What happened to language targeting in Google Search campaigns?

As of October 2026.

When did the change take effect?

Google's developer blog, posted August 13, 2026, says "late September 2026." Google's help page on language targeting says "starting in September 2026." Google says no action is required and that existing Search campaigns keep running, because their old language settings simply stop applying.

How does Google decide which language my Search ads show in now?

It uses the language of your ads. Google's help page says, "We prioritize ads that match the user's search term language." Its developer post adds that Search ads use your ad and landing page language, "alongside user language preferences." When several of your campaigns could serve, Google's AI-based ad group prioritization picks the most relevant ad language.

Can I still target by language in Search campaigns?

No. The setting is gone from Search and AI Max for Search campaigns, and you can't add it back. The way to steer language now is to write each ad, and its landing page, in the language you want to reach.

What changed for Performance Max?

The language setting stopped applying to Performance Max ads on Google Search, which now match on ad language like Search campaigns. It still applies on YouTube, Display, Discover and Gmail. Google says Shopping ads in Performance Max are not affected by language settings.

Do other campaign types keep language targeting?

The announcement covers only Search, AI Max for Search and Performance Max. Google's language targeting help page still describes how it detects language on the Display Network (the languages of pages and apps a person visits) and on YouTube (the person's YouTube language preference, browser language, location and browsing history).

What happens to the language settings already in my campaigns?

They no longer apply. In the Google Ads API, they still come back when you query a Search campaign, even though they aren't used for targeting. Any request to add or update a Search campaign's language criterion now fails with ContextError.OPERATION_NOT_PERMITTED_FOR_CONTEXT, so remove language criteria from the code that builds Search campaigns. Performance Max requests don't return that error, because the setting still applies to its other channels.

How should I run Search ads in more than one language?

Write a full set of ads in each language, and send each to a landing page in the same language. Google's advice to developers is to make sure "your ad creatives and landing pages are clearly structured in the intended languages." Putting each language in its own campaign keeps budgets and reports separate, so you can see what each language costs.

My buyers search in English in a non-English country. What changes?

You no longer add English as a target language; Google matches English searches to your English ads. So if you want English-searching buyers in, for example, Germany, you need English ads in a campaign that targets Germany. Google hasn't said whether a German ad can still show on an English search, so don't count on it.

Does location targeting change?

Google's announcement doesn't change location targeting, so use it to choose the countries and regions you sell to. "Presence or Interest" is Google's recommended option for Search, and "Presence" fits when you only want people who are physically in a location. Google's location targeting page still says, "It's also a good idea to keep your language and location targeting settings consistent." For Search campaigns, the language half of that advice no longer applies, because there is no language setting to match.

Sources

• Google Ads language targeting changes starting September 2026, checked October 23, 2026
• About language targeting, checked October 23, 2026
• Target ads to geographic locations, checked October 23, 2026