ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
Unacceptable script
Unacceptable script is about Google Ads scripts, the automation code in the account, not ad text. Google flags scripts that get around limits, use unsupported access, send excessive requests or disrupt Google Ads. List every script that runs, find the one doing the volume, fix or pause it, and act within 2 business days of the email, before Google suspends all scripts or cuts rate limits.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- An email to the users with administrative access to the Google Ads or manager account, and the policy status in the account.
- What stops
- If the problem is not fixed within 2 business days of the notice, Google may suspend every script in the account or reduce its rate limits.
- How serious
- Google warns at least 7 days before any account suspension under this policy. For serious cases, such as scripts that disrupt the platform, it may suspend all scripts without prior notice.
- How long
- 2 business days from the notice to correct the scripts, and 2 business days to hand over every script if Google asks to audit them.
What it means
The name suggests a character set, but Google's page is about Google Ads scripts. It does not allow using scripts to get around restrictions or usage limits such as operations quotas, accessing Google Ads by methods the scripts documentation does not describe, unreasonable request volumes, or scripts that modify, disrupt or disable Google Ads features.
Scale has its own rule. A script that reads data for more than 1 million entities, such as keywords or ads, or edits more than 100,000 entities a day, has to follow Google's scripts best practices. The penalty lands on scripts, not on one ad: every script in the account can be suspended, including the ones doing nothing wrong.
What actually triggers it
A script that reads or edits too much, one item at a time
Not on Google's help page
Large accounts cross the 1 million read or 100,000 daily edit lines faster than expected, and Google requires its best practices above them. A script that loops through every keyword or ad with a separate call for each, on a frequent schedule, is the pattern those best practices are written against.
Several scripts or copies doing the same work
Not on Google's help page
Scripts added over the years by different people or vendors can overlap: two bid scripts, a report script per campaign, copies left running after a test. Each one looks harmless, but Google judges the account's request volume as a whole. Check the full list before blaming the newest script.
A script built to get around a limit
Using scripts to work around operations quota limits, or for non-business purposes, is named in the policy. So is reaching Google Ads by any method the scripts documentation does not describe.
A script that changes or blocks how Google Ads works
Scripts that modify, disrupt or disable any feature or function of the platform break the policy. Google treats disruption as serious and may suspend all scripts without notice.
Fix it in this order
- Read the notice email. It goes to users with administrative access, so check with whoever holds that access if the account owner did not receive it.
- Open the account's Scripts page and list every script, its schedule and who added it. Include scripts run from a manager account, and any code a vendor runs on the account's behalf.
- Pause or remove duplicates and scripts nobody uses. For the rest, compare what they read and edit against the 1 million and 100,000 lines, and rewrite heavy ones to follow Google's scripts best practices.
- Finish within 2 business days of the notice. If Google asks to audit, hand over every script, including copies stored outside Google Ads, within 2 business days.
- If an ad or asset also shows this policy, hover over it, select Edit, correct it and Save to send it for review.
Concealing or obfuscating scripts activity, or interfering with an audit, is itself not allowed. Keep the scripts readable and their purpose clear, so an audit can confirm the fix quickly.
When to appeal
Appeal from the account when you believe no script broke the policy. Google reviews the decision and the ads can run again if they comply.
Google's page counts the 2 business days from the notice and says nothing about pausing them for an appeal. Fix the scripts first, then appeal, since a script still running at volume will be found again.
Often confused with
Unsupported language
A problem with the language of the ad text or its destination. Unacceptable script sounds like the same thing, but Google's page for it is about Google Ads scripts, the automation code.
The whole account stops. Unacceptable script suspends scripts or cuts rate limits first, with at least 7 days' warning before any account suspension under this policy.