Google Ads Editor is Google's free desktop application for editing accounts in bulk and offline: you change a hundred things, review them, and post them all at once (or not). It is the tool for restructures, bulk negatives and migrations. This tutorial walks through it with six real tasks.
Step 1 · Install and download the account
Download Editor (Mac/Windows) from the official help page → open it → Add account → sign in → choose the account (or several from the manager account) → Download (the whole account or just active campaigns). The download is a local copy; you make your changes in it.
Step 2 · Getting around
Left: the campaign/ad group tree. Centre: the table for the level you picked (campaigns, ad groups, keywords, negatives, ads, assets, placements, audiences…). Bottom: the edit panel for the selected item. Search (the magnifying glass) filters at any level by text or by advanced attributes.
Step 3 · Bulk editing
Select several rows (Shift/Cmd) → the edit panel applies the change to all of them: status, bid, final URL, labels, match type… Edit → Replace text changes a piece of text in the headlines, URLs or keywords of everything selected (with a preview). Edit → Append text adds text at the beginning or the end.
Step 4 · Import from a spreadsheet
Account → Import → Paste text / From file: you paste a table with headers Editor recognises (Campaign, Ad Group, Keyword, Match Type, Final URL, Headline 1…). It reads them and shows a preview with any errors before applying. This is the route for creating hundreds of keywords, negatives, ads or URLs from a spreadsheet.
Step 5 · Copy between accounts or campaigns
Select campaigns/ad groups → Copy → switch to another account (in the manager account) or to another campaign → Paste. It pastes with or without history (history is never copied; what gets copied is the structure). Handy for replicating a region (module 9) or an account template.
Step 6 · Review and post
Before you post: Check changes → Editor lists errors (these cannot be posted: invalid URLs, character limits, obvious policy breaches) and warnings (these can, with a notice). Fix them. Then Post (everything or only what you selected). The changes show up in the account's change history as "Editor". To discard everything you have not posted: Revert selected changes or download the account again.
Six tasks solved
1. Add 300 negatives to a shared list
Shared library → Negative keyword lists → select the list → keywords tab → Add multiple → paste (one per line, with match type symbols) → Check changes → Post.
2. Change the domain in every final URL (website migration)
Ads → select all → Edit → Replace text in "Final URL":
old.com → new.com → preview → do the same for sitelinks, keywords
with URLs and assets → Check changes (valid URLs) → Post during a
low-traffic slot.
3. Split a catch-all ad group into four
Create the four ad groups in the campaign (by copying the original ad group and renaming it); in each copy delete the keywords that do not belong to that intent and adjust the ads; pause the original; Check changes; Post. On QS history: the copied keywords start with no visible history (module 9), but you keep the texts and URLs.
4. Duplicate a campaign for another region
Copy campaign → Paste → rename it (following your convention) → change the locations → adjust the budget → change the "City" customiser if you use one → Post it paused → review it in the interface → enable it.
5. Add callouts and sitelinks to every campaign
Assets → type → Add multiple from a spreadsheet (text, destination campaign) → Check changes → Post.
6. Quick audit through an export
Account → Export → Export whole account to CSV: the entire account in one spreadsheet to analyse (keywords by match type, ads with their Ad Strength, duplicate URLs). Without touching a thing.
Good practice
- Download again before you start (in case other people have changed things).
- Post in batches in large accounts; not at 18:00 on a Friday.
- Use labels in Editor to mark what you change (date, reason).
- Bulk changes to bids/targets/budgets should not go through Editor if you have Smart Bidding and a judge running: two hands on the same lever.
- Editor does not run scripts or rules: it is structure and content.
💡 Ninja trick: the "identify by ID" rule applies to Editor too: when you export to CSV, include the campaign and ad group ID columns; if you then import changes, Editor matches them by name unless you give it the IDs. A rename between export and import is the classic way to duplicate a campaign by accident.
What to remember
- Editor = local copy, bulk editing, find and replace, import from a spreadsheet, copy between accounts, review and post.
- Six tasks: bulk negatives, domain change, splitting ad groups, duplicating a region, assets in bulk, exporting to audit.
- Download again first; post in batches; label what you changed; keep bids and budgets out of it if a judge is running.