Google Ads (AdWords) Account or Campaign Suspended? What to Do

If every ad in your account stopped and the top of Google Ads shows a notice with a Contact Us link, the account is suspended. Google also emails you the policies behind it. Fix the problem the email names, then appeal through the Contact Us link, one appeal at a time. Google gives you at least 6 months from the suspension date to appeal, and it reinstates accounts only in compelling circumstances, such as a mistake. Do not open a new account while you wait. Google lists that as circumventing systems, and says new accounts may be suspended too.

If only one campaign or ad stopped, it is probably not a suspension. Check the labels in the next section first.

Is my Google Ads account or just my campaign suspended?

Google Ads used to be called AdWords, and everything here applies under either name. If one campaign or ad stopped but the rest of the account still runs, the cause is not an account suspension, which stops every ad. Google uses a different word for each problem, and the fix depends on which word you see. Read the label in your account first.

Google's campaign status page lists seven statuses: Eligible, Eligible (limited), Not eligible, Paused, Removed, Pending and Ended. None of them is called Suspended. If one campaign looks stopped, check its ads and the banner at the top of the account before assuming the campaign itself was suspended.

Google also uses the word paused for accounts. A paused account cannot run ads either. Google says it may pause an account if required verification is not completed, if an investigation is needed to check for policy violations, or because of other security signals. It can also pause an account linked to a manager account, such as an agency's, that breaks Google's third-party policy. The fix there is to unlink from that manager account, and who owns your ad account shows how to check which manager accounts are linked to yours. If your notice says paused, follow the instructions in the notice.

AdWords campaign not running? Check these four places in order

Work from the smallest thing to the largest. Steps 1 and 2 check a single campaign or ad. Steps 3 and 4 check for an account-level suspension or a billing cause.

1. Check the campaign. Open Campaigns and read the Status column next to Daily budget. Eligible (limited) points to budget or bid strategy. Not eligible means nothing inside the campaign is switched on. Paused means the campaign was paused, Pending means it has not reached its start date, and Ended means it is past its end date. A campaign marked Eligible can still show no ads. Google's ads not showing troubleshooter covers that case, and our 16-step diagnostic for a campaign with no results walks through the usual causes.
2. Check the ads. Open Ads and read the Status column. If it says Disapproved, hover over it, select Read the policy, fix the ad and save. Saving sends it for review again.
3. Check the top of the account. Look for a notification. A suspension shows a Contact Us link there, and Google also emails the policies behind it. If you see that, use the appeal steps below.
4. Check billing. If you pay by card or bank account, a declined payment can stop your ads without any suspension. Open the Billing summary page: Google lists any declined payment there with its date, amount and, when available, the reason. Your bank or card issuer declines the payment, not Google, so contact them to fix it, then pay the overdue balance. A backup payment method keeps ads running if the main one is declined. If you pay by monthly invoice, open Billing in your paying manager account (or any manager account above it), then Invoices overview, and check the Invoice status column for Overdue. If you paid and the account is still suspended 48 hours later, Google says to email collections@google.com with your payments profile ID, Google Ads account ID, invoice numbers and amounts paid, and proof of payment.

The Main Suspension Categories

Google publishes its reasons in the account suspensions overview. Google lists several reasons for suspension. These are the ones we cover. Google also lists unauthorized account activity, age requirements and Ad Grants policy.

Circumventing systems. This falls under Google's Abusing the ad network policy, and it covers behavior Google reads as an attempt to dodge its review or enforcement processes: cloaking (showing different content to different people, or to Google, to hide things that might break the rules), opening new accounts after a suspension, manipulating ad text to slip past filters, or creating variations of ads, domains or content that have been disapproved. Google treats circumventing systems as egregious, so it can suspend the account immediately without prior warning, and says you will not be allowed to advertise again.

Suspicious payment activity. Google's billing and payment reasons include promotional code abuse, requesting a chargeback, suspicious payment activity and an unpaid balance. Google's suspicious payment activity page gives as signs suddenly using several new credit cards, having payments declined or chargebacks, and unclear credit card ownership or billing details. It says to use a payment method you own or have permission to use.

Repeated or serious policy violations. Ordinary policy violations, such as a misleading claim or a broken landing page, normally produce disapprovals, not suspensions. But repeat violations can move enforcement from the ad level to the account level, and so can one Google considers egregious (for example counterfeit goods or malware). Suspensions for repeat violations come after a warning sent at least 7 days earlier. For the policies in Google's strike system, a first violation gets a warning. The next one brings a first strike and a 3-day hold. Another violation of the same policy within 90 days of that strike brings a second strike and a 7-day hold, and a third within 90 days of the second is a suspension. A hold does not lift on its own. Ads stay off until you fix every violation and submit Google's acknowledgement form, or win an appeal of the strike. Egregious violations are suspended immediately.

The warning email matters. Google says it outlines the violation and the remedial action, and gives you an opportunity to remedy it. Our rule of thumb: search the whole account for the named policy, not only the ad Google pointed at. Google's strike page backs the idea, calling the second strike the final notice to remove all policy-violating assets or ads in the account.

The Resubmission Trap: Variations of Disapproved Ads

Here is the pattern we consider most worth avoiding, and it is one Google names directly.

An ad gets disapproved. The advertiser doesn't understand why, since the policy label is vague, so they change a word or two and resubmit. Disapproved again. They tweak the headline, swap a punctuation mark, resubmit. From the advertiser's side this feels like honest trial and error. Google's Circumventing systems policy lists “creating variations of ads, domains or content that have been disapproved” as a way of bypassing enforcement. Google does not say how many edits cross the line, but it does draw two limits in your favor. The same policy says accounts are not suspended under it for disapprovals over editorial issues such as formatting or misspelled words. And Google's guide to fixing disapproved ads says that if you have fixed the issue but your appeal fails or is marked a duplicate, you should stop appealing and make a minor edit to the ad text or final URL so Google crawls it again. The risk is editing around a policy you have not fixed. For that, Google says that circumventing violations lead to suspension without prior warning, and that you will not be allowed to advertise with Google Ads again, while appeals are possible and reinstatement happens only in compelling circumstances.

Our view: a disapproval is a diagnosis, not a dice roll. Identify the actual policy the ad violated, fix that underlying issue, in the ad and usually on the landing page too, since many disapprovals are really destination problems, and only then resubmit, once. Google tells you to edit the ad to comply, after which it is reviewed again automatically. We've written a full walkthrough of diagnosing and fixing disapprovals in why ads get disapproved on Google and Meta.

How long do I have to appeal, and how many appeals do I get?

Google publishes several limits, and they differ between a suspended account, a single ad and a verification pause. Google does not publish how long an account suspension appeal takes to decide. The 5 to 7 business days Google gives is for appeals of an account paused after repeated failed verification attempts, so do not treat it as a promise for a suspension.

How to Appeal a Suspension, Step by Step

You can appeal a suspension. Google says accounts are only reinstated in compelling circumstances, such as in the case of a mistake. For billing suspensions, Google may ask you to verify your payment method within 30 days. Here's the process.

1. Read the suspension email carefully. It names the policy Google believes you violated. Everything in your appeal should be organized around that specific policy, not a general plea.
2. Fix the underlying issue first. Google's appeal tips on the suspensions page ask you to follow the best practices for the policy and explain your situation. Google also says to make sure linked and related accounts comply with its policies before appealing. If the issue was billing, update the payment method and settle any balance. If it was a landing-page problem, fix the page. Our view: appealing with the violation still live is unlikely to go well.
3. Submit the appeal from inside the account. Google documents the steps in the “Fix your suspended account” section of its account suspensions page: select the Contact Us link in the notification at the top of your screen, and the appeal form opens on the right. State plainly what happened, what you changed, and why the violation won't recur. Concrete beats emotional: “the landing page now displays our business address and refund policy” is worth more than a paragraph about how much the account matters to your business.
4. Wait for the review to finish. Google does not publish a decision time for account suspension appeals. If you select Contact Us again while the appeal is still being processed, the account shows Appeal pending. Google emails the outcome. Google asks for one appeal at a time, may not process too many appeals for the same suspension, and may pause processing of certain appeals for 7 days if it sees misuse.
5. If the appeal is denied, change something before reapplying. Google says a rejected appeal can be re-filed through the same process. Our rule of thumb: change something real before you appeal again. Remember that Google only reinstates accounts in compelling circumstances.

What Not to Do

One response to a suspension is so common, and so damaging, that it deserves its own section: do not create a new account. Google lists “after a previous suspension decision, attempting to use the Google Ads system again by creating new accounts to re-enter the system” under Circumventing systems, and says any new account you try to create may be suspended. Google also says accounts related to a suspended account may be suspended, and it recommends getting suspended accounts reinstated first. If you were suspended in error, the appeal is your path back.

Also avoid suddenly adding several new cards, which Google lists as a suspicious payment sign, and paying third-party “account recovery” services that promise guaranteed reinstatement. Nobody outside Google can guarantee that, because Google says it only reinstates accounts in compelling circumstances.

A Prevention Checklist

Most suspensions are avoidable with unglamorous hygiene. The list below mixes Google's published rules with a few rules of thumb of our own, labeled as such.

• Pay with a payment method you own or have permission to use, keep it current, and never let a balance go unpaid.
• Treat every disapproval as a stop sign: diagnose, fix the real violation, resubmit once. Avoid edit-and-retry loops.
• Keep your landing pages honest and working: accurate claims, visible contact details, and the same promoted product or service shown to Google and to visitors. Google says click trackers and redirects are fine unless used to hide something that breaks its policies.
• Our rule of thumb, not a Google rule: start a new account with a small daily budget until your first ads are approved and billing has cleared. Google does not publish a spend level that triggers a suspension.
• Our rule of thumb: make changes in small batches so you can tell which change caused a disapproval or a drop in results. Google publishes no edit-rate limit that causes suspensions. See also our companion piece on Meta ad account restrictions.
• Complete advertiser identity verification promptly when Google asks for it. Google says the deadline cannot be extended and the account is paused if it is missed. See what to do about the Google Ads verification deadline.

Industries with heavy policy surface, such as law firms or home services, should be especially careful. Google says certain business types need specific local licenses to pass advertiser verification, and names missing vertical-specific licenses as a common reason verification fails.

Questions

Why is my AdWords campaign suspended? Google's campaign status page has no Suspended status. Check the campaign Status column, the Status column on the Ads page for Disapproved, and the top of the account for a suspension notice with a Contact Us link.

Is a paused Google Ads account the same as a suspended one? Both stop your ads. Google pauses accounts for reasons such as missed advertiser verification or an investigation, and it suspends them for policy, billing or unauthorized-activity reasons. Follow the instructions in your notice.

How long do I have to appeal a Google Ads suspension? Google says advertisers have at least 6 months from the suspension date to appeal. Submit one appeal at a time.

Can I open a new Google Ads account while mine is suspended? Google says related accounts and any new accounts you create may also be suspended, and it recommends getting suspended accounts reinstated first. It also lists creating new accounts after a suspension to re-enter the system as circumventing systems.

Why was my Google Ads account suspended for no reason? Start with the suspension email, which names every policy Google applied. Three causes are easy to miss. Google may suspend accounts related to one that is already suspended, and it wants a separate appeal for each. It temporarily suspends an account when it detects someone trying to get in without permission. If that might be you, use Google's compromised account form. And if your account was suspended because other accounts verified with the same identity documents were suspended, Google says it is reinstated automatically once those accounts win their appeals.

Can I get my remaining balance back? Google says that if your account was suspended and you qualify for a refund, you can cancel the account and request the refund.

Can I still see my data while suspended? Yes, for now. Google says you can still view a suspended account and its reports, but you may lose access after an extended period, so download the reports you need.

The Takeaway

Google says a suspended account is permanent unless an appeal succeeds, and that it only reinstates accounts in compelling circumstances. It lists creating new accounts after a suspension and creating variations of disapproved ads as circumventing systems. So fix the actual violation, appeal once with evidence, and don't try to route around enforcement. If you'd rather hand the day-to-day to software, AdFlint runs inside ad accounts you own, on Google and Meta, with hard budget caps, and on self-serve plans nothing goes live until you click Launch or turn on Full Autopilot; see how AdFlint runs accounts. Either way, slow is smooth here.