Google Ads turns on PMax image extraction by default for new campaigns from 4 December

Google said on 21 October 2026 that image extraction will be switched on by default for every newly created Performance Max campaign from 4 December 2026, in the Google Ads API, the Google Ads interface and Google Ads Editor. The new default applies even when an advertiser has turned off dynamic images at account level. Existing Performance Max campaigns keep their current settings, so the change hits campaign creation, not campaigns already running.

The announcement came in a post on the Google Ads Developer Blog written by Dora Sun of the Google Ads API team. It is short and technical, but the practical effect is easy to state: from 4 December, an advertiser who wants no landing-page images in a new Performance Max campaign has to say so on that campaign. The account-level switch alone will no longer do it.

What changes on 4 December 2026

Image extraction is the Google Ads feature in which Google's AI scans the landing pages an advertiser provides, picks out high-resolution images and uses them to enrich the campaign's creative assets. According to the Google Ads Developer Blog post of 21 October, those images can then be used to expand reach across Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps.

Until now, a Performance Max campaign that had no campaign-level image extraction setting inherited its status from the account-level Dynamic Image Extensions setting, which Google's post refers to as isImageExtractionAdExtensionEnabled. If that account switch was off, a new campaign left unset would not extract images.

From 4 December 2026, Google will set the campaign-level automation type GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION to OPTED_IN on newly created Performance Max campaigns. Google's post says this new campaign-level default applies "even if Dynamic Image Extensions are disabled at the account level". In other words, the account toggle stops acting as a safety net for new campaigns.

Before and after, in one table

The table below sets out the behaviour Google described in its 21 October 2026 post, before and after the change date.

Which campaigns are affected and which are not

Only Performance Max campaigns created on or after 4 December 2026 are affected, according to Google. The post states plainly that existing Performance Max campaigns "will retain their current configurations". Search, Shopping, Demand Gen and other campaign types are not mentioned in the announcement, so nothing in it changes their behaviour.

The group with the most exposure is advertisers who deliberately turned off dynamic images at account level and have been relying on that one switch to keep every new Performance Max campaign free of extracted images. Google's post addresses them directly: developers who rely on account-level controls "should explicitly set OPTED_OUT on new campaigns if they do not want image extraction enabled".

Advertisers who already like image extraction need to do nothing. Google says that if you want it on, new Performance Max campaigns created after 4 December 2026 will have it enabled automatically.

What the source did not say

Several practical questions are not answered in Google's post. It does not say whether a campaign created by copying or duplicating an existing campaign counts as newly created. It does not describe a campaign-level opt-out control in the Google Ads interface or in Google Ads Editor, even though the new default applies in both; the only step-by-step opt-out it gives is for the API. It also does not say whether an existing campaign that has no explicit image extraction entry will keep following the account toggle after 4 December, beyond the general statement that existing campaigns keep their current configuration. Advertisers who build campaigns in the interface or Editor should check those screens for the setting once the change lands rather than assume how it will appear.

How to opt out in the Google Ads API

Google's post explains that image extraction is managed at campaign level through the asset_automation_settings field on the Campaign resource. The automation type is AssetAutomationType.GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION, and the status is either AssetAutomationStatus.OPTED_IN or AssetAutomationStatus.OPTED_OUT.

To keep image extraction off on a new campaign, the campaign mutate request should include an asset automation setting with the type GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION and the status OPTED_OUT. Google's example uses REST JSON for a paused Performance Max campaign with exactly that single entry in the assetAutomationSettings array. Google recommends making this change to campaign creation payloads before 4 December 2026.

The repeated-field trap on existing campaigns

Changing the setting on a campaign that already exists works differently, and Google flags a detail that can cause damage if missed. An existing campaign is changed with a CampaignOperation update that targets campaign.asset_automation_settings. That field is repeated, and Google says an update "replaces the entire array rather than merging with existing values".

The consequence is that an update that sends only the image extraction entry will clear every other asset automation setting on that campaign. Google's advice is to retrieve the current settings first and include all the other entries you want to keep, such as TEXT_ASSET_AUTOMATION, in the same update request. Any script, connector or in-house tool that writes this field needs to read before it writes.

How to audit your current Performance Max campaigns

Google gives a Google Ads Query Language (GAQL) query to check the automation settings on every Performance Max campaign in an account. It selects campaign.id, campaign.name and campaign.asset_automation_settings from campaign, filtered to campaigns whose advertising channel type is PERFORMANCE_MAX.

The output tells you which campaigns already carry an explicit choice. According to Google, a campaign that has no entry for GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION is relying on the inherited account-level setting. Those campaigns are the ones whose current behaviour depends on the account toggle, which makes them worth a written note before the change date.

To see the account-level setting itself, Google gives this path in the Google Ads interface:

1. Go to Campaigns, then Assets.
2. Click the three-dot More menu and choose Account-level automated assets.
3. Click the three-dot menu again and choose Advanced settings.
4. Check whether Dynamic images is turned On or Off.

A checklist before 4 December

The following steps come from Google's recommended actions, with some ordering added for teams that build campaigns at volume. The ordering is Relevant Audience's analysis, not Google's wording.

• Record the account-level Dynamic images setting for every account you manage, using the interface path above.
• Run the GAQL audit query and list which Performance Max campaigns have an explicit GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION entry and which inherit from the account.
• Decide, account by account, whether image extraction is wanted on new Performance Max campaigns.
• If not, add GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION with OPTED_OUT to every campaign creation payload, template and script before 4 December 2026.
• Check any tool that updates asset_automation_settings so it sends the full array, including entries such as TEXT_ASSET_AUTOMATION.
• Review the images on the landing pages your Performance Max campaigns point to, and confirm you hold the rights to use them in advertising.

Timing matters for retailers: any Performance Max campaign created on or after 4 December falls under the new default, including campaigns built for December and New Year sales.

Brand safety and landing-page images: an analysis

This section is Relevant Audience's analysis of what the change implies. Google's post does not discuss brand safety beyond the rights reminder below.

Google's own recommended action is to review landing page media rights. The post asks advertisers to confirm that they own all legal rights or permissions to the images published on their landing pages and that they allow Google to use those images for commercial and advertising purposes. Google notes that the reminder applies to all automated asset features.

A landing page often carries images that were licensed for the website but not for paid media, such as stock photos with a limited licence, photos of models or partners, event photography, or images supplied by a brand principal for one market only. Pages can also carry images that are fine on the page but read badly out of context: price banners for a promotion that has ended, cropped product shots, photos with embedded text, or before-and-after images in regulated categories. Image extraction takes images from the page, so the page itself becomes a source of creative.

Two practical points follow. First, the content of landing pages now matters as much as the content of the asset group for any new Performance Max campaign that is left on the default. Second, the decision to opt out moves from a one-time account setting to a step in each campaign build. Teams that create campaigns from templates or through the API can make that step automatic; teams that build by hand will need it in their launch checklist.

What this means for Thai marketers

Thai advertisers who build Performance Max campaigns for 12.12, Christmas and New Year sales should treat 4 December 2026 as a deadline for their build process. Landing pages may mix licensed stock photography, supplier or brand-owner imagery, and banners with Thai text and prices. If account-level dynamic images was turned off to keep those images out of ads, a new campaign created from 4 December will not respect that choice unless the campaign itself is set to opt out. A short audit now, plus a line in the campaign launch checklist, covers the risk. Teams that want a second pair of eyes on Performance Max set-up can look at Relevant Audience's Google Ads management service, and retailers whose sale pages feed their campaigns may find the ecommerce marketing service relevant.

FAQ: PMax image extraction from 4 December 2026

When does PMax image extraction become the default?

Image extraction becomes the default for newly created Performance Max campaigns from 4 December 2026, according to the Google Ads Developer Blog post published on 21 October 2026. It applies in the Google Ads API, the Google Ads interface and Google Ads Editor.

Does turning off dynamic images at account level still stop it?

No, not for new Performance Max campaigns created from 4 December 2026. Google says the new campaign-level default applies even if Dynamic Image Extensions are disabled at account level, so each new campaign has to be set to OPTED_OUT to keep image extraction off.

Will my existing Performance Max campaigns change?

No, Google says existing Performance Max campaigns will retain their current configurations. You can still audit them with the GAQL query Google published to see which ones inherit the account-level setting.

How do I opt out through the API?

Include an asset automation setting with type GENERATE_IMAGE_EXTRACTION and status OPTED_OUT in the campaign's asset_automation_settings when you create it. When updating an existing campaign, send the complete array, because Google says an update replaces all existing entries, including ones such as TEXT_ASSET_AUTOMATION.

Is this live in Thailand?

Google's post does not limit the change to any market, so it reads as applying to all Google Ads accounts from 4 December 2026. The source does not list countries either way.

The change is small in code and larger in process. Check your account settings, run the audit query and update your campaign builds before 4 December. If you would like help reviewing Performance Max set-up across your accounts, Relevant Audience's Google Ads team is happy to talk it through.