So you’ve found yourself in that special place. The place where you’re staring at your Google Ads dashboard, your credit card is making sad little whimpering noises, and you’re just thinking, “how do I make it stop?” It’s a common spot to be in, really. Maybe the ads worked for a bit and now they don’t, or maybe they never did. Or maybe you’re just going on a long vacation and don’t want to come back to a surprise bill. Whatever the reason, you want to turn them off.
It is a fact that shutting down your Google Ads isn’t as simple as flipping a light switch. Google, for reasons we can probably guess, doesn’t put a giant “STOP GIVING US MONEY” button right on the front page. But it’s not some impossible puzzle either. You just have to know where to look. We’re going to walk through exactly how to do it, for 2025 and beyond, without all the super technical talk.
First, Figure Out What “Turn Off” Really Means to You
Before we start clicking around, you need to decide what you’re trying to do. Are you taking a short break or are you breaking up with Google Ads for good? They are two very different things inside the system.
“Pausing” is like telling your ads to take a nap. They stop running, you stop getting charged for new clicks, but all your work is saved. Your campaigns, your ad groups, the keywords you spent hours finding they all just sit there waiting for you. This is normally the best choice if you think you might want to start them up again later.
“Canceling” is the big one. This is like deleting your account’s phone number. You’re telling Google you’re done, finished. The account is shut down. You’ll have to pay whatever you still owe, but after that, it’s over. You can’t just “un-cancel” it. You’d have to make a new one. So, this is for when you’re 100% sure you’re moving on.
The Step-by-Step Guide to Pausing Your Google Ads Campaigns
Okay, so you just want to put things on hold. This is the most common situation. It’s what most people are looking for when they ask how do i turn off google ads. It’s considered to be the safest option.
Logging In and Finding Your Campaigns
First thing, you have to actually get into your Google Ads account. I know, basic, but you’d be surprised.
Once you’re in, you’re probably looking at some kind of overview screen with lots of charts and numbers. You want to ignore most of that. Look over on the left-hand side menu. You should see an option that says “Campaigns.” It might have a little icon that looks like a folder or something. Click on that.
This screen is your mission control. You will see a list of all the campaigns you’ve ever made. Each one will have a name, a budget, and a bunch of other columns with data.
The Actual Pausing Part
This part is almost too easy which is why people miss it. Next to each of your campaign names, you’ll see a little colored dot. If your campaign is running, that dot is normally green.
Find the campaign you want to stop.
Look for that little green dot right next to its name.
Click on the tiny arrow next to the dot. Or sometimes you just click the dot itself.
A little menu will pop up with a few choices. It will say something like “Enable” and “Pause.”
You are going to want to click “Pause.”
And that’s it. The green dot will turn into a gray pause symbol. Your ads in that campaign will stop running, usually within an hour or so. You just have to do that for every single campaign that you want to stop. It’s a one-by-one kind of job.
When You Need to Completely Cancel Your Google Ads Account
So you’re ready to pull the plug for real. No more ads, ever, from this account. This is a bit more buried in the settings, because of course it is. This is a much bigger deal than just pausing so think it over.
You need to go to the settings area. Look at the top of your screen for a wrench icon or something that says “Tools & Settings.” Click that. A big menu will appear. You’re looking for a column called “Setup.” Under there, you should see an option called “Preferences.”
In the “Preferences” area, you’ll see your account information. There should be a section called “Account status.” This is the spot. You’ll see that your account is “Active.” If you click on that, you’ll get the option to cancel the account.
It will give you a bunch of warnings, asking if you’re really really sure. It will also tell you about your final bill. You have to pay for any clicks you received up until the moment you canceled. It’s not a way to get out of a bill you already have.
Before You Pull the Plug for Good
Just be sure about this. Canceling means you lose all your performance history and you can’t just turn it back on. You’ll get a final bill in the mail or charged to your card within a month or two. So make sure you have the money ready for that last payment. If you have even a small thought that you might want to advertise again in six months, just pause everything instead. It’s much less of a headache.
Common Mess-ups and Things to Watch Out For
People run into a few common snags when trying to shut things down.
One big thing is forgetting to check all your campaigns. You might have an old one you forgot about that’s still spending a few dollars a day. Make sure you pause every single one that’s active.
Another issue is the final bill after canceling. People cancel and think they’re done, but then get a charge a few weeks later. That’s just Google settling up the tab for clicks that happened right before you shut it all down. It’s normal, but it can be a surprise.
Also remember that even after you pause, an ad might still appear for a little while. The internet has echoes. A server somewhere might still have your ad cached. It generally stops pretty fast, but don’t panic if you see it one more time right after you hit pause.
Key Takeaways
Look, stopping your Google Ads isn’t a dark art. It’s just a few clicks in the right place.
Decide first if you want to Pause (temporary stop) or Cancel (permanent shutdown).
Pausing is done on the main Campaigns screen by clicking the green dot next to each campaign name.
Canceling your entire account is a more permanent action found under Tools & Settings > Preferences > Account status.
You will always have to pay for the ad clicks you’ve already received, even after you cancel.
When in doubt, just pause your campaigns. It’s much easier to undo.
Answering Your Questions: How Do I Turn Off Google Ads?
How do I turn off Google Ads temporarily?
To turn off Google Ads for a little while, you should pause your campaigns. Go to the “Campaigns” section, find the campaign you want to stop, and click the green dot next to its name. Then, select “Pause.” The campaign will stop running but all your settings will be saved for later.
How do I turn off Google Ads for good?
If you want to permanently stop using Google Ads, you need to cancel your account. Go to “Tools & Settings,” then “Preferences.” Find the “Account status” section and follow the instructions to cancel your account. Remember this is a final step and you can’t easily reactivate the account.
If I turn off Google Ads do I still have to pay?
Yes. Turning off your ads, whether by pausing or canceling, stops you from getting new charges. You are still responsible for paying for any clicks and costs that happened before you turned the ads off. You will get a final bill for any outstanding balance.
How long does it take for Google Ads to stop after I turn them off?
Typically, when you pause a campaign, the ads stop showing within an hour. Sometimes it can be even faster. The system just needs a little time to process the command across its network. Canceling an account also stops ads from running almost right away.
What happens to my data if I turn off my Google Ads account?
If you just pause your campaigns, all your data, performance history, keywords, and ads are saved. They’ll be waiting for you when you decide to un-pause them. If you cancel the account, you will eventually lose access to the account and all that historical data.
