Google Ads Introduces New Data Retention Limits, Forcing Agencies to Archive Granular Data
Export and archive hourly, daily, and weekly Google Ads data before June 1 2026, as it will be unavailable after 37 months.
Set up automated export of granular data to your own storage before June 1 2026, and update reporting scripts to handle missing data.
Summary
Google Ads will change its reporting data retention policy on June 1 2026, limiting how long advertisers can access granular performance data through the interface and APIs. Hourly, daily and weekly reports for periods shorter than one month will be available for only 37 months, while monthly, quarterly and annual data will remain accessible for 11 years. Reach and frequency metrics will have a separate three‑year limit, affecting audience exposure analysis. The BigQuery Data Transfer Service connectors for Google Ads, Search Ads 360 and GA4 will stop backfill runs for dates older than 37 months, forcing agencies to store data locally. After the retention window closes, data will no longer be available via the Google Ads interface or APIs, which can break automated reporting pipelines. Agencies must therefore export and archive granular data before the cutoff, using the Ads API, the interface or GA4 linked accounts. The change does not affect long‑term totals, but it removes the ability to drill down into daily or weekly trends beyond 37 months. The policy shift also means that any dashboards or data warehouses that pull historical data on demand will fail once the data ages out. To avoid disruption, agencies should set up automated exports and adjust reporting scripts to handle missing data. The update underscores the need for independent data storage when relying on Google Ads for historical analysis.
Key changes
- Hourly, daily and weekly reports for periods shorter than one month will be retained for 37 months.
- Monthly, quarterly and annual data will remain available for 11 years.
- Reach and frequency metrics will have a separate three‑year limit.
- BigQuery Data Transfer Service connectors will stop backfill runs for dates older than 37 months.
- After the retention window closes, data will no longer be available via the Google Ads interface or APIs.
- Agencies must export and archive granular data before the cutoff.
- The change does not affect long‑term totals but removes the ability to drill down into daily or weekly trends beyond 37 months.
- Reporting pipelines that pull historical data on demand will fail once the data ages out.