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To pause a Google Ads campaign without deleting it, open Campaigns, find the campaign, click the status icon beside its name, and select Pause. The campaign stops serving ads and can be enabled again later. Choose Pause—not Remove—if you want to preserve the campaign and its settings.

Pause a campaign in the Google Ads web interface

  1. Sign in to Google Ads and open Campaigns from the Campaigns menu.
  2. Find the campaign you want to stop. Its status icon appears beside its name.
  3. Click the status icon and choose Pause.

To pause multiple campaigns together, select the checkbox beside each intended campaign, choose Edit, then select Pause. Check the selected rows before applying the bulk change. Google’s campaign status instructions describe both workflows.

Pause a campaign in the Google Ads mobile app

  1. Open Campaigns from the bottom navigation.
  2. Tap the campaign you want to pause.
  3. Tap its status switch, choose Pause, and confirm.

Google’s mobile app instructions also cover pausing an ad group: open More, choose Ad groups, select the ad group, change its status switch, and confirm.

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Pause versus remove: which should you choose?

Action Can it be reversed? What happens to settings and history?
Pause Yes. You can enable the campaign again. The campaign keeps its settings and history.
Remove No. A removed campaign cannot be resumed or restored. You cannot edit its settings, but historical performance data remains viewable.

If your goal is a temporary stop, use Pause. Google explains the distinction in its guidance on enabling, pausing, or removing campaigns.

What pausing does to ads and charges

Pausing stops the campaign’s ads from showing and prevents further charges. It does not erase charges that accrued while the campaign was running; those may still appear on a bill. Google’s mobile app help specifically notes that charges from before pausing may still be billed.

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If ads do not serve after you enable the campaign

Enabling the campaign changes its campaign-level status, but separately paused items can still prevent delivery. Check these conditions:

  • Ad groups and keywords: Enable any that were paused separately. Google Ads Editor’s pause, remove, or resume guidance covers campaign status changes.
  • Budget and bidding: Check that the campaign budget and bidding strategy allow delivery.
  • Policy status: Review the ads for policy issues. Google notes that paused ads remain subject to policy review, and a paused campaign or ad group can make an ad ineligible to serve. See Find your ad status.

Google’s reviewed guidance does not promise a fixed time for serving to begin after a campaign is enabled, so verify the campaign and lower-level statuses rather than assuming the status change alone guarantees delivery.

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