How do I stop the Display Network from using my Google Search campaign budget?
You have two ways. Turn the Display Network off in the campaign's Networks setting, which stops Display ads from that campaign. Or use channel prioritization, rolling out since October 15, 2026: set the Google Display Network to Low priority and give it a budget allocation, such as 10% of the daily budget, or 0% for no spend. Both are settings in Google Ads, with no code needed. Act before February 2027, when Search campaigns with the Display Network on lose their current spend setup.
As of October 2026.
Before you start
- The right account. You need edit access to the advertiser account itself. Google says you can't set channel prioritization from a manager account.
- The new card, if you want to cap spend. Channel prioritization reaches accounts in stages, so the "Channel Prioritization" card may not be in your account yet. Turning the Display Network off works for everyone.
- The right tool. Channel prioritization works in the Google Ads web interface and Search Ads 360. Google says Google Ads API and Google Ads Editor support is "coming soon." Editor can already switch the Display Network on or off.
- Your bid strategy. If you use Target CPA or Target ROAS and the campaign isn't limited by budget, priority levels generally don't change where spend goes. Only a budget allocation cap does.
Step 1: Decide whether to turn Display off or cap it
Channel prioritization is Google's new way to rank where a campaign spends. In a Search campaign you mark each channel (Google Search, Search partners, Google Display Network) as High or Low priority. All channels start as High. Google funds High priority channels first and gives Low priority channels what is left. For a Low priority channel you can also set a daily budget allocation, a best-effort cap on what that channel spends.
| Option | What happens | Pick it if |
|---|---|---|
| Turn off the Display Network | The campaign shows no Display ads | You want this campaign on Search only |
| Low priority with a cap (for example 10%) | Display gets leftover budget, up to the cap | You want to test Display with a clear limit |
| Low priority at 0% | Google won't spend on Display | You want no Display spend but plan to test it later |
If you want Display reach, a separate Display or Demand Gen campaign gives it its own budget and its own reporting. If you're not sure, look at what the campaign's Display spend produced before you decide. The same controls work for Search partners.
Step 2: Turn off the Display Network for a campaign
- In Google Ads, open Campaigns in the Campaigns menu, hover over the Search campaign and click its Settings icon.
- Expand Networks and click View network settings.
- Under Display Network, deselect Include Google Display Network.
- Click Save.
Google's Display Expansion help page gives this path for turning the Display Network on and doesn't give separate steps for turning it off; turning it off means deselecting the same "Include Google Display Network" option. To change many campaigns at once, use Google Ads Editor. Its help page says you can enable or disable "Display Network" as a network option on Search campaigns.
Step 3: Or cap Display for every Search campaign in the account
- Go to your Account settings.
- Find the Channel Prioritization card.
- Select Search campaigns.
- Set Google Display Network to Low priority. Leave Google Search on High priority.
- Enter a budget allocation percentage for the Display Network. Enter 0% if you want no Display spend.
- Click Save.
The account setting applies to every Search campaign unless a campaign or shared budget has its own setting. If a campaign already spends more than your percentage on Display, expect its spend to shift.
Step 4: Set a different cap for one campaign
- On the Campaigns page, select the campaign and click Settings.
- Expand the Channel Prioritization card.
- Select Use campaign-level settings.
- Set the priority for each channel and, for Low priority channels, an optional percentage.
- Click Save.
If the campaign uses a shared budget, the setting applies to every campaign on that budget. Those campaigns must all be the same type, such as all Search. You can switch back to the account default at any time.
Step 5: Check the spend after a few days
The cap is a share of the campaign's average daily budget, not of what it actually spends. Google's example: a 5% allocation on a $1,000 average daily budget means it aims to keep that channel at or below $50 a day. The cap resets each day, and unspent or overspent amounts don't carry over. It is best effort, so Display can go over on some days, including days when the whole campaign spends more than its average daily budget. If that isn't acceptable, turn the Display Network off instead.
Step 6: Get ready for February 2027
If you leave the Display Network on and set nothing, Google will move the campaign to channel prioritization in February 2027. The current way Display Expansion spends will end, and your spend across Google Search, Search partners and the Display Network may shift. To keep today's behavior, Google says to set the Display Network to Low priority with a 50% daily budget allocation. Also from then, the Display Network won't serve on Search campaigns that use Target Impression Share. If you set channel priorities before February 2027, they take effect right away.
Common problems
| Problem | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No Channel Prioritization card | The feature is rolling out in stages | Turn off the Display Network in Networks settings for now |
| Can't set it from your manager account | Google doesn't support that | Set it in each client account or campaign |
| Display spends a little over the cap | Allocation is best effort | Lower the cap, or turn the Display Network off |
| Setting Display to Low priority changed nothing | Target CPA or Target ROAS campaign not limited by budget | Add a budget allocation cap |
| Settings don't apply to a campaign | Search campaigns using campaign total budgets ignore channel prioritization | Turn the Display Network off in that campaign |
| Shared budget settings won't apply | Campaigns on the budget are different types | Put only Search campaigns on that shared budget |
| Bulk changes in Editor or the API | Channel prioritization support there is "coming soon" | Use the web interface, or toggle Display Network in Editor |
Where Tofu fits
Tofu Ads Agent (our product) builds Google Search campaigns with keyword research, ads, bidding strategy, budgets and schedule, and stages them switched off in your own account. It doesn't set channel priority or budget allocation. You set those in Google Ads with the steps above.
Sources
- About channel prioritization and budget allocation, checked October 23, 2026
- Guide your campaign spending with new priority and allocation features, checked October 23, 2026
- About Display Expansion on Search campaigns, checked October 23, 2026
- View or change campaign network settings (Google Ads Editor Help), checked October 23, 2026
