OAuth Desktop and Web Application Flows

This guide walks you through how to set up OAuth2 for API access using your own credentials and either the desktop flow or the web flow. These steps only need to be done once, unless you revoke, delete, or need to change the allowed scopes for your OAuth2 credentials.

Create OAuth2 credentials

  1. Follow the steps to configure a Google API Console project for the Google Ads API.

  2. Note the client ID and secret, then come back to this page.

Set up the client library

  1. In a terminal, run the GenerateUserCredentials example, which prompts you for your OAuth2 client ID and secret.

    This is an interactive example, which will require you to provide input.

    php GenerateUserCredentials.php
    
  2. The example prompts you to visit a URL where you'll need to allow the OAuth2 credentials to access your Google Ads account on your behalf.

    Paste this URL in your browser:
    https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/v2/auth?response_type=code&access_type=offline&client_id=...
    

    Navigate to the URL in a private browser session or an incognito window. Sign in with the same Google account you use to access Google Ads. Click Continue on the OAuth2 consent screen.

    Consent screen

  3. You are then taken to a page with a message indicating that the authorization succeeded.

    Your refresh token has been fetched. Check the console output for further instructions.

  4. Return to the console where you were running the example. The example should have completed and be displaying your refresh token and some instructions, followed by the properties you'll need to configure the client library:

    Your refresh token is: 1/Yw**********
    Copy the text below into a file named "google_ads_php.ini" in your home directory, and replace "INSERT_DEVELOPER_TOKEN_HERE" with your developer token:
    
    [GOOGLE_ADS]
    developerToken = "INSERT_DEVELOPER_TOKEN_HERE"
    [OAUTH2]
    Copy the following lines to your 'google_ads_php.ini' file:
    clientId = "***********************apps.googleusercontent.com"
    clientSecret = "****"
    refreshToken = "****"