ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
Unacceptable video format
Google disapproves a video ad when the uploaded file is in a format that Google Ads or YouTube does not support. The page's example is a DVD project file, which is not a video. Check the file against the supported formats list, export the finished video in a listed format and replace the file on the ad. Appeal only when the file is in a listed format.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The Status column on the Ads & assets page, as Disapproved under this policy.
- What stops
- The ad stops serving until a supported video replaces the unsupported file.
- How serious
- Low on its own. Google warns at least 7 days before any account suspension, but repeated violations can lead to one.
What it means
The policy covers uploads in a format that Google Ads or YouTube does not support. The page does not list the accepted formats itself. It points to its YouTube supported file formats page, which is the list to check against.
The format is the file, not the content. A project file from a video editor, or a disc-authoring file, is not a video Google can serve, even when the program that made it can open it.
What actually triggers it
A project or disc-authoring file
The page's example is a DVD project file in the dvdproj format. Files like it are easy to pick by mistake from an editing folder, and they are not videos.
Any other format outside the supported list
Any upload in a format that Google Ads or YouTube does not accept falls under the policy. Check the file's format before uploading it again, rather than guessing from its extension alone.
Fix it in this order
- Open Campaigns, then Ads, and hover over the disapproved video ad to read its status.
- Check the file's format against the YouTube supported file formats list. If the file is an editor project or a disc project, export the finished video from the editor in a listed format.
- Hover over the ad or asset, select Edit, replace the video with the supported file and select Save. If the video cannot be converted, upload a different compliant video.
- Check the status on the Ads & assets page after the re-review.
When to appeal
Appeal only when the uploaded file is in a format on the supported list and the disapproval still stands.
An appeal does not change the file. Convert or replace it first.
Often confused with
A video in a supported format can still be disapproved for how it looks or sounds. This page is about the file's format, which a better version of the same format does not change.