Google Ads disapproved your banner? Why it happens and how to fix it

By AdflowKit · October 17, 2026 · 17 min read

You upload a set of banners, wait a day, and some of them come back with a red "Disapproved" status. Many rejections trace back to a handful of recurring problems rather than an obscure rule: an image that doesn't fill the frame, a button that looks like a system dialog, an offer the landing page doesn't mention, a headline full of capital letters and exclamation marks. This guide goes through the reasons display banners and image assets get disapproved, how to find the exact policy behind a rejection, how to fix and resubmit, and when an appeal makes sense.

What "Disapproved" actually means

Every new or edited ad goes through Google's review before it serves. According to Google's ad review overview, most ads are reviewed within one business day, and some take longer. While that happens, the ad shows Under review. After the review it gets one of these statuses:

"Eligible" is the status for ads, "Approved" the matching one for individual assets such as an image in a responsive display ad or a Performance Max asset group. The difference matters: when a single image asset is disapproved, the other assets in the ad or asset group can keep serving. When an uploaded image ad is disapproved, that banner stops completely.

Where to find the reason

Don't guess. Google tells you which policy the ad broke, and the fix for "Image quality" has nothing in common with the fix for "Destination mismatch".

• Ads table. Open Campaigns › Ads and add the Policy details column if it isn't there. Hovering over the status shows the policy name and a link to its help page.
• Asset reports. For responsive display ads and Performance Max, open the asset details or the asset group. Each image has its own status.
• Policy manager. Tools › Troubleshooting › Policy manager lists every policy issue in the account on one screen, and it's also where you file and track appeals.

Write the policy name down next to the banner in whatever sheet or log you keep. After a few campaigns you'll see which mistakes your team makes again and again, and that list is worth more than any generic checklist.

The common reasons at a glance

Policy names below are the ones Google uses in its Editorial, Misrepresentation and Destination requirements policies. The banner mistakes are examples of what can trigger each policy, not a complete list.

Image quality: blurry, stretched or not filling the frame

Google's Editorial policy has an "Image quality" section, and many of the problems it lists are ones that resizing and compressing banners tend to create. It has four parts:

• Images that don't fill the frame, or that are sideways or upside down. The classic cause is a resize: you fit a 1200×628 picture into 300×600 and get white or black bars above and below it. Empty bars like these leave the image short of the entire space of the chosen size, which the policy lists as a problem.
• Blurry, unclear or unrecognizable images, and illegible text. A 480-pixel photo stretched to 1200 pixels, heavy compression to squeeze under 150 KB, or a description set in 9-pixel type on a 320×50 banner.
• Strobing, flashing or otherwise distracting images. Mostly an issue for animated GIF and HTML5 banners with fast color flips.
• Ads that expand beyond the frame or reach into the website or app around them.

How to fix it: build each size as its own layout instead of scaling one picture into every slot. Start from a sharp source that is at least as large as the biggest size you export. Check the smallest sizes at 100% zoom: if you squint to read the text, so will the reviewer. If a banner has to stay under the 150 KB limit, cut detail from the background before you cut quality from the text. Our guide to Google Display banner sizes lists the sizes and file limits.

Misleading ad design: buttons, warnings and fake controls

This policy is part of Misrepresentation, and its rule is simple: people must be able to tell that an ad is an ad. Google's Misleading ad design page gives examples of what isn't allowed, including:

• ads that look like system or site warnings, error messages, dialog boxes, menus or notification requests;
• features that don't work, such as a close button, a text input box or multiple-choice options drawn into the image;
• download or install buttons or icons in image ads;
• standalone buttons with no clear context, or a button whose size or emphasis is out of proportion to the rest of the ad;
• ads with a transparent background, segmented images, an image that repeats itself inside the ad, or images that look like more than one ad;
• moving and clicking arrows.

The button rule is the one most relevant to ordinary banners, because almost every banner has a CTA. A CTA button is fine in an uploaded banner when it sits next to a headline and offer that explain what it does: "40% off daily trainers" plus "Shop the sale" is clear. A huge red "CLICK HERE" that dominates the banner and doesn't say what happens next is the kind of button the policy describes. Keep the button in proportion, give it a verb that matches the landing page and never draw a close "×" or a play icon that doesn't do anything.

Google says violations of this policy don't lead to immediate account suspension: it sends a warning at least seven days before any suspension. That's time to fix, not a reason to wait.

If an element of the banner looks like it can be clicked, typed into or closed, it has to do exactly that, or it shouldn't be there.

Editorial: capitals, symbols and a missing business name

The Editorial policy was written largely with text ads in mind. It covers the headlines and descriptions you enter for responsive ads, and its standards are a safe bar for the text inside your banners too. The sections most relevant to banners:

• Capitalization. Capitals used for emphasis ("FREE SHIPPING TODAY") can trigger it. Acronyms and brand names that are written in capitals are fine.
• Punctuation and symbols. "!!!", rows of stars, arrows and decorative emoji. Our rule of thumb: at most one exclamation mark in the whole ad.
• Repetition and spacing. "Sale sale sale", "S A L E", or a word repeated across every asset to fill space.
• Unidentified business. The ad and its destination must make clear what product, service or company is being promoted. A banner with a lifestyle photo, "Up to 50% off" and no logo or name can run into this one.
• Phone number in ad text. Phone numbers can't go in the ad copy. Use a call asset if you want calls.

The fastest fix is to write banner copy the way you'd write a good search ad: sentence case, a concrete offer, one clear action. Our brand checklist covers how to keep the logo visible at every size, including the small ones where it's tempting to drop it.

Claims, prices and offers

These rejections come from the Misrepresentation policy, and they're about what the banner says rather than how it looks:

• Unreliable claims. Inaccurate claims, or claims that lure people with an improbable result, even if that result is technically possible: "Lose 10 kg in a week", "Earn $5,000 from home", miracle cures, investments presented as risk-free. The policy applies to ads and destinations alike, so repeating the claim on the landing page doesn't make it acceptable. Remove the improbable promise and keep statements you can back up, such as a real discount, a delivery time or a feature.
• Clickbait ads. Sensational wording, shocking images or ads that use negative life events (debt, illness, divorce) to push people to act now.
• Dishonest pricing practices. The full cost and the payment model must be clear. "Free" is risky when the trial turns into an automatic subscription and the banner doesn't say so.
• Unavailable offers. The banner promises something the landing page doesn't have or makes hard to find: an expired discount, an out-of-stock product, a price that only applies after three clicks.
• Unclear relevance. The ad has to be relevant to the page it leads to. A banner for running shoes that leads to a page with no running shoes on it is an example.

The common thread is the landing page. Before upload, open the final URL and find the offer from the banner on it within a few seconds. If you can't, the reviewer can't either. When a sale ends, pause or replace its banners on the same day.

Destination problems

A perfectly designed banner can still be disapproved if the page behind it fails. The Destination requirements policy covers this. Two of its sections are especially relevant to banners:

Destination not working

The page returns an error, a redirect is broken, or Google's crawler (AdsBot) can't reach it. Possible causes: a page deleted after the campaign launched, a staging URL left in the ad, a firewall or bot protection blocking crawlers, a site that only works in some countries. Test the final URL from a phone on mobile data, and check that your security settings don't block Google's ad crawlers.

Destination mismatch

The display URL and the final URL point to different domains, or a redirect or tracking template sends people somewhere other than the page Google reviewed. Keep the display URL, the final URL and every redirect on the same domain. If you use a tracking service, check the expanded URL in the Google Ads interface, not only the final URL you typed.

If your page isn't ready yet, Google's advice is to finish it before the ad goes to review, rather than launching with a placeholder.

Uploaded banners vs. responsive and Performance Max images

Much of the confusion about what's allowed comes from mixing up three different kinds of creative. An uploaded image ad is a finished banner. Responsive display and Performance Max images are ingredients that Google combines with your headlines, logo and its own button, and even these two don't follow the same guidance. In the table, Policy marks what Google states as a rule and Recommendation marks best-practice guidance.

For responsive display ads, Google's best practices guide also recommends no collages and no more than 80% blank space. For Performance Max, Google's image asset page allows images with overlays and recommends at least one without overlays for each aspect ratio. In practice: keep a clean version of each image (scene only) in every responsive display ad and Performance Max asset group, add versions with overlays to Performance Max if you want them, and use the full banner with headline, logo and CTA as an uploaded image ad. Specs for uploaded ads are on Google's uploaded display ads page, and HTML5 upload eligibility and ZIP checks also need attention before you submit an animated banner.

What about the 20% text rule? That was a Facebook rule for ad images, and Meta dropped it years ago. Google doesn't publish a fixed text percentage for uploaded image ads. Less text is still a good idea for a different reason: small banners with dense copy are hard to read, and illegible text is an Image quality problem.

Eligible (limited): restricted categories and trademarks

Sometimes the problem isn't the banner but the category. Alcohol, gambling, healthcare and medicines, financial services and several other categories are restricted: the ads can run, but only in some countries, to some ages, sometimes only after certification. When an ad meets the category's requirements, it typically gets Eligible (limited), and no design change will remove that limit. When a requirement isn't met, for example the category needs certification in a country you target and you don't have it, the ad can be Disapproved. Read the policy named in Policy details and check what your category requires in each country before you blame the banner.

Trademarks work in a similar way. If a brand owner has filed a complaint with Google, using their trademark in your ad can limit where the ad shows or get it disapproved. Putting another company's logo or product photos in your banner without permission can draw the same kind of complaint, and if it makes your ad look like it comes from that brand, the Misrepresentation policy applies too. Non-family-safe content (nudity, sexually suggestive images) isn't allowed in image ads at all.

How to fix, resubmit and appeal

Google's page on fixing a disapproved ad or appealing a policy decision describes the process. In short:

1. Read the policy named in Policy details and the help page it links to.
2. Fix the cause. If it's the banner, export a corrected version and upload it, or replace the image asset in a responsive ad or asset group. If it's the destination, fix the page or point the ad at a compliant one.
3. Save. An edited ad goes back to review automatically, so you don't have to appeal after every fix.
4. Appeal if needed. In Policy manager, or by selecting the ad in the Ads table and choosing Appeal policy decision. Pick Made changes to comply with policy when you've fixed something that doesn't trigger a new review by itself, such as the landing page. Pick Dispute decision when you're sure the ad was compliant to begin with.
5. Track it in Policy manager, on the Appeal history tab.

A few limits to keep in mind:

• Each ad can be appealed up to three times. After three unsuccessful appeals you have to go through Google Ads support.
• Wait at least 24 hours between appeals for the same ads, or the new appeal can be marked as a duplicate.
• Since July 21, 2026, decisions made more than six months ago can't be appealed from inside the account. For those, contact support.
• If an ad stays Under review for more than two business days, check it. After a week, Google suggests contacting support.

A disputed appeal that you lose costs you one of three attempts and a day or two. If you're not sure the reviewer was wrong, fixing the banner is usually faster than arguing about it.

A disapproval applies to the ad or asset it's attached to. Repeated or serious violations of some policies can lead to warnings, strikes or an account suspension, so treat a pattern of disapprovals in the account as something to fix at the source, not one ad at a time.

A pre-upload checklist

Run through this before every upload. It takes a few minutes and covers the problems described above:

• Every size fills its frame. No white or black bars, no letterboxing from a resize.
• The smallest sizes are readable at 100% zoom, and the source image is sharp at the largest size.
• The brand is visible: logo or business name in every size.
• Copy in sentence case, at most one exclamation mark, no decorative symbols, no phone number.
• The CTA has context: it sits next to a headline and offer, it's in proportion, and its verb matches the landing page.
• No fake controls: no close buttons, play icons, download buttons, warning boxes or arrows that pretend to be the interface.
• Claims can be checked on the landing page, and the offer in the banner is live there right now.
• The final URL works on a phone, and display URL, final URL and redirects are on the same domain.
• Files are within limits: up to 150 KB for uploaded images, animation 30 seconds or less.
• Responsive display ads and Performance Max asset groups have clean images: at least one without text, buttons or logos on top for each aspect ratio, with the logo uploaded separately.

Once your banners pass review, the next problem is keeping them working: our guides on A/B testing creatives and creative fatigue pick up from there.

FAQ

How long does Google Ads review take?

Most ads are reviewed within one business day. Complex cases take longer. If an ad is still under review after two full business days, check its status, and if it's been more than a week, contact Google Ads support. Plan launches for sales and holidays with a few days of buffer.

My ad was approved and then disapproved later. Why?

Review doesn't stop at launch. Google keeps checking ads and their destinations, so a change on the landing page, an expired offer, a broken redirect or a policy update can lead to a disapproval weeks after the ad went live. Policy manager shows which policy it was.

Does a disapproved image stop my whole Performance Max campaign?

No. A disapproved image asset isn't used, and the other approved assets in the asset group keep serving. Replace it so the asset group doesn't run short of images in some ratios.

Is there a 20% text limit for Google display banners?

Not for uploaded image ads. The 20% rule was Facebook's and has been retired. For responsive display images, Google recommends avoiding text on the image and letting Google add your headlines. Performance Max allows overlays, but Google recommends at least one image without them for each aspect ratio. For uploaded banners, keep text short enough to be readable at the smallest size.

Can AI-generated banners be disapproved just because they're AI-generated?

The policies above are about what the ad shows and says, not which tool made it. AI images get rejected for the same reasons as any other: blurry details, garbled text in the image, a scene that doesn't match the product. Two things to watch: generated text inside the picture (keep text in a separate layer instead), and realistic people or results presented in a way that could mislead, which the Misrepresentation policy covers.

Separately, some jurisdictions require AI disclosure. Google notes that rules in the European Union, India and New York require certain AI-generated or AI-edited ad assets to carry a disclosure or label. You can add the label to the creative or use the AI label setting in Google Ads, and Google says such labels don't violate its text overlay rules. See Google's page on Performance Max image assets and check the rules that apply where you advertise.

Should I edit the disapproved ad or create a new one?

For uploaded image ads, the corrected banner usually goes in as a new ad, and you remove the disapproved one. Responsive display ads and Performance Max asset groups can be edited in place: replace the image asset and save. Either way the new version goes to review automatically.