Control what data Google uses to show you ads

Keeping you in control of your data is our priority. In My Ad Center, you can control and update what info Google uses to show you ads, including:

Info from your Google account
Categories used to show you ads
Activity used to show you ads
Areas where you’ve used Google

If you’ve turned off personalized ads, your info isn’t used to personalize ads on Google sites like Search and YouTube.

Learn more about how to Turn personalized ads on or off.

Control your Google Account info

If personalized ads are on, some of your Google Account info is used to show you ads that are relevant to you and to make sure they follow local laws and our policies. For example, if your Google Account info shows that you’re under 18, when you’re signed in to your Google Account, your ads are never personalized.

The Google Account info used to show you ads includes:

Your gender
Your age range
Your language preference

To update your Google Account info:

Go to your Google Account

Learn more about how to Change your Google Account info.

How your activity on Google is used to personalize ads

Your saved activity can be used on Google for both personalized recommendations and personalized ads.

Personalized recommendations use your activity to give you faster searches, better recommendations, and better experiences in Maps, Search, and other Google services. For example, if you use Google Search to look for “chocolate cake,” and then search again for “how to make…” Google might recommend “how to make chocolate cake.”

Learn more about how to find and control your Web & App Activity.

Personalized ads use your activity to help show you more relevant and interesting ads on Google services like Search and YouTube. For example, if you search for a video about running on YouTube, on a future visit, you might be shown an ad for running shorts.

Learn more about how to turn personalized ads on or off.

Control what activity is used to personalize ads

With My Ad Center, you can control if your activity is used to personalize ads. You can turn on or off:

Your Web & App activity for ads
Your YouTube History for ads
The areas where you’ve used Google

Control your Web & App Activity for ads

To control your Web & App Activity for Ads:

In My Ad Center, select Manage Privacy .
Under "Activity used to personalize ads," select Web & App Activity.
Turn on or off Use Web & App Activity to personalize ads.
Confirm your selection.

This setting affects the ads you see on Google Search and YouTube.

When you turn off Web & App Activity for ads, it won’t be used to help personalize the ads you're shown. Turning off Web & App Activity for ads, however, doesn't turn off personalized recommendations on Google services like Search.

This setting affects the ads you're shown on Google Search, YouTube, and Discover.

When you turn off this setting, your saved Web & App activity won’t be used to help personalize the ads you're shown. Your Web & App activity may still be saved to your Google Account, and you may still get personalized recommendations on Google services.

Learn more about how to Turn Web & App Activity on or off.

Control your YouTube History for ads

To control your YouTube history for ads:

In My Ad Center, select Manage Privacy .
Under "Activity used to personalize ads," select YouTube History.
Turn on or off Use YouTube History to personalize ads.
Confirm your selection.

This setting only affects the ads you see on Google Search and YouTube.

When you turn off this setting, your YouTube History won’t be used to help personalize the ads you see. Your YouTube History may still be saved to your Google Account, and you may still get personalized recommendations on Google services.

Learn more about how to View or delete your YouTube search history.

Control if the areas where you’ve used Google are used for ads

When you use Google services, Google estimates the general area that you’re searching from and saves that information with your Web & App activity. This information about the areas where you’ve used Google help show you more relevant ads. You can change your location settings for personalized ads at any time.

Examples

If “Areas where you’ve used Google” is on and you search for coffee, you might be shown an ad for a local coffee shop.
If “Areas where you’ve used Google” is off and you search for coffee, you might be shown an ad for a coffee shop in a different town.

To control whether the areas where you’ve used Google may be used for ads:

In My Ad Center, select Manage Privacy .
Under "Activity used to personalize ads," select Areas where you’ve used Google.
Turn on or off Use areas to personalize ads.
Confirm your selection.

This setting affects ads on all Google sites and apps.

When you turn off "Areas where you’ve used Google for ads", it won’t be used to help personalize the ads you're shown. The areas where you’ve used Google may still be saved to your Google Account and you may still get personalized recommendations on Google services.

Learn more about how to Understand & manage your location when you search on Google.

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