How to Import Google Ads to Microsoft Ads Without Overwriting Your Optimizations

To import Google Ads to Microsoft Ads, open Import in Microsoft Advertising, choose Import from Google Ads, sign in to Google, pick the account and campaigns, set your import options and a schedule, then start the import. Most Search, Shopping and Performance Max structure copies across, but some audiences, video files, automated rules and IP exclusions do not.

The trouble usually comes later, when a scheduled import turns paused campaigns back on, resets a lowered budget, or merges into a same-name Microsoft campaign. Change history cannot undo an import, so your first-run options matter more than the click path.

Whether you call it Microsoft Ads Google Import or importing Google Ads campaigns into Bing, it is the same tool. This guide is built from Microsoft’s help and API documentation, checked on 16 September 2026, plus Microsoft Q&A threads.

Key takeaways

• Treat Google Import as scaffolding: import once, then decide exactly what Google may keep changing.
• If you keep a schedule, untick campaign status updates, plus bid, bid strategy and budget updates under Bids and budgets.
• Imports cannot be undone, so import new campaigns paused or test in a separate account first.
• A Google campaign whose name matches an existing, non-imported Microsoft campaign, ignoring case, merges into it and stays linked.
• Online, tag-based conversion goals created in Google Ads import, but record nothing until UET is live.
• New Performance Max campaigns usually import as Performance Max, minus video assets, stock images and non-purchase new customer goals.
• Shopping needs a Microsoft Merchant Center store, and imported offers expire after 30 days without a fresh import.

How do you import Google Ads campaigns into Microsoft Advertising?

In Microsoft Advertising, select Import, then Import from Google Ads. Choose Quick import for default settings or Customize to control what comes across, sign in to Google, select the account and campaigns, set your options and a schedule, and start the import. Results, errors and schedules then appear on the Import schedule & history page.

Microsoft’s Google Import help page for Microsoft Advertising describes both routes. Customize, also called Smart import, lets you set the schedule, bids, budgets and entity status, and open Advanced import to pick campaigns and associate a UET tag. We choose Customize, because default settings can cause the overwrite problems covered below.

Step by step: how do you run a customized Google import?

1. Pick the Microsoft ad account and check its currency, which cannot be changed later.
2. Select Import, then Import from Google Ads.
3. Choose Customize, select Sign in to Google and approve access.
4. Pick the Google Ads account. From a manager account, map each Google account to a Microsoft account.
5. Open Advanced import and choose campaigns and ad groups. Without Show paused ad groups ticked, only active ad groups import.
6. Set what to import, open Show advanced options under Updates to existing items, then review Bids and budgets, the UET tag and store settings.
7. Name the import and pick a schedule. Now or Once gives a one-time import.
8. Start the import, then check the summary and error file in Import schedule & history.

Search Engine Land reported a new Import Center on 20 May 2026, so if screens differ, follow option names.

Can you import several Google Ads accounts at once?

Yes, up to 10 Google Ads accounts at once from a Microsoft manager account. Microsoft highly recommends mapping one Google Ads account to one Microsoft account, because stacking several raises the risk of hitting keyword limits. The import limits include 20,000 campaigns and 20 million keywords.

Can you import from a file, or when Google sign-in fails?

With Google 2-step verification, some users need an application-specific password. Otherwise, file import accepts Excel, CSV or TSV files, but cannot be scheduled or update existing ad extensions.

How do agencies manage many Google imports?

Bulk import preferences change settings across many Google imports from one CSV, converting smart imports into advanced imports. Not every account has it. Through the Google Ads import API, each account can hold up to 100 scheduled Google import jobs (GoogleImportJob), with notifications off by default.

What should you set up before you import?

Before importing, install the UET tag, create or map a Microsoft Merchant Center store if you run Shopping or Performance Max, confirm the account currency and time zone, and make campaign names unique in Google Ads. Several of these choices are hard or impossible to change after import, and they decide what works on day one.

New to the platform? Our guide to advertising on Bing covers the basics, and our Bing Ads vs Google Ads cost comparison uses first-party CPC data to show why Google budgets rarely transfer as is.

What gets imported from Google Ads, and what does not?

Google Import brings over campaigns, ad groups, keywords, responsive search ads, most extensions, labels, negative keyword lists, bids, budgets and most targeting. It does not bring automated rules, IP exclusions, customer lists, affinity audiences, video files, expanded text ads or Display Network-only ad groups. Microsoft says its own list is not comprehensive, so always review.

Source: Microsoft’s What gets imported from Google Ads page.

What imports by campaign type?

What imports at the item level?

Microsoft also calculates Quality Score differently.

What does not import from Google Ads?

• Automated rules and IP exclusions.
• Customer lists, affinity audiences, detailed demographics, app users, YouTube visitors and Google Analytics lists.
• Video files, expanded text ads (since 1 February 2023) and Display Network-only ad groups.
• Campaigns declared political and location groups.
• Parental status, household income, and the 45-54 and Unknown age ranges.
• Google Analytics and Search Ads 360 goals, Google-hosted conversions and Smart Goals.
• PMax video assets (import is listed as coming), stock images, stock-only asset groups and non-purchase new customer goals.

Microsoft does not document shared budgets, scripts, experiments or conversion value rules, so check them.

What updates on re-import, and what imports only once?

When the matching update options are on, scheduled imports update campaign budgets, bid strategies, statuses, tracking templates, keyword bids and ad text. Other fields import once and never update: keyword match type, ad rotation, ad group bids, native bid adjustments, Param1 to Param3, keyword final mobile URLs and the account time zone. Knowing which is which prevents most surprises.

Scheduled imports only fetch items changed in Google since the last run, so a Microsoft edit usually holds until that item changes in Google. Run now also re-imports unchanged items and pushes Google values back.

Two documented rules catch people out. Updates only reach items created by online import after 21 March 2016 or by Microsoft Advertising Editor 11.25 or later. And if a parent item fails to update, all updates and deletions for its children are skipped.

How are Performance Max campaigns imported into Microsoft Ads?

New Google Performance Max campaigns import as Microsoft Performance Max campaigns, carrying asset groups, text and image assets, listing groups, audience signals, final URL expansion and Maximize conversions or conversion value bidding. Video assets, stock images and non-purchase new customer goals do not import, and some accounts receive Search campaigns instead.

Two exceptions apply: PMax that began as a Dynamic Search Ads campaign stays DSA, and accounts on what Microsoft calls Adobe or Marin lists get Search campaigns. Microsoft does not explain those lists, so ask support if PMax arrives as Search.

If a new customer goal’s audience list cannot import, Microsoft uses your All Converters list. Opt out of that list, or lack one, and the goal is skipped but the campaign still imports.

What happens if there is no conversion goal?

Without a Microsoft conversion goal, imported PMax converts to Maximize clicks. Microsoft says it switches to your conversion-based strategy once a goal exists and enough conversions are tracked, so set up UET and goals first.

What changed for Performance Max import in 2026?

• 27 February 2026: Search Engine Land reported self-serve PMax negative keyword lists of up to 5,000 negatives; see our PMax negative keyword strategy.
• 16 April 2026: Search Engine Land reported PMax imports carrying new customer acquisition goals, now documented for purchase-based goals.
• 1 October 2026: Max CPC changes, covered under bidding.

Microsoft’s Performance Max setup page caps accounts at 300 PMax campaigns, does not currently support video assets, and blocks UTM tags and tracking templates in final URLs, so check Google PMax URLs that carry UTMs.

How do Shopping campaigns and Google Merchant Center feeds import?

Shopping campaigns import only when they link to a Microsoft Merchant Center store. During import you pick an existing store, import your Google Merchant Center store, or create a draft store. Products come across through a separate Google Merchant Center import, which needs matching store domains and must run again at least every 30 days.

Per the store mapping documentation, Microsoft tries to complete draft stores automatically on a domain, Google Merchant ID or PMax final URL match. Markets added to Google Merchant Center later need manual setup.

How do you import products from Google Merchant Center?

Go to Tools, then Merchant Center, select the store, open the Import tab and choose New import. The import rules are strict: store domains must match, each market holds up to 10 million offers, only online, Shopping-destination offers in supported markets import (including pending and disapproved ones), and offers expire after 30 days. We schedule product imports weekly so one missed run does not let offers lapse. For feed setup, see our Bing Merchant Center guide and Bing Shopping feed guide, and check attributes with the free feed attribute mapper.

When one advertiser’s product group bids kept resetting, a scheduled Google import was the cause, and the advertiser chose to import only the catalog.

Do conversion goals and audiences import from Google Ads?

Yes, with limits. Online, tag-based conversion goals created in Google Ads import with their settings, though data-driven attribution becomes last click. In-market audiences and rule-based website visitor lists import, but customer lists, affinity, YouTube and Google Analytics lists do not. Neither goals nor lists record anything until the UET tag runs on your site.

Which conversion goals import?

Goals created in Google Ads with online, tag-based, destination URL tracking import with their lookback window and primary or secondary status, and data-driven attribution becomes last click. GA4 and Search Ads 360 goals, Google-hosted conversions, Smart Goals and goals sharing a name with an existing Microsoft goal do not import.

Search Engine Roundtable reported in June 2024 that goal import would become the default, rolling out gradually, with an opt-out checkbox. Importing a goal does not import tracking, though: the Google tag sends nothing to Microsoft, so install the UET tag.

Which Google audience lists import?

Membership over 180 days drops to 180. Associate your UET tag during import, and since lists fill from UET data, we wait for them to build before adding list bid adjustments.

How do bid strategies, bids and budgets change on import?

Bids and budgets import at Google values, raised to Microsoft minimums by default, and you can apply a -90% to +900% adjustment. Bid strategies Microsoft supports import as they are. Unsupported ones fall back to Enhanced CPC, or manual CPC for Audience campaigns, and goal-based strategies without a Microsoft conversion goal convert, turning Performance Max into Maximize clicks.

What are the minimum bids and budgets?

In USD, Microsoft’s minimums are 0.05 for a Search bid, 0.01 for a Shopping bid and 0.05 for a daily budget, and GBP and CAD match. If you opt out of raising values, campaigns below the minimum do not import. If currencies differ, convert on import or adjust manually; the API’s EnableAutoCurrencyConversion defaults to false.

Should you copy Google bids and budgets into Microsoft?

Rarely. A Microsoft Q&A answer to a daily import question repeated Microsoft’s warning that targeting settings used in one product will very likely not suit the other. We apply the same caution to bids and budgets. Size budgets with the import adjustment, then check bids against real Microsoft CPCs with our CPC calculator.

What does the October 2026 Max CPC change mean for imports?

Per Microsoft’s August 2026 product update, from 1 October 2026 Max CPC is unavailable on new non-portfolio campaigns using Maximize conversions with target CPA, Maximize conversion value with target ROAS, or Maximize clicks. Earlier campaigns already using it, and portfolio strategies, keep it. Microsoft’s post does not mention imports, but Search Engine Land reported a 12 January deadline for API users, tool providers and Google Import. Check whether Google caps survive on newly imported campaigns.

How do ads, extensions, targeting and tracking URLs import?

Responsive search ads, most extensions, labels and tracking templates import, with limits: three enabled responsive search ads per ad group, utm_source rewritten to bing, and extensions removed in Google left live. Targeting maps automatically, but unsupported locations expand to parent regions, languages flatten, the 45-54 age range drops, and negative desktop bid adjustments may not import.

Which ad extensions import from Google Ads?

• Account level: app, image and promotion.
• Campaign level: action, app, call, callout, image, location, logo, price, promotion, sitelink and structured snippet.
• Ad group level: app, callout, image, promotion, sitelink and structured snippet.

Extensions removed in Google are not deleted in Microsoft, so old offers can keep serving. See our guides to Bing ad extensions and manual vs automated extensions in Microsoft Advertising.

How do tracking templates and UTM parameters import?

Tracking templates, final URL suffixes and custom parameters import and update, and utm_source values like google become “bing”. Microsoft’s URL tracking notes recommend not importing URL options you manage outside Google Ads, and Search Ads 360 accounts do not receive these updates.

Find and replace covers campaign names, custom parameters, tracking templates and URLs, not ad group names, so support suggests renaming ad groups after import.

How do location and language targets map?

Unsupported locations, such as some small cities, expand to the parent state or region with a warning. If the parent is unsupported too, neither imports. Location groups are not supported, unmappable negative locations cause an error, and radius targets import.

Choose Do not expand unsupported location targets and a campaign can end up serving worldwide, and the API defaults Pause campaigns when all imported location targets are unsupported to off. We keep expansion on, turn pausing on, and read every warning. If Include search partners is on in Google, Microsoft targets all its search networks, so see our guide to excluding Microsoft syndicated search partners.

Campaign languages are set to supported Google target languages, and a campaign with none fails with “Unsupported target languages”. Microsoft also matches language differently, using query language, publisher country and user settings.

How do device, ad schedule and demographic targeting map?

Ad schedules import with bid adjustments from -90% to +900%. Device adjustments import from -100% to +900%, but without customization, negative computer adjustments other than -100% are skipped. Demographics are limited to age and gender:

Because 35-49 and 50-64 overlap the missing 45-54 range, Google adjustments for 35-44 and 55-64 end up covering part of it. Rebuild age adjustments deliberately.

What do the Google Import options actually do?

Import options fall into two main groups. Items not previously imported controls which new Google items get created. Updates to existing items controls what Google can overwrite in Microsoft, such as status, targeting and URLs, while Bids and budgets holds the bid, strategy and budget update switches. Microsoft’s API reference defaults nearly all updates to on.

Defaults below come from Microsoft’s GoogleImportOption reference. It describes the API, and interface labels and defaults can differ, so set each box on purpose.

Which Updates to existing items settings do most people miss?

The hidden ones. Older Microsoft Q&A answers on campaign status changing (2020) and daily budgets resetting (2022) point to Show advanced options next to Updates to existing items. Microsoft’s current help puts the bid, bid strategy and budget updates under Bids and budgets, so check both.

Update bids and bid strategies is now two settings, and Update bid strategies is on by default. The API guide adds a trap: no option excludes future entity types, so scheduled imports pick up newly supported items until you opt out.

Should you use a scheduled import or a one-time import?

In our view, a one-time import followed by Microsoft-specific optimization usually works best. Scheduled imports suit accounts where Google is the single source of truth and nobody edits Microsoft directly. If you do schedule, turn off status, budget, bid and bid strategy updates so Google cannot undo the work you do inside Microsoft.

There are six schedule frequencies: Auto (Microsoft sets it), Now, Once at a set time, Daily, Weekly and Monthly.

Navah Hopkins makes the same point: import is a starting point, and syncing can erase Microsoft optimizations.

What does a safer hybrid schedule look like?

1. Set the frequency to Weekly, not Auto, so you know when changes land.
2. Keep Items not previously imported on, with Pause new campaigns on.
3. Turn off status, targeting and language updates under Updates to existing items, and bid, bid strategy and budget updates under Bids and budgets.
4. Keep ad text and URL updates only if Google is your master copy for ads.

How do you pause, edit or delete an import schedule?

Go to Import schedule & history, open Scheduled imports, select the import and choose Edit, Pause or Delete. Deleting a schedule unlinks campaigns from Google Ads, but imported items stay until you delete them. You cannot edit or delete a schedule a linked agency created.

Why did my paused Microsoft Ads campaigns turn back on?

A scheduled Google import with campaign status updates enabled can copy each campaign’s Google status back into Microsoft when it runs. Pausing a campaign in Microsoft does not pause the import, so a later run can switch it back on and reset the budget to the Google value. Pause or edit the import schedule to stop it.

Microsoft’s help page warns that automated imports keep reactivating campaigns and resetting budgets. In a May 2026 Microsoft Q&A thread, an advertiser who paused every campaign said auto-import kept reactivating them at the higher Google budget, disputed around EUR 800 and had a refund declined twice. Another advertiser did not know the account was synced at all.

How do you stop Google Import from turning campaigns back on?

1. Open Import schedule & history and check Scheduled imports for any Google import, including ones set up by an agency.
2. Pause or delete the schedule if Microsoft should run on its own.
3. To keep syncing, edit the schedule, untick campaign status under Updates to existing items, and untick bid, bid strategy and budget updates under Bids and budgets.
4. Check automated rules, since a rule can also enable campaigns.

The answer in that thread noted Microsoft documents no refund guarantee for spend from configured imports. Open a support case with change history and invoice dates, but rely on prevention.

How does Google Import merge with existing campaigns, and can you undo it?

Google Import matches campaigns and ad groups by name, ignoring case. A Google campaign that matches an existing non-imported Microsoft campaign merges into it and stays permanently linked. Imports cannot be undone: change history cannot reverse imports from Google, and deleted campaigns or ad groups cannot be restored. Test on paused campaigns or a separate account first.

How does name matching work?

If Microsoft has “Coffee Beans” and Google has “coffee beans”, Google’s ad groups, ads and keywords merge into it, as a 2022 support answer confirmed. Duplicate names cause errors, and a new Google campaign sharing a name with an already-linked Microsoft campaign does not merge.

Some advertisers see “-G” plus a number added to names, which a 2022 support answer called by design.

What happens to negative keywords you added in Microsoft?

Negatives inside shared lists stay because list contents merge, but Google’s list associations overwrite Microsoft’s, so a Microsoft-only list association can be lost. Negatives deleted in Google can also linger: support told one advertiser who saw this to delete them directly in Microsoft.

Why can’t you undo an import, and what should you do instead?

Microsoft’s change history allows undo within 30 days, but not for imports from files or other platforms, and deleted campaigns cannot be restored. When one advertiser accidentally overwrote more than 100 campaigns, support offered no rollback, only log reviews and schedule changes. So export your Microsoft campaigns first, turn on Pause new campaigns, leave Delete items removed in Google off, and test large imports in a separate account.

What should you check after importing Google Ads into Microsoft Ads?

After importing, check the import schedule and update settings first, then statuses, network distribution, locations, languages, device and age adjustments, bids, budgets, bid strategies, UET and goals, audiences, Merchant Center, tracking URLs, extensions and the error file. Then add what Google cannot give you, such as LinkedIn profile targeting and website exclusions.

Then work through our Bing Ads optimization checklist and Bing Ads management guide.

Which Microsoft-only settings should you add after import?

• LinkedIn profile targeting by company, industry and job function. It is bid-only, takes up to 1,000 companies per ad group or campaign, and cannot be imported from other platforms. Job Seniority targeting became generally available in Microsoft’s August 2026 update.
• Ad distribution. Search ads can extend to Audience placements such as MSN, Edge and Outlook.com, and Microsoft recommends website exclusions to opt out. The ad distribution setting also offers Microsoft sites and select traffic.
• AI Max for Search, generally available per that update. Review any imported AI Max settings.

How do you fix common Google Import errors?

Start with the import summary on Import schedule & history, download the error file, and fix campaign-level errors before ad group, ad or keyword errors, because a failed parent skips every update to its children. Most Google Import errors trace back to unsupported languages or locations, duplicate names, store setup, account limits or Google access.

Merchant Center error rows follow Microsoft’s product import documentation.

Where Microsoft’s docs disagree about Google Import

Microsoft’s help pages, API reference and support answers do not always agree. The biggest conflicts cover goal import status, same-name merging, device bid defaults, Performance Max import, negative deletion, currency conversion and menu labels. When sources conflict, follow the newest help page and verify inside your account.

Some checklists still say conversion tracking does not transfer. For online, tag-based goals created in Google Ads, that is outdated: the goals can import, but need UET to record.

Frequently asked questions

These are common questions about Google Import in Microsoft Advertising, most of them drawn from real Microsoft Q&A threads. Each answer stands on its own, and the sections above hold the full detail, exact setting names and linked Microsoft sources.

Is it safe to give Microsoft Advertising access to my Google Ads account?

Microsoft’s help page says it does not use your Google Ads sign-in information for any purpose other than the import, and a support answer to a worried user said importing is safe. Revoking the BingAdsImport app in Google ends that access.

Does Google Import keep Google Ads and Microsoft Ads in sync automatically?

Only on a repeating schedule: Auto, Daily, Weekly or Monthly. Those runs fetch items changed in Google and apply them according to your update settings. A Now or Once import runs one time.

How do I stop the Google import from changing my Microsoft Ads daily budget?

Edit the import schedule and untick Update existing campaign budgets under Bids and budgets, plus Update bids and Update bid strategies if needed. If you do not need ongoing sync, pause the schedule instead.

Why were my paused Microsoft Ads campaigns reactivated?

A scheduled import with campaign status updates on can copy the Google status back, and pausing a campaign does not pause the import. Untick campaign status or pause the schedule, and check automated rules.

Can I undo a Google Ads import in Microsoft Ads?

No. Change history cannot undo imports from Google or files, and deleted campaigns and ad groups cannot be restored. Export your campaigns and turn on Pause new campaigns before big imports.

Can I import only specific ads, for example by label?

Not by label. An answer in a June 2026 thread said label-based import is not supported. Use Advanced import to pick campaigns or ad groups, or restructure in Google first.

Will the import override an existing Microsoft campaign with the same name?

Usually, yes. Names match regardless of case, and a Google campaign you have never imported that matches an existing non-imported Microsoft campaign merges into it and stays linked. Rename one first to keep them separate.

Why does Microsoft add “-G” and a number to my campaign names?

A 2022 support answer said Microsoft appends the Google campaign ID by design for mapping. The current help page only mentions suffixes for names over the character limit. If you rename, keep campaign name updates off.

Do conversion goals import from Google Ads?

Yes, for online, tag-based, destination URL goals created in Google Ads, with data-driven attribution switched to last click. Google Analytics and Search Ads 360 goals, Google-hosted conversions and Smart Goals do not, and nothing records until UET is live.

Are negative keywords deleted in Google Ads removed in Microsoft Ads?

Usually not. Negative keyword lists merge, so negatives from both platforms combine, and Microsoft support advised deleting unwanted ones directly in Microsoft.

Why do my imported Shopping and PMax campaigns show “No targeted products”?

Check the store is approved, the feed is published, country and language match, and filters are not excluding everything. Allow up to 72 hours, then re-import from Google Merchant Center.

Do Performance Max video assets import to Microsoft Ads?

Not yet. Microsoft lists video assets as not imported and says import is coming, and its setup page says Microsoft PMax does not currently support video assets. Asset groups built only from stock images are skipped too.

Why choose Hustle Marketers to move your Google Ads account to Microsoft Ads?

If you want to import Google Ads to Microsoft Ads without the overwrites, a specialist can run the import, choose safe sync settings and add the Microsoft-only options Google cannot copy. Hustle Marketers manages Microsoft Advertising for ecommerce and lead generation brands, and you keep ownership of every account.

An import copies settings, not strategy. When we audited our own Microsoft Ads account, most of what we fixed traced back to defaults nobody had revisited since setup: a tracking template with unsupported parameters, search ads spending on audience placements and a bid strategy with no conversions to learn from.

Hustle Marketers is a Microsoft Advertising Partner and Google Partner agency led by founder Ishant Sharma, who has managed paid search since 2013. The team holds six 2026 Clutch awards and a 4.9 out of 5 rating from 591 verified client reviews, and has helped 2,500+ brands generate $780M+ in trackable revenue.

What do we fix after a Google Ads import?

• Bid strategies that fell back to Enhanced CPC or changed during the import
• Tracking templates, final URL suffixes and UTMs rebuilt with Microsoft parameters
• Negative keyword lists rewritten for Bing search terms
• Network settings and website exclusions, so search budgets stay on search
• Scheduled auto-import turned off once the native build takes over

Should you hire an agency or a consultant for the move?

Our Microsoft Advertising agency team handles full builds, a Bing Ads specialist suits brands wanting one expert, and our Bing Ads consultant service fits in-house teams. PPC management for Google and Microsoft runs month to month from $600 to $800 per platform per month. See how an epoxy flooring brand reached 10.8x ROAS on Microsoft Advertising.

Get Free Audit Worth $500. Our audit reviews your import schedule, update settings, bid strategy fallbacks, targeting gaps and conversion tracking, and we look for the settings that let Google quietly overwrite your Microsoft account.

About the author: Ishant Sharma is a Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and SEO specialist who has worked in digital marketing since 2013, and the founder of Hustle Marketers, a Google Partner agency. Over that time he has worked with ecommerce brands and lead generation businesses that expanded from Google Ads into Microsoft Advertising, and his agency has worked with more than 2,500 brands. He sets up and audits Microsoft Ads accounts built from Google Ads imports.