keywords, can show ads on related searches. Change a keyword to phrase or exact match where you want tighter control. Google notes that converting a broad keyword to exact removes its historical keyword stats.
Google says turning AI Max back on restores its features as they were set, brand exclusions included.
Or keep AI Max and turn off one part
If you only object to one feature, switch that feature off and keep AI Max's brand and location controls.
- To stop broader matching only: in the campaign's AI Max section, adjust the Search term matching panel. To change one ad group, open Ad groups, select the ad group, then Search term matching, and toggle it off.
- To keep ads on the pages you chose: in the Asset optimization panel, uncheck Final URL expansion and select Save. Google says pinned headlines are not used when it picks a different page, or while URL inclusions are set, so turning it off restores pins in ad groups without URL inclusions.
- To stop Google-written text: uncheck Text customization. Google says this also turns off Final URL expansion. The other switches for generated text are on the how-to linked below.
Check it worked
After a week, open the search terms report (the search terms how-to below shows where it is) and set the date range to start the day after the change. The Match type column should no longer show AI Max. At the bottom of the Keywords report, the rows Total: AI Max expanded matches and Total: AI Max landing page matches should show no new traffic.
Expect fewer impressions if AI Max found searches your keywords missed. Judge the change on calls, forms and sales over two to four weeks, not clicks alone.
Search term matching and manual bidding
Google says search term matching does not work with Manual CPC bidding, and that AI Max's features need a conversion-based Smart Bidding strategy to work effectively.
Using Google Ads Editor or the API
Google's AI Max FAQ warns that turning AI Max on or off may cause errors for API requests that manage the campaign's text customization and brand settings. Tell anyone who edits the account that way before you switch.