Developer token

Page Summary

A developer token is required to make calls to the Google Ads API and is a 22-character alphanumeric string obtained from the API Center page of your Google Ads manager account.
Each developer token has an access level (Test, Basic, or Standard) which determines the number of API calls and the environment (test or production) it can be used in.
Generally, a company only needs one developer token, but individual developers and companies creating new tools can apply for a new one if necessary.
Both companies and individual developers can apply for a developer token, providing specific details during the application process.
Applying for a developer token involves selecting or creating a Google Ads manager account and then completing the API Access form in the API Center.

The developer token is a 22-character long alphanumeric string that was used to connect your app to the Google Ads API. Developer tokens were sunset on September 9, 2026. This guide summarizes the changes and lists the frequently asked questions about this migration to assist the existing developers.

What's changing?

We introduced several changes to the Google Ads API onboarding experience and API access management as part of the developer token sunset. This section highlights the key changes.

API access levels are associated with Google Cloud projects

We sunset developer tokens on September 9, 2026. Your current and active developer token access level have been automatically transferred to your Google Cloud projects based on recent API activity. You can continue sending developer tokens in your API call headers, but this is optional and ignored by the API servers. Your existing code will continue working without any changes. Your API Access levels are now determined by the Google Cloud project you used to generate your OAuth credentials.

If your app uses the user authentication workflow, then this is the project that owns your OAuth client ID and secret.
If you use the service account workflow, then this is the project that owns your service account.

You can now sign up for access to Google Ads API directly in the Google Cloud Console without requiring a Google Ads manager account. Don't sign up for a developer token from the API Center page or attempt to apply for API access from the API Center page in your Google Ads manager account as these processes have been transitioned to Google Cloud Console and won't be processed if initiated from the API Center page.

A new API access management experience

We have sunset all the new signup and API access management functionality such as applying for API access and managing API access levels in the API Center page in Google Ads manager accounts. These functionalities are now available in the Google Ads API Overview page in Google Cloud Console instead.

You can still access the API Center page to refer to your historical developer details. This page will completely sunset in the future.

New error codes

Version v25 of the Google Ads API will throw a CLOUD_PROJECT_NOT_APPROVED_FOR_PRODUCTION error if you try to use a Google Cloud project with Test Account Access level to make calls to a production account. Older API versions will throw an ACTION_NOT_PERMITTED error instead. If you run into this error, navigate to the Google Ads API Overview page for your Google Cloud project and apply for Explorer Access.

Brand verification is required for Basic and Standard Access

For new Basic and Standard Access applications, you must complete brand verification for your Google Cloud project. Existing access holders are not required to complete brand verification, though it is encouraged.

Basic Access applications are now automated and will be reviewed within minutes after brand verification and submission.

Due to these process updates, all the pending Basic API access applications will be closed as part of this transition. Affected applicants will receive an email with details and should reapply for API access from the Google Ads API Overview page.

New API contact emails

As we prepare for decommissioning the API Center page, we will transition to using the list of owner and editor users in your Google Cloud project as the sole channel for administrative and mandatory compliance communications. To ensure a smooth transition, we will temporarily continue to send Mandatory Service Announcements (MSAs) to the email address listed in your API Center. We will keep you updated as we finalize the transition of our communication channels.

What to do if you are an existing developer

Review your Google Cloud project's API access levels: If you are an existing developer, we urge you to review the Google Ads API Overview page of your Google Cloud projects to ensure that they have the same API access level as your existing developer token. Follow the instructions in this guide to address any discrepancies that you may find.

Review your API contact email address: Visit the IAM (Identity and Access Management) page for your Google Cloud project. Verify that your active Ads developers and account managers are assigned appropriate owner or editor roles in your Google Cloud project. We will start sending Mandatory Service Announcements (MSAs) to these email addresses to notify you about any future changes to the Google Ads API. We will continue sending MSAs to the contact email address listed in your API Center for a temporary period, and we will inform you whenever this process updates.

Fix your app code: We encourage you to update your app to stop sending developer token as part of the API calls. We have published updated versions of the client libraries, the Google Ads MCP server, and the Google Ads API Developer Assistant which let you make API calls without setting a developer token. We will start rejecting developer tokens in API calls in a future major version of the Google Ads API. If your app uses these libraries, update app dependencies to use the latest version.

Contact the Google Ads API support if you need further assistance or have more questions.

Frequently asked questions

What happens to API access levels?

API access levels are still enforced in the Google Ads API. However, these are now granted to your Google Cloud Console project instead of your developer token. When you make API calls, your API access levels are now determined by the Google Cloud project you used to generate your OAuth credentials.

If your app uses the user authentication workflow, then this is the project that owns your OAuth client ID and secret.
If you use the service account workflow, then this is the project that owns your service account.

How were the projects identified for transferring API access levels?

If you already had an approved developer token prior to September 9, 2026, its access levels have been transferred to your Google Cloud projects as follows:

We examined the API call logs for the last 90 days to identify which Cloud projects were used to make API calls with your approved developer token.
We assigned the developer token's API access levels to all the identified Cloud projects.

Can I have multiple Cloud projects with various access levels after this change"?

Yes, you can have multiple Google Cloud projects with different API access levels. For example, you can have one Google Cloud project with Basic Access and another Google Cloud project with Standard Access.

Example

As an example, assume that you have 4 developer tokens and 6 Cloud projects with the following details:

Developer Token 1: abcdefghijkl1234567890 has Standard Access. It has been used with project IDs: 1234567890, 5678912345, 45678912345.
Developer Token 2: xyzabcdefghi6789012345 has Basic Access. It has been used with project IDs: 1231235678.
Developer Token 3: asdfgflkjhjz7654321012 has Basic Access, but it has never been used to make an API call. It was recently approved.
Developer Token 4: qwertypoiuyu6543298790 had Standard Access, but it hasn't been used in the last 90 days. Project ID 9876564900 was used with this developer token in the past.
Cloud project: Cloud project ID: 7171234567 has never been used with any of the developer tokens to make an API call.

The API access levels will transfer from the developer tokens to the Google Cloud projects as follows:

Developer token	Project ID	Access level	Explanation
`abcdefghijkl1234567890`	`1234567890`	Standard Access	The developer token and project ID are associated with each other.
`abcdefghijkl1234567890`	`5678912345`	Standard Access	The developer token and project ID are associated with each other.
`abcdefghijkl1234567890`	`45678912345`	Standard Access	The developer token and project ID are associated with each other.
`xyzabcdefghi6789012345`	`1231235678`	Basic Access	The developer token and project ID are associated with each other.
`asdfgflkjhjz7654321012`	`--`	`--`	The developer token's API access wasn't transferred to any project since it was never used to make an API call.
`qwertypoiuyu6543298790`	`9876564900`	Test Account Access	The developer token's API access was revoked due to inactivity for 90 days. The project's API access level defaults to Test Account access.
`--`	`7171234567`	Test Account Access	This is a new project that hasn't been used with any developer token. The project's API access level defaults to Test Account Access.

I have more than one approved developer token. Which project will you transfer API access levels?

The access levels of each approved developer token will be transferred to the Google Cloud projects associated with that developer token. See an example.

I use multiple Google Cloud projects. Which project will you transfer API access levels?

If you used multiple Google Cloud projects with your approved developer token in the last 90 days, then all those projects will receive the same API access levels as your developer token. See an example.

API access levels were assigned to a project I no longer use. How do I fix this issue?

If Google Ads API access is assigned to a Google Cloud project you no longer use, no additional action is needed from your side. Google will revoke the API access for the unused project after 90 days of inactivity.

API access levels were not assigned to my Google Cloud project. How do I fix this issue?

Your Google Cloud project didn't inherit your developer token's access level, likely because you never used your developer token and the Cloud project to make an API call, or your developer token's API access expired recently due to inactivity. To fix the issue, apply for the appropriate API access level for that project from the Google Ads API Overview page. See an example.

Where can I see my project's API access levels?

You can see your Google Cloud project's API access level from the Google Ads API Overview page.

How do I apply for higher API access levels?

You can apply for higher API access levels for your Google Cloud project from the Google Ads API Overview page.

What happens to my pending API access application?

Any pending Basic Access applications that you initiated from your Google Ads manager account's API Center prior to September 9, 2026 will be closed. You should re-apply for Basic Access from your Google Cloud project's Google Ads API Overview page. If you are affected by this change, you will receive an email with the necessary instructions.

Any pending Standard Access applications that you initiated from your Google Ads manager account's API Center as of September 9, 2026 will be reviewed as usual. If approved, the Google Cloud project associated with your developer token will be granted Standard Access.

Can I re-associate my approved developer token with a new Google Cloud project?

In the past, the Google Ads API team supported reassociating a developer token with a new Google Cloud project on a case-by-case basis. This is no longer supported as of September 9, 2026, since we have sunset developer tokens. If you need to use a new Google Cloud project, you should apply for the appropriate API access from your Google Cloud project's Google Ads API Overview page.

I have an approved developer token, but I never used it. Can I use this developer token?

No, you cannot use this developer token. There are two possibilities:

Your developer token access might be revoked for inactivity: As per Google policies, Google may revoke your API token if it's not used consecutively for 90 days. If you haven't used your developer token in a while, it is likely that its access levels have been revoked due to inactivity. If this is the case, then reapply for API access for your Google Cloud project from the Google Ads API Overview page. See an example.
Your developer token was recently approved, but you never used it prior to September 9, 2026: Since you never used your approved developer token with a Google Cloud project prior to September 9, 2026, its access levels weren't transferred to the Cloud project. As a result, you cannot use your developer token any longer. We will throw a CLOUD_PROJECT_NOT_APPROVED_FOR_PRODUCTION error if you attempt to make an API call to a production account with this developer token. To fix the error, apply for the appropriate API access from your Google Cloud project's Google Ads API Overview page. See an example.

In both these cases, you can apply for Explorer Access and Basic Access level applications and get them automatically reviewed; you no longer need to work with Google's Compliance team to complete the review process. If you need Standard Access, you need a manual review. However, you can share your approved developer token details when applying for Standard Access, so that the Compliance team can review your new Standard Access application accordingly.

Can I stop sending developer tokens as part of my API requests?

Yes, you can stop sending developer tokens as part of your API requests. If you use a client library, you may need to upgrade to its latest version. Check the library's change logs to confirm if it supports making API calls without specifying a developer token.

I was part of the Cloud managed access level pilot program. How am I affected?

The Cloud managed access level pilot program was introduced as a way for Google Cloud developers to make API calls without sending a developer token as part of the API request. Now that we have sunset developer tokens, this program will be discontinued.

Your active developer token's access levels have been transferred to your Google Cloud project, so your existing code should continue to work without any changes. If you need to use a new Google Cloud project, you should apply for API access from your Google Cloud project's Google Ads API Overview page.

My developer token was part of an allowlist. How am I affected?

Google may run pilot programs that give some developers access to experimental features. The access to these features are sometimes provided by adding your developer token to an allowlist. If you were part of such a pilot program, then no action is required from your side.

We have updated all the pilot programs to use Google Cloud projects instead of developer tokens as the allowlisting mechanism and transferred the developer token's allowlist status to the associated Google Cloud projects. Your existing code should continue to work without any changes. If you continue facing issues, reach out to your Google Account manager who enrolled you into the pilot program.

I have an approved developer token, and I want to use it with a new Google Cloud project. Is that allowed?

No, you cannot use a new Google Cloud project with your approved developer token. Since you never used your approved developer token with the new Google Cloud project prior to September 9, 2026, its access levels weren't transferred to the Cloud project. We will throw an CLOUD_PROJECT_NOT_APPROVED_FOR_PRODUCTION error if you attempt to make an API call with this developer token, since developer tokens are no longer used to determine your API access levels. To fix the error, apply for the appropriate API access from your Google Cloud project's Google Ads API Overview page. See an example.

My developer token was leaked externally. Do I need to reset my developer token?

No, you don't need to reset the developer token in this case. Since we transferred your developer token's API access levels to your Google Cloud project, an unauthorized user can no longer use your developer token with their own Google Cloud project. However, you are free to reset the developer token from the API Center if you prefer to do so.

What happens to the API Center?

The existing API Center page within the Google Ads manager account is deprecated and will be removed in the near future. If you already have a developer token, you can still log into your Google Ads manager account and view the details. However, these are provided only for your reference. Don't perform any tasks related to developer token Access levels, such as applying for higher API access levels from this page.

If you need to apply for higher API access levels, you should do it from your Google Cloud project's Google Ads API Overview page.

Do I still need a Google Ads manager account to use the Google Ads API?

You no longer need a Google Ads manager account to use the Google Ads API. You need a manager account only if you need to link to and manage multiple accounts using the API.

Follow the instructions on the Getting Started guide to sign up for Google Ads API. Don't sign up for a developer token from the API Center of your Google Ads manager account; these applications won't be processed. The API Center will be sunset in the near future.

Access levels & permissible use