What does the Display to Demand Gen migration change for placement lists?
Part of Google Ads placements
The short answer
Google is moving Google Display Ads campaigns into Demand Gen, where the Display Network becomes one channel beside YouTube, Discover, Gmail and Maps. A phased migration tool began rolling out in June 2026, the automatic step has no date yet, and migrated campaigns cannot be reverted. Placements carry over; campaign content exclusions must move to the account.
Key takeaways
- In June 2026 Google began a phased rollout of a migration tool that moves Google Display Ads campaigns to Demand Gen, and migrated campaigns can't be reverted.
- The Display Network stays reachable: a migrated campaign keeps it switched on and can run Display only.
- Campaign level content suitability exclusions block the tool until they are moved to the account level.
- Google's pages disagree on Demand Gen placement and topic exclusions, so confirm the options in the account.
- The original campaign is set to Removed and a copy named with #2 takes its place, with ads sent for approval again.
What is the Display to Demand Gen migration?
Google's migration page (opens in a new tab) describes it as a new home for Google Display Ads campaigns: the Google Display Network (GDN) becomes a channel inside Demand Gen. Google says the ability to serve on the Display Network remains the same, and that customers who want Display only campaigns can continue to buy them. What changes is the container. Bidding, audiences, creative formats and exclusions now follow Demand Gen's rules, not the old Display campaign's.
Definition
- GDN in Demand Gen
- Google's name for Display Network inventory bought through a Demand Gen campaign, with the channel chosen per ad group. A migrated campaign has it switched on by default.
| Feature | Google Display Ads | GDN in Demand Gen |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory | Display Network, YouTube, Gmail | Display Network, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, Maps |
| Bidding | Includes Manual CPC, Viewable Impressions and Pay for conversions | Target CPC and Max clicks in place of Manual CPC and Viewable Impressions; no Pay for conversions |
| Audiences | Optimized targeting, remarketing, custom segments, Customer Match, interests, demographics, contextual | The same, plus Lookalike segments |
| Creative | Responsive Display Ads, uploaded image and HTML5 ads, feeds | Responsive Display Ads, image ads, product feeds, carousel and video ads; Google lists HTML5 and third party ads as planned for late 2026 |
| Placement reporting | Placement reports | The Where ads showed report |
When did Google start moving Display campaigns, and what comes next?
In June 2026 Google began a phased rollout of a migration tool that moves Google Display Ads campaigns to Demand Gen. Google says new Display campaigns will later be created only in Demand Gen, remaining eligible campaigns will be migrated automatically, and migrated campaigns can't be reverted. When checked on October 22, 2026, the two later steps carried no date; Google's page lists both as coming later and says advertisers will get account notifications as key dates approach.
Not every campaign is in scope. Google says Removed campaigns will not be migrated, while Paused and Enabled campaigns may be, depending on how recently they spent. Until a campaign moves, it can still be opened and edited as a Google Display Ads campaign. To find them, filter the Campaigns table by Campaign type, Display, and exclude Removed from the status filter.
Can a migrated campaign be reverted?
No. Google states that campaigns migrated to Demand Gen can't be reverted back to Google Display Ads campaigns. The tool does not convert the old campaign in place. It creates a Demand Gen campaign named after the original with #2 added, keeps the original's Paused or Enabled status, and sets the original to Removed. Google says the Removed campaign stays in the account for reporting for up to five years.
Because the step is one way, the record of what was approved must exist before it. Google's page shows two ways to confirm a move afterwards: the Bulk actions page under Tools lists who started the migration, its status and the changed campaigns, and the labels Pasted as Demand Gen and Pasted as Demand Gen on a date appear in the campaigns table once the Label column is added.
What happens to placement lists and exclusions in a migrated campaign?
Placements survive as contextual targeting. Google's migration page lists contextual targeting, placement exclusions and topic exclusions as supported in Demand Gen, and the Demand Gen audiences overview (opens in a new tab) says ads show on content that matches the targeted topics, placements or keywords, across the Display Network and YouTube. Google describes the general rule this way: existing features stay unchanged, expanded features default to the closest equivalent, and new features start switched off.
| Setting in the Display campaign | Status in Demand Gen | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Placements in ad groups | Supported as contextual targeting | Check each ad group's list against the approved file after the move |
| Campaign placement and topic exclusions | Listed as supported | Confirm they appear; Google's FAQ reads differently (see below) |
| Campaign content suitability exclusions | Supported only at the account level | Move them to the account before migrating, or the tool stops |
| Some ad group exclusions | Not supported | Remove them before migrating, then rebuild the protection elsewhere |
| Observation setting for non-demographics | Not supported | Review ad groups that used Observation; Google suggests the Audience builder |
| Channel | Display Network on by default, cannot be removed during migration | Add YouTube, Gmail or others only after migration, by choice |
Reporting moves too. Google's feature list says placement reporting in Demand Gen runs through the Where ads showed report (opens in a new tab), which Google warns is not an exhaustive list of placements or a billing record. For a list that must stay on the Display Network, Google's own best practice for migration is to keep GDN only in the channel controls, which the channel controls page (opens in a new tab) places at the ad group level.
What should buyers check before migrating?
The tool refuses some settings outright. These are the errors from Google's troubleshooting table that touch placement lists and exclusions.
| Error in the interface | Google's fix |
|---|---|
| Campaign-specific content suitability exclusion not supported | Remove campaign level content exclusions; move them to the account level |
| Some ad group exclusions are not supported | Remove ad group level bid modifiers or exclusions before migrating |
| Ad group bid modifiers not currently supported | Remove the modifiers before migrating |
| Campaigns with shared budgets not supported | Give the campaign its own budget first |
| Opting out of Native Formats not supported | Opt the ads into Native Formats in the ad construction flow |
Five steps before pressing Upgrade to Demand Gen
- Export the approved state. Download every ad group's placements, the campaign exclusions and the content settings, with the date, so the list can be checked after the one way move.
- Move content exclusions up. Take campaign content suitability exclusions to the account level, and ask the owners of other campaigns in the account to approve the wider reach.
- Clear the blockers. Remove ad group exclusions and bid modifiers the tool rejects, give the campaign its own budget, and write down each protection you removed so it can be rebuilt.
- Wait and time it. Google asks for at least 4 hours after edits before migrating, advises against migrating more than 100 campaigns in one batch, and against migrating mid way through a lift study.
- Check the copy. Open the #2 campaign, confirm the Display Network channel, compare each ad group's placements with the export, and watch ad approvals.
What does a Display migration look like on a real brief?
Fictional example
A Massachusetts moving company moves its Display campaign
An unnamed fictional moving company serving Massachusetts and Rhode Island runs one Display campaign with three ad groups: real estate sites, local news home sections, and apartment listing guides. Each ad group targets a reviewed placement list, and the campaign carries its own exclusions for a dozen sites the client rejected.
The tool refuses the first attempt with the campaign content suitability error. The buyer exports all three placement lists and the twelve exclusions, then moves the exclusions to the account level after the company's other campaign owner agrees. One ad group used an ad group exclusion, which is removed and noted on the change record.
Four hours later the migration runs. The buyer opens the #2 campaign, confirms each ad group's channel is the Display Network only, checks the three placement lists line by line against the export, and confirms the twelve sites now sit in the account's excluded placements. New ads go through approval before the campaign is enabled.
How does PlacementGraph help rebuild a placement list after migration?
Which campaign settings do not carry into Demand Gen at all?
Google's feature list names the Display settings with no Demand Gen equivalent. Knowing them before migration lets a buyer tell the client what will change, rather than explaining it after the fact.
Display settings to replace or drop before migrating
- Manual CPC bidding, which Google suggests replacing with Target CPC.
- Viewable Impressions bidding, which Google suggests replacing with Max clicks.
- Pay for conversions, which must switch its payment event to interactions before the tool will move it.
- Bid adjustments, seasonality adjustments and portfolio bidding, which Demand Gen does not support.
- Combined audiences, which Google suggests rebuilding in the Audience builder.
- Brand Lift and Search Lift studies, which Google lists as not supported for GDN in Demand Gen.
For YouTube placements and channel choices inside Demand Gen, see Demand Gen YouTube placements. For choosing Display placements in the first place, see Display Network placements, and for the full campaign landscape, the placement targeting hub.
Frequently asked questions
Is the migration tool better than building a new Demand Gen campaign?
Google recommends the tool because it carries up to 42 days of performance history into the new campaign. Google also warns that an identical Demand Gen copy built by hand may struggle to ramp up while the original keeps its history. Moving budgets manually from Display to a new Demand Gen campaign remains the documented other route.
Can new audience types be added to a migrated campaign?
Some only in new ad groups. Google says certain audience types, such as Lookalike segments, can only be applied to a migrated campaign by creating a new ad group. Placement lists in the migrated ad groups stay where they are, so add the new audience in a separate ad group.
Does a migrated campaign keep running if it was paused?
It keeps the same status. Google says a paused Display campaign becomes a paused Demand Gen campaign and an enabled one stays enabled, while the original is marked Removed. Ads still need approval again, so check them before enabling a paused copy.
Will Display only campaigns still be possible after migration?
Yes. Google says customers who want Display only campaigns can continue to buy them in Demand Gen, and recommends keeping GDN only in the channel controls during migration. Channels are set per ad group, so each ad group needs checking.
Sources
- Google Display Ads campaigns have a new home in Demand Gen (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Demand Gen frequently asked questions (FAQ) (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Demand Gen audiences overview (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Channel controls in Demand Gen campaigns (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About the "Where ads showed" report (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.