Test accounts

Page Summary

• Test accounts allow you to experiment with API implementations and account configurations in a safe environment before using them in production.

• Test accounts appear as cancelled in the Google Ads UI, have no billing, and do not serve ads to users.

• To use test accounts, you need a separate hierarchy with a test manager account as the root because they cannot interact with production accounts.

• You can create a test manager account, test client accounts, and campaigns within the test environment to populate and test with.

• While useful for testing, test accounts have limitations, including no serving data, inability to test certain features like billing or conversion uploads, and a limit of 50 accounts per hierarchy.

Test accounts let you try out new API implementations or account configurations prior to implementing the changes in your production environment.

While production accounts serve ads that require billing and are rendered to users, test accounts appear in the Google Ads UI as canceled accounts since there is no active billing and they don't render ads to users.

Because test and production accounts cannot interact in any way, you cannot use a test account under your existing production manager account. To use test accounts, you need a new account hierarchy, with a test manager account as the root.

Note on Test Account Retention:

Google Ads API test accounts and their associated data are subject to automatic deletion. Any test account that remains inactive (has no API activity or logins) for a continuous period of one year will be permanently removed.

To prevent unintended deletion, ensure you interact with your test accounts periodically if you want to retain them.

Do you need a test account?

Before creating a separate test account hierarchy, verify which testing option best matches your use case:

• Making your first API calls or testing against real accounts (up to 2,880 operations per day): You don't need a test account unless you are testing features restricted under Explorer access (such as account creation, user management, keyword planning, or billing). Apply for the automatic Explorer access level on the Google Ads API Overview page in the Google Cloud Console to query and manage production accounts directly.
• Validating request syntax and policy compliance without changing data: Set the validate_only field on GoogleAdsService.Search or mutate requests (requires at least Explorer access when targeting production accounts).
• Developing with a Test access project or testing full campaign creation in a free sandbox: Follow the steps on this page to create a test manager account and a test client account.

Why use test accounts?

Test accounts don't affect your live ads or charge your account. They provide the following benefits during active development:

• Can be set up in a hierarchy and organized just like production accounts.
• Can be viewed and manipulated in the Google Ads UI, just like production accounts.
• Don't require production API access to be approved for your Google Cloud project, so you can start experimenting with the API immediately while your project has the Test access level. (If a Google Cloud project with Test access attempts to call a production account, the API returns AuthorizationError.CLOUD_PROJECT_NOT_APPROVED_FOR_PRODUCTION starting in v25, or AuthorizationError.ACTION_NOT_PERMITTED in v24 and earlier.)
• Can't serve ads or interact with your production accounts in any way. This gives you a safe environment to test code or configuration changes without impacting your serving accounts.
• Have the same restrictions, including rate limits, as production accounts.

Since test accounts don't have budgets, you might see an error when creating a test sub-account in a manager account. You can safely ignore this error.

Create test accounts and campaigns

The following instructions create a test manager account, a test client account, and a few campaigns to populate the test client account. For a full explanation of these account types, see Account types.

1. Click the blue button to create a test manager account. If prompted, sign in with a Google Account that isn't linked to your production Google Ads manager account. You can also create a new Google Account from the sign-in prompt.

   Create a test manager account

2. While in your test manager account, create a test client account: Click Accounts > > Create new account and fill out the form. Any client accounts you create from your test manager account are automatically test accounts.

3. Create a few test campaigns under the test client account from the Google Ads page.

4. Record both 10-digit Customer IDs (without hyphens) from the Google Ads UI for your API configuration:

   • customer_id (target client account): Use the 10-digit Customer ID of the new test client account where you created your test campaigns (API calls that query or mutate campaigns must target a client account, not a manager account).
   • login-customer-id (manager account): If you authenticate with a Google Account or service account linked to your test manager account, set login-customer-id to the 10-digit Customer ID of the test manager account.

5. Follow Make your first API call to configure your client library or REST credentials and execute a test query against your new test client account.

Important: Reuse the credentials from your Google Cloud project (your service account key or OAuth 2.0 client ID and client secret) when calling test accounts—even if the project only has Test access. Make sure the service account or the Google Account used to generate your OAuth refresh token has been granted access to the test manager or test client account.

View test accounts

To view test accounts in the UI, unhide the accounts by choosing to view canceled accounts.

Test accounts appear with a red label:

If you don't see the red Test account label on your Google Ads account page, then the account is a production account.

Limitations

Keep the following limitations in mind when working with test accounts:

• Since test accounts can't serve ads or interact with your production accounts in any way, serving metrics—like impressions, conversions, or cost data—are empty.
• You can't test certain features in test accounts, including bid simulations, conversion uploads, and billing. Other features, including recommendations, have limited capabilities within test accounts because test accounts don't generate serving data.
• Test manager account hierarchies can contain up to 50 test accounts. If you need additional test accounts, you can create another test manager account.
• Test accounts generating a high volume of continuous requests may be throttled without notice.

See Testing best practices for guidance on working around these limitations.