Enable, pause, or remove a campaign (original) (raw)

You can start, pause, or remove your Google Ads campaigns under Campaigns. Pausing or removing a campaign will stop its ads from showing.

Learn how to enable, pause, and remove your Google Ads campaigns in the steps below.

This article explains the steps you'll need to enable, pause, or remove your campaigns.

Keep in mind
When you remove a campaign, you stop it permanently. You cannot resume or restore a removed campaign. You can still view a removed campaign’s performance data, but you can't edit its settings. To run a similar campaign, create a new campaign or duplicate the settings from the removed campaign. Use filters in Google Ads if you want to hide removed campaigns.
Resuming a campaign won't automatically start your ads if you’ve also paused the ad groups or keywords. You must manually resume each paused element. After you enable the paused ad groups or keywords, track campaign performance. If ads aren't running, check your budget, bidding strategy, and any policy violations.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between pausing and removing a campaign?

Pausing: This is temporary. It stops your ads from showing to audiences and prevents you from accruing further charges. You can resume the campaign at any time and all settings and history are preserved.

Removing: This is permanent. Once a campaign is removed, it is "deleted" from an active standpoint. You can’t resume or restore it.

Learn more About campaign statuses.

Can I still access data for a campaign after I’ve removed it?

Yes. While you can’t edit the settings or resume the campaign, you can still view its historical performance data. You may need to use filters in your Google Ads dashboard to show "Removed" campaigns if they’re hidden.

Will my ads start immediately after I resume a paused campaign?

Not necessarily. Resuming a campaign only enables the campaign level. If you also paused individual ad groups or specific keywords within that campaign, you must manually resume those elements as well before ads will begin showing again.

I resumed my campaign but my ads still aren't running. Why?

If your campaign is "Enabled" but ads aren't delivering, check the following:

Budget: Ensure your daily budget isn't exhausted or set to $0.
Bidding strategy: Check if there are issues with your bid limits.
Policy violations: Check the "Status" column for ads to see if they’ve been disapproved.
Lower-level status: Ensure the Ad Groups and Keywords inside the campaign are also "Enabled."

Learn How to fix Google Ads campaigns not running or low traffic.

I accidentally removed a campaign. Can I get it back?

No, removal is permanent. To run that campaign again, you will need to create a new campaign or duplicate the settings of the removed campaign into a new one.

How do I hide removed campaigns so they don't clutter my view?

To view campaigns with a specific status or attribute, select the filter icon Filter . From there, select which filters work best for your current task. For example, to view all removed campaigns, in the filter menu under Attributes, select Status. Then select the Removed checkbox.

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