Google Ads Will Cut Off Access to Older Reporting Data

Starting June 1, 2026, Google Ads is implementing new data retention limits that will significantly restrict how long advertisers can access historical performance data through both the interface and APIs. This update clarifies which reporting periods will remain available and which advertisers may need to save on their own before it disappears.

The new policy creates a clear divide in data accessibility. Hourly, daily, and weekly reporting data (for periods shorter than one month) will be retained for 37 months. In contrast, monthly, quarterly, and annual data will remain accessible for 11 years. After these windows close, the data will no longer be viewable in the Google Ads interface or retrievable via APIs.

This distinction is crucial because the shortest retention window applies to the most granular data,the kind advertisers rely on for daily pacing, weekly trend analysis, campaign diagnostics, seasonality comparisons, and multi-year performance reviews. While monthly totals may still show year-over-year differences, daily or weekly data is often essential to pinpoint whether a change stems from a few unusual days, a seasonal shift, budget pacing, promotions, or shifting demand.

The change also affects BigQuery Data Transfers. According to the Google Cloud Release Notes, starting June 1, 2026, the BigQuery Data Transfer Service connectors for Google Ads, Search Ads 360, and Google Analytics 4 will stop backfilling data for dates older than 37 months.

Reaction on social media has been muted, but one exchange on Twitter captured the frustration. User @jordanfry sparked a discussion, with @TalkNerdie2Me responding: “We have franchise data for 15 years. Utilize this to manage risk when making changes, comparing seasonal trends, testing, testing, and testing. This ad platform has decreased effectiveness since covid. Now you’re withholding the thing that matters?”

Reach and frequency metrics face an even shorter limit of just 3 years. Affected metrics include unique users, average impression frequency per user (7-day and 30-day), and frequency distribution metrics like 1+, 2+, 3+, 4+, 5+, and 10+. This shorter window is especially relevant for brand advertisers, audience exposure analysis, and media planning. While performance advertisers will focus on the 37-month limit for campaign data, brand teams and media planners need to pay closer attention to the 3-year cutoff for reach and frequency.

The retention limits also extend to API access. Google explicitly states that data past the applicable retention window will no longer be available through the interface or APIs. This directly impacts dashboards, reporting pipelines, data warehouses, agency reports, and any system that pulls historical data from Google Ads. A reporting workflow that only queries older data on demand may fail once that data has aged out. Advertisers using automated reporting should verify whether their systems store historical data independently or rely on live queries to Google Ads.

To prepare, advertisers may need to create their own data archive. Google’s support page suggests several options: downloading reports directly from the Google Ads interface, using the Google Ads API for automated extraction and storage, or leveraging Google Analytics tools when accounts are linked. Agencies, in-house teams, and advertisers who need older granular data for audits, forecasting, budget planning, campaign analysis, or seasonal comparisons should export and store that data before it ages out.

In summary, the new policy means:

• Hourly, daily, and weekly data: available for 37 months
• Monthly, quarterly, and annual data: available for 11 years
• Reach and frequency metrics: available for 3 years
• Data past these windows will be inaccessible through both the interface and APIs
• Advertisers needing older granular reporting should export it before the window closes

For full details, read the Google Ads data retention policy update.