Starting December 4, 2026 , image extraction (GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION enabled by default (OPTED_IN) for newly created Performance Max campaigns across Google Ads interfaces, including the the Google Ads API , Google Ads UI, and Google Ads Editor. Crucially, this new campaign-level default applies even if Dynamic Image Extensions are disabled at the account level (isImageExtractionAdExtensionEnabled). Previously, campaigns left unset inherited their status from this account-level setting.
With image extraction, Google AI scans provided landing pages for high-resolution images to enrich creative assets and expand reach across Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail, and Maps. Existing Performance Max campaigns will retain their current configurations, but developers relying on account-level controls should explicitly set OPTED_OUT on new campaigns if they do not want image extraction enabled.
How to manage image extraction in the Google Ads API
Image extraction is managed at the campaign level through the asset_automation_settings field on the Campaign resource:
Example: Explicitly opting out during campaign creation
If your integration or clients prefer not to extract images from landing pages on new campaigns, you can explicitly set GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION to OPTED_OUT in your campaign mutate request. An example of how this would look using REST JSON is as follows:
{
"name": "My Performance Max Campaign",
"advertisingChannelType": "PERFORMANCE_MAX",
"status": "PAUSED",
"assetAutomationSettings": [
{
"assetAutomationType": "GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION",
"assetAutomationStatus": "OPTED_OUT"
}
]
}
To change the setting on an existing campaign, send a CampaignOperation update targeting campaign.asset_automation_settings. Note that asset_automation_settings is a repeated field. When updating a campaign, providing new settings replaces the entire array rather than merging with existing values. Be sure to retrieve and include all other desired AssetAutomationSetting entries (such as TEXT_ASSET_AUTOMATION) in your update request to avoid unintentionally clearing them.
Example: Auditing existing campaigns
To check the current automation settings across your Performance Max campaigns, you can query asset_automation_settings using Google Ads Query Language (GAQL):
SELECT
campaign.id,
campaign.name,
campaign.asset_automation_settings
FROM campaign
WHERE campaign.advertising_channel_type = 'PERFORMANCE_MAX'
If a campaign does not have an entry for GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION, it is currently relying on the inherited account-level setting. You can check or toggle the account-wide Dynamic Image Extension setting directly in the Google Ads UI:
Navigate to Campaigns > Assets
Click the three-dot More menu > Account-level automated assets
Click the three-dot menu again > Advanced settings
Check whether Dynamic images is turned On or Off
Recommended actions
Review New Campaign Creation Workflows:
If you want image extraction enabled: No action is needed. New Performance Max campaigns created after December 4, 2026 will automatically have image extraction enabled by default.
If you prefer to opt out: Update your campaign creation payloads before December 4, 2026 to explicitly include GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION with asset_automation_status = OPTED_OUT.
Review Landing Page Media Rights:
As with all automated asset features, confirm that you own all legal rights or permissions to the images published on your landing pages and allow Google to utilize them for commercial and advertising purposes.
If you have any questions or want to discuss this post, please reach out to us on our "Google Advertising and Measurement Community" Discord server .
