Some Google Ads users are reporting the ability to add negative keyword lists to Performance Max (PMax) campaigns. This is a surprising development given Google’s own documentation still states this feature isn’t available.
What they saw. Advertisers shared screenshots showing negative keyword lists active in their PMax campaign settings.
- The discovery was surfaced by Google Ads specialist Adriaan Dekker on LinkedIn, who credited Jeremy Young, managing director at Young & Digital and Alyssa Knab, media buying lead at Young & Digital.
Yes, but. Google’s help docs still explicitly say: “Negative keyword lists aren’t available to use in your Performance Max campaigns.”
- It’s unclear if this is a backend test, early rollout, or simply a UI glitch.
Why we care. Advertisers have long requested more control over PMax targeting, especially around brand safety and irrelevant queries. This could signal long-awaited flexibility, or just a fleeting bug.
What’s next. No official word from Google yet. For now, it’s watch-and-wait territory for PPC pros, similar to the news of optimization tips in the recommendation score column we reported on earlier today.