---
title: "How to Turn Off AI Max in Google Ads: Step-by-Step Opt-Out"
description: "How to turn off AI Max in Google Ads: exact steps to opt out per campaign, verify it's off, and what happens next."
url: "https://groas.com/post/how-to-turn-off-ai-max-google-ads"
image: "https://groas.com/og/groas.jpg"
published: "2026-10-18T09:05:29.815Z"
modified: "2026-10-18T09:05:29.877Z"
---

October 18, 2026 · 4 min read

# How to Turn Off AI Max in Google Ads: Step-by-Step Opt-Out

[Alexander PerelmanHead Of Product @ groas](https://groas.com/author/alexander-perelman)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-433793253/)

In this article

1. [How to turn off AI Max in Google Ads](#how-to-turn-off-ai-max-in-google-ads)
2. [How to confirm AI Max is actually off](#how-to-confirm-ai-max-is-actually-off)
3. [What happens after you turn off AI Max](#what-happens-after-you-turn-off-ai-max)
4. [When to turn off AI Max vs. leave it on](#when-to-turn-off-ai-max-vs-leave-it-on)

To turn off AI Max in Google Ads, open the Search campaign, go to Settings, find AI Max for Search campaigns, switch it Off, and save. You do this one campaign at a time — there is no account-wide off switch.

If you only want the steps, use the checklist below. If you want to know what changes after you opt out, read past the steps.

For background on what the setting actually expands, see [what AI Max does](https://groas.com/post/google-ads-ai-max-for-search-2026-master-guide).

## How to turn off AI Max in Google Ads

1. **Sign in to Google Ads and pick the Search campaign.** Go to Campaigns in the left menu, then click the name of the Search campaign where AI Max is on. Expected outcome: you are inside that campaign, not at the account overview.

2. **Open Settings.** Click Settings in the campaign left menu, then click the campaign name to expand its settings. Expected outcome: you see bidding, targeting, budgets, and additional settings for that campaign only.

3. **Find AI Max for Search campaigns.** Scroll to the AI Max section. When it is on, Google shows it as On or Enabled for that campaign. Expected outcome: you know for certain whether this specific campaign is opted in.

4. **Switch AI Max to Off.** Click to expand the section, then toggle AI Max Off. Uncheck any expanded text and URL expansion options tied to it if they are still selected. Expected outcome: the control reads Off before you leave the page.

5. **Save the change.** Click Save. Expected outcome: Google returns you to Settings and the campaign no longer shows AI Max as Enabled.

6. **Repeat for every campaign.** AI Max is a campaign-level setting. Turning it off in one campaign does not turn it off in others. Expected outcome: each Search campaign you want to opt out shows AI Max Off.

If you do not see the AI Max section, that campaign type does not support it, your access level does not allow edits, or Google has moved the control in your view. Check another Search campaign or check with an admin user before assuming it is off everywhere.

## How to confirm AI Max is actually off

Do not trust memory. Verify:

- Re-open Settings for the campaign and confirm AI Max reads Off.
- Check Change History for your user, the campaign, and the date. You should see the AI Max status change.
- Watch Search Terms for 7-14 days. After opt-out, you should stop seeing the broader, AI-expanded matches that AI Max was adding beyond your keywords and match types.

If spend or volume drops sharply right after, that is usually the expansion turning off — not tracking breaking.

## What happens after you turn off AI Max

- **Reach narrows.** Your ads go back to serving on your keywords, match types, negatives, and audiences as set. No additional AI expansion of queries, text, or final URL for that campaign.
- **Control returns.** Search terms, ad copy, and landing pages behave the way you built them. This is why many brand, legal, SaaS, and high-CPC advertisers turn it off.
- **Volume can fall before efficiency improves.** Cut expansion and you cut waste and some incremental conversions at the same time. Judge the change on qualified pipeline, CPA, and ROAS over two to three weeks, not on clicks in two days.
- **Other automation keeps running.** Turning off AI Max does not pause the campaign, change bidding, or remove assets. It only removes the AI Max expansion layer.

## When to turn off AI Max vs. leave it on

Turn it off when:

- Search terms are drifting off-intent and negatives cannot keep up
- Brand and non-brand are blending in a way you do not want
- Final URLs are expanding to pages that do not convert
- You need strict query control for compliance, margin, or lead quality

Leave it on when:

- You have headroom to prospect, clean conversion tracking, and time to review expanded search terms daily
- A campaign is limited by exact demand and you want Google to find close variants

Most accounts that opt out do it because no one has time to check expanded terms, assets, and URLs every day. Ad auctions reprice on every search, and weekly check-ins leave money leaking in between.

That is the gap groas was built for. groas works every bid, keyword, and budget move around the clock, with a weekly report showing every action and the reason behind it, supervised by a human strategist. If you do not want to babysit toggles like AI Max, that is the alternative to managing it yourself.

## Pay For Results, Not For Hours

Businesses buy the outcome, agencies resell it, and groas answers for it either way.

[See If You Qualify](https://groas.typeform.com/to/xC1bQNUT)

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