Starting June 1, 2026, Google Ads is changing its data retention policy. Historical campaign data beyond the new retention window will become inaccessible through the standard interface - with no warnings and no recovery after the deadline.
This change is global. Every Google Ads account is affected, regardless of market or billing currency. The practical response is the same for all advertisers: export the data you need before June 1, 2026.
In brief: Google Ads is restricting access to historical data from June 1, 2026. Affected data categories include campaign performance statistics, keyword history, audience data, Auction Insights, conversion history, and Search Terms Reports. Storage alternatives include GA4, BigQuery, Looker Studio, and third-party tools.
What Changes on June 1, 2026
From June 1, 2026, Google Ads introduces new restrictions on the availability of historical data. Data outside the new retention window will no longer be accessible through the standard Google Ads interface or standard API requests.
This is not data deletion - it is access restriction. The Google Ads platform continues to operate and new data continues to accumulate. But historical reports for periods outside the new retention window will be unavailable for viewing or export.
What this means in practice:
- Year-over-year comparisons through the standard interface will be impossible for data outside the retention window
- Custom report date ranges that extend beyond the window will stop returning data
- Audience segments built on historical data may lose underlying data
- Manual retrospective campaign analysis through the interface will be limited
What Data Becomes Inaccessible
Campaign and ad group statistics Historical performance metrics (clicks, impressions, CTR, CPC, ROAS) for periods outside the retention window will be unavailable through the standard interface.
Keyword history Keyword performance data for past periods - bids, positions, traffic - will be inaccessible for analysis in the interface.
Audience data Historical data on custom audiences, remarketing lists, and audience segments may be affected by retention limits.
Auction Insights Historical Auction Insights reports, used for tracking competitive positioning over time, will be unavailable for periods outside the retention window.
Conversion history Detailed conversion data for past periods - for seasonality analysis, campaign comparison - will be restricted.
Search Terms Reports Search Terms Reports for historical periods outside the retention window will be unavailable.
Ad creative history Performance data for specific ad variants in past periods.
Who Is Most Affected
Agencies managing multiple client accounts Historical data across client accounts - for performance analysis, strategic decision justification, client reporting - must be exported before the deadline, account by account.
E-commerce advertisers with seasonal campaigns Advertisers who plan campaigns around seasonal patterns (Q4, Black Friday, summer peaks) use historical Google Ads data as a baseline. After June 1, 2026, retrospective seasonality analysis through the interface will be limited.
Accounts with long campaign histories Accounts operating for several years lose access to data accumulated before the new retention window. This affects trend analysis and long-term comparisons.
Teams using historical data for modelling Marketing teams building attribution models, forecasting models, or bid strategies on historical Google Ads data lose access to part of their training data.
Checklist: What to Export Before June 1, 2026
Campaign performance reports:
- [ ] Export statistics for all campaigns for the maximum available period (per account)
- [ ] Ad group breakdown with historical performance metrics
- [ ] Weekly/monthly slices for 2023-2025
Keyword history:
- [ ] Keyword reports for the full available period
- [ ] Bid, position, and Quality Score data over time
- [ ] Negative keyword history
Audiences:
- [ ] Remarketing list data and audience sizes over time
- [ ] Similar audiences data
Auction Insights:
- [ ] Auction Insights for 2023-2025 - competitive position history
- [ ] Segmented and period-level comparison data
Conversions:
- [ ] Detailed conversion reports broken down by type and source
- [ ] Monthly/quarterly conversion seasonality data for past years
Search Terms:
- [ ] Search Terms Reports for the full available period
Ad creative history:
- [ ] Ad variant performance data by period
- [ ] Ad copy with performance metrics for archiving
Alternatives for Long-Term Data Storage
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) GA4 has its own data retention settings - up to 14 months for user data. For accounts with GA4 integration, some Google Ads data is already captured in GA4 depending on the property settings.
BigQuery Export Google Ads supports data export to BigQuery - through Data Locker API or a linked Google Cloud project. This is the most complete solution: data is stored in BigQuery with a configurable retention period and accessible via SQL queries.
Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio) For regular automated export of Google Ads data to Looker Studio, with storage in Google Sheets or BigQuery - a visualisation layer with a backup copy.
Google Sheets + Scheduled Exports Manual or semi-automated export of key reports to Google Sheets on a recurring schedule - a straightforward solution for smaller accounts.
Third-party tools
- Supermetrics: automated export of Google Ads data to Google Sheets, BigQuery, or other storage
- Funnel.io: multi-source marketing data aggregation
- Data Locker API: direct Google Ads access to historical data through the API, with archiving capability
FAQ
What exactly is changing in Google Ads on June 1, 2026?
Google Ads is introducing new restrictions on the availability of historical campaign data. Data outside the new retention window will become inaccessible through the standard interface and standard API requests. This is not data deletion - it is a restriction on platform-level access.
Which data categories does the new policy affect?
Campaign and ad group statistics, keyword history, audience data, Auction Insights, conversion history, Search Terms Reports, and ad creative performance history.
What should advertisers do before June 1, 2026?
Export historical data across all affected categories: campaign performance reports, keyword data, audience data, Auction Insights, conversion data, and Search Terms. For ongoing long-term storage, configure BigQuery export or a third-party tool.
What are the alternatives for long-term data storage?
GA4 (up to 14 months of user data), BigQuery Export via Data Locker API, Looker Studio, Google Sheets with scheduled exports, Supermetrics, Funnel.io.
Does this change affect all Google Ads accounts?
Yes. The policy change is global and applies to all Google Ads accounts regardless of market, account size, or billing currency.
Conclusion
June 1, 2026 is a fixed deadline: Google Ads historical data outside the new retention window becomes inaccessible. For advertisers and agencies, the action is clear - export what you need before the deadline.
Use the checklist in this article: campaign statistics, keywords, audiences, Auction Insights, conversions, Search Terms. For systematic long-term protection against future policy changes, configure BigQuery Export or Supermetrics now.
Related: Google Marketing Live 2026: New AI Ad Formats in Search | Google I/O 2026: AI Agents in Search
