Advanced search

Advanced search lets you search an account for items that match the criteria you've specified.

Apply filters to narrow your search

In the advanced search box, select the filter from the drop-down menu that you’d like to apply.

You can limit your results to a variety of elements, such as campaign type or bid strategy, parent fields such as ad group status, new items, edited items, items with errors and more. The account tree and type list in the left sidebar can also be filtered to display specific kinds of campaigns, ad groups and types.

You can also right-click on a filter to perform various actions, such as copying, editing or deleting filters, or saving them as custom rules. And as you enter text in the search bar, filter suggestions will pop up in the drop-down menu based on what you’re typing.

Keep in mind: Starting with Google Ads Editor 1.6, you can perform exact searches by enclosing the search string in quotes or by clicking Tools > Settings > Download and Display > Use exact search in search box.

Here are a few ways that you can use filters for your searches:

Example: Multiple filters

You can apply multiple filters to get very specific results. Let’s say that you want to find all search campaigns that use a manual CPC bid strategy.

1. In the tree, select the campaign that you’d like to search.
2. Click the advanced search box, and select Campaign type.
3. Tick the box next to Search.
4. Click the search bar next to the filter that you've just created and select Bid strategy type.
5. Tick the box next to Manual CPC and click Apply.

Example: 'Between' filters

To find campaigns that have a CPA bid between £1 and £4:

1. Select All campaigns in the tree view filter.
2. Click the advanced search box and select CPA bid.
3. In the drop-down menu that appears, select is less than or equal to <= and enter '4'.
4. Click Apply.
5. Click the advanced search box next to the filter that you've just created and select CPA bid in the drop-down menu.
6. In the next drop-down menu, select is greater than or equal to >= and enter '1'.
7. Click Apply.

Example: 'Does not contain any of' filters

Let’s say that you want to find expanded text ads that don’t contain a certain word in the headline.

1. In the type list, select Expanded text ads.
2. Click the advanced search box and select Headline 1.
3. Select does not contain any of -: and enter the word.
4. Click Apply.

Example: 'Contains some number of child items' filters

Let's say that you want to find ad groups that contain fewer than five approved keywords.

1. In the type list, select Ad groups.
2. In the advanced search box, start typing 'Count', and in the drop-down menu, click Function : COUNT(...).
3. In the window that appears, expand Keywords and targeting and tick the box next to Keywords.
4. Press Next to start a filter that restricts which keywords are counted.
5. In the drop-down menu, select Approval status.
6. In the next drop-down, tick the box next to Approved and click Apply.
7. Press enter or the right arrow key to complete the function.
8. Select Is less than < and enter '5'.
9. Click Apply.

Learn more about using functions

Save a search so that you can use it again

After entering a search, click the save icon and enter a name for your saved search. To use your saved search, click the advanced search box and select the name of your search. You can also create keyboard shortcuts to reuse a search.

Search by image

Find ads using the same image by selecting an ad or image and then choosing Tools, then Show ads with selected images...

Related links

• Find out how to filter your information
• Find out how to view keywords in specific ad groups
• Find and select duplicate keywords