Google Ads Report editor, custom columns and scheduled reports

This guide is built from Google Ads Help, mainly Create custom reports in Report Editor, Create and manage reports, Create custom columns and the pages linked in each section. Menu names change from time to time, so treat the click paths as a guide rather than a fixed route. If you want reports that combine Google Ads with GA4 or Search Console, that is a job for Looker Studio dashboards, which this page doesn't repeat.

Statistics tables or Report editor

Google names two places to view and analyze performance data: the statistics tables on pages such as Campaigns, Ad groups and Keywords, and the Report editor. A statistics table can be customized with columns, segments and filters, then downloaded, scheduled or saved as a report that you can later edit in the Report editor. Segments applied to the table show up in the report as rows.

The Report editor is the place for anything a single table can't show: several dimensions at once, charts, conditional formatting and reports saved for others. You find it under Campaigns, then Insights & reports, then Report editor.

Predefined reports

Google Ads comes with "predefined reports", which Google describes as "a set of ready-made reports to answer specific questions about your data". In the Report editor they sit under "Predefined reports (dimensions)", with View all for the full list. You can add or remove columns and then select Save, which turns the result into your own saved report that you can edit, schedule and share.

In a manager account, every predefined report also gets "Account" and "Customer ID" columns, and there is an extra "Account" report with data from the Account page. Our manager account guide covers how those accounts are linked.

Building a custom report

To start from scratch, open the Report editor, select Custom and pick a chart type. Google lists Table, Line, Column, Bar, Scatter and Pie, and the manage reports page adds Tree table for hierarchical data. You then drag a dimension such as Campaign into the Row, X-Axis, Series or Segment area, and metrics such as Clicks or Conversions into Columns, Y-Axis or Value. The area names change with the chart type.

• Filters: a filter on the whole report picks values from a list, and Google notes "You can't filter for a specific value, such as campaigns with less than 10 clicks" there. For that, filter the metric itself from its dropdown, for example only rows with more than 1,000 impressions. A report filter can use data that isn't in your rows or columns.
• Conditional formatting: table charts only, and "only available for metrics with numerical values such as clicks, conversions, and impressions".
• Sorting: click a column header in tables, or use Sort by in a data point's dropdown. If you sort several columns, the last sort changes how the rest are sorted.
• Drilldown: tree tables and bar, column and pie charts can drill from campaign to ad group (asset group for Performance Max). Google notes that "drilldown state won't be persisted in a saved report".
• Several accounts: from a manager account you can pick accounts by name or label. With more than one account selected, the canvas shows a preview with some data grayed out, and you need to download the report to see all of it.

Saved reports can also be placed on dashboards, which combine scorecards, reports and notes on one page.

Custom columns

A custom column is your own metric, built from existing Google Ads columns. Google's About custom columns page uses the example of mobile clicks divided by total clicks, shown as a percentage, because there is no standard column for it. Like standard columns, most custom columns can be filtered, sorted, downloaded and used in the performance chart above the table.

To create one, open a table such as Campaigns, Ad groups or Ads, select the columns icon, then Modify columns, then + Custom column. Give it a name (the column header) and a description (shown on hover), and build the formula. A formula is "written just like a formula in a spreadsheet" and can hold columns, operators, constants, other custom columns, filters and functions. Some examples in text mode, taken from Google's custom column examples and the create page:

• cost.date_range(last_7_days) / 7 gives the average daily cost over the previous 7 days, whatever the table's date range.
• (Clicks / report_days_count()) >= 100 returns true or false for an average of 100 or more clicks per day.
• clicks.device(mobile, tablet) counts only clicks from mobile phones and tablets.
• c:"Mobile Clicks" * 2 refers to another custom column, which in text mode gets a c: prefix and double quotes.

Two details catch people out. First, to count specific conversion actions, Google recommends starting from "All conversions" rather than "Conversions", because "Conversions" only includes actions set to "Include in conversions", so a conversion action filter on it filters twice. Second, the data format (Number, Percent, Currency, or Text, True/False and Date for non-numeric results) is fixed: "Once you save the formula, you may not change the Data Format." To change it, copy the formula into a new custom column.

Custom column limits and errors

Google's Custom columns FAQ lists these limits:

Limit	Value
Custom columns owned by one account	1,000
Formula length in text mode	10,000 characters
Different filter types in one formula	2 (no limit on values per filter)
Other custom columns referenced directly	5
Chain of references between custom columns	4, and no cycles

The same FAQ explains the usual problems. A custom column shows a dash when a column in its formula is empty for that row, when a filter doesn't fit the column (Google's example is a Conversion Source filter on Clicks), or after a calculation error. It can't be added to a table that lacks one of its columns or filters, and it can't be used in a chart if its format is Text, True/False or Date, or if it includes a non-addable column such as Campaign Name. A column that another custom column references can't be removed until that reference is gone.

Saving and sharing reports

Saved reports live in the Report editor list, and Google says "Your reports are visible to everyone with access to your account". You can show all reports or only your own via the 3-dot menu. Saved reports that nobody has opened, downloaded or viewed on a dashboard for over 18 months are removed automatically.

A manager account's Reports page stores all scheduled reports and up to 100 non-scheduled ones; at the limit, new reports replace old ones. In manager reports you can also add the "Labels on account" column, so account labels set up as in our Google Ads labels guide can filter or group the data.

Scheduled reports by email

In the Report editor, open a report, select the email and schedule icon, choose one or more account users, a frequency such as daily or weekly and a format such as CSV or XML, then Save. You can also send a one-time email. From a statistics table, select the download icon, then Schedule. Points worth knowing:

• Reports go to people with access to the account, not to any email address. In a manager account, users with Email-only access receive a report shared with "All account users with access to view reports".
• A schedule made from a statistics table keeps its campaign and ad group filters. Google's example: with an "Enabled/Paused" campaign filter, new enabled or paused campaigns are added to the report automatically.
• Google's pages give different start times. The statistics tables page says individual accounts start at 1 A.M. and manager accounts at 5 A.M. in the account's time zone; the manage reports page says 3 AM for individual accounts. Either way, a daily report arrives in the early morning of the account's time zone.

Download formats

From a statistics table, Google lists "Excel CSV, TSV, PDF, XLSX, XML, and Google Sheets". For manager account reports the list is Excel .csv, .csv, .tsv, .xml, .csv.gz, .pdf and .xml.gz. The Report editor page itself only says "several formats, including .csv and .xml", so check the menu for the report you have open.

How we set up reporting

This part is our own practice, not Google guidance:

• We keep a few saved reports per client, each answering one question (spend and conversions by campaign this month, search terms with cost and no conversions), rather than one report with every column.
• We define the client's key number once as a custom column, with a description that says how it is calculated, so everyone with access reads the same figure.
• Weekly scheduled emails go to the people who act on them. Anything that mixes Google Ads with analytics or other channels goes into a Looker Studio dashboard instead.
• Before trusting any conversion column, we check conversion tracking first.

If you want help planning or running Google Ads, see our services.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Report editor in Google Ads?

Under Campaigns, then Insights & reports, then Report editor. Saved and predefined reports are listed there too.

Can I schedule a Google Ads report to an email address outside the account?

Google Ads Help describes sending scheduled reports to account users, people who have access to the account. In a manager account, users with Email-only access can receive reports shared with all users who can view reports.

How many custom columns can an account have?

Up to 1,000 custom columns owned by one account, with formulas up to 10,000 characters in text mode.

Why does my custom column show a dash?

Usually because a column in the formula is empty for that row, a filter doesn't apply to that column, or the calculation failed. In summary rows, columns with a Text, True/False or Date format, or with a non-addable column such as Campaign Name, may show no value.

Do saved Google Ads reports expire?

Saved reports that haven't been opened, downloaded or viewed on a dashboard in over 18 months are removed automatically.

For more on running Google Ads, see our guides to Google Ads basics, account structure, labels, auction insights and change history.