Wrong Google Ads account for clicks
Google Ads says Wrong Google Ads account for clicks when the account you upload to has no conversion action with the name in your file, or the action's source is not Import from clicks. Confirm the name matches exactly and the source is right in the account you are sending to. If you upload through a manager account, check that the account is linked and has cross-account conversion tracking on.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The offline data diagnostics page in Google Ads, and the Uploads page for file imports.
- What stops
- The rows are refused for that account. Other accounts that hold the action are unaffected.
- How serious
- No policy risk. The cost is every row for the mismatched account refused until the name or account is fixed.
What it means
The upload names an action the target account does not hold, or holds with a source other than import from clicks. The clicks in the file may be fine; the account they are sent to is not the one that holds the action.
Manager accounts add a second layer. An action in one account can be invisible to uploads sent through the manager until cross-account tracking is on.
What actually triggers it
The action name differs by a word or a space
Google's page says the name must match the action exactly. A renamed action in the account, or a file name typed from memory, is refused as a missing action.
The action's source is not Import from clicks
Google's page says the action's source must be Import from clicks, shown in the Conversion source column on the conversions page. An action of the same name created as a website or call action still refuses the rows.
An upload through a manager account without cross-account tracking
Google's page says that when the click came to an account inside a manager account and the upload goes to the manager account, that client account needs cross-account conversion tracking enabled.
Uploads sent by the wrong owner
Google's permission check: when uploading through a manager account, the target account must be linked to it. Without a manager account, the client account must own the action, and an action the manager account created is uploaded through the manager account.
An upload still aimed at a replaced account
Not on Google's help page
A rebuilt or copied account gets a new identifier, and an upload still pointed at the old account keeps failing with this message.
Fix it in this order
- Open the target account and find the conversion action. Copy its name exactly from the account, not from memory.
- Check the Conversion source column for that action. If it is not Import from clicks, create an import action and use its exact name in the upload.
- Match the name in the upload file to the account's name exactly, then check the account identifier the upload uses.
- If the upload goes through a manager account, confirm the client account is linked to it and has cross-account conversion tracking enabled, and that the uploader is the account that owns the action.
- Send the refused rows again once the name and account match.
Rows that were refused for the wrong account are refused for that reason only. Check the action's totals after the resend, not just the upload summary.
Often confused with
Conversion actions not active
No action existed when the click happened. The action may exist now, but it did not then.
Unknown clicks
The conversion cannot be tied to a click. Here the account is the problem, not the click.