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Google Ads specs split into text and image. Responsive search ads take up to 15 headlines at 30 characters each, up to 4 descriptions at 90 characters each, and two optional display path fields at 15 characters each. Responsive display and Performance Max asset groups take three image ratios: 1.91:1 landscape, 1:1 square and 4:5 portrait, plus a 1:1 logo and an optional 4:1 landscape logo. Google assembles and crops these itself, so the safe zone principle here is about cropping rather than interface overlay: supply every ratio explicitly and keep the subject central, because an asset supplied in one ratio will be machine cropped into the others. Exact pixel minimums and file size ceilings change, so verify against Google Ads Help before production.
Check this before you ship
Ad specs change, often quietly. Aspect ratios are stable and safe to build against. Exact pixel margins, file size ceilings and duration caps are not, and reserved interface areas differ by placement and by app version. Treat the numbers on this page as a starting point, then check the platform's own current specification before you sign off on a production file.
Last reviewed: . Official source: Google Ads Help Centre (official).
The rule that outlives every redesign
Keep essential text and branding toward the centre of the frame, and preview the ad in the real placement before you launch it.
Supply all three image ratios yourself. If you do not, Google crops one of them for you, and it optimises for fit rather than for your composition.
Everything below is detail on top of that. Ratios are the stable layer and are safe to build against. Pixel margins, file size ceilings and duration caps are the volatile layer, which is why they are marked as commonly documented rather than stated as fact.
Google Ads aspect ratios by placement
| Asset | Aspect ratio | Commonly recommended resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape image | 1.91:1 | 1200 x 628 |
| Square image | 1:1 | 1200 x 1200 |
| Portrait image | 4:5 | 960 x 1200 |
| Logo, square | 1:1 | 1200 x 1200 |
| Logo, landscape | 4:1 | 1200 x 300 |
| Vertical video, Demand Gen and Shorts inventory | 9:16 | 1080 x 1920 |
| Horizontal video | 16:9 | 1920 x 1080 |
Ratios are the stable part. Minimum accepted pixel dimensions and the maximum file size are not, and Google has changed both. Check the current requirements in Google Ads Help before a large batch upload.
Safe zones, as a share of the frame
Google does not overlay your creative the way a full-screen social placement does. The equivalent risk is machine cropping. Google reshapes a supplied asset into the ratios it needs, and it will happily cut the half of the frame you cared about.
Percentages are used here on purpose. Pixel margins go stale every time an app ships a redesign, whereas the proportion of the screen the interface occupies moves far less. Reserved areas still vary by placement and by app version, so treat these as a design margin rather than a measurement. For the concept itself, see safe zone in the glossary.
| Placement | Keep clear | What sits there |
|---|---|---|
| Responsive display and Performance Max images | Keep the subject and any text within the central portion of the frame | Nothing overlays it. But an asset supplied at 1.91:1 will be cropped toward 1:1 and 4:5, so the edges are not reliable. |
| Demand Gen and Shorts inventory | Roughly the bottom quarter and the right edge on 9:16 assets | Where vertical assets serve into Shorts style surfaces, the same interface furniture applies: title, channel name and action buttons. |
| Logos | Leave breathing space inside the artboard | Square logos may be rendered as circles in some surfaces. A logo drawn to the edge of a 1:1 file gets its corners cut off. |
These percentages are widely used working figures, not published constants. Confirm against the official specification above, and preview the creative in the live placement before sign-off.
Responsive search ad text limits
| Field | Count | Character limit |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | 3 to 15 | 30 characters each |
| Description | 2 to 4 | 90 characters each |
| Display path | Up to 2 | 15 characters each |
These have been stable for a long time and the Google Ads editor enforces them as you type, so the editor is the final word.
Responsive display and Performance Max text
| Field | Commonly documented limit |
|---|---|
| Short headline | 30 characters |
| Long headline | 90 characters |
| Description | 90 characters |
| Business name | 25 characters |
Field counts, meaning how many of each you can supply, vary by campaign type and change more often than the character limits do.
Standard display banner sizes
| Size | Shape | Where it earns |
|---|---|---|
| 300 x 250 | Medium rectangle | The workhorse. Available on nearly all inventory. |
| 336 x 280 | Large rectangle | In-article placements. |
| 728 x 90 | Leaderboard | Desktop, above the fold. |
| 300 x 600 | Half page | High viewability, desktop sidebars. |
| 320 x 100 | Large mobile banner | Mobile, better than 320 x 50. |
| 320 x 50 | Mobile banner | Ubiquitous mobile inventory. |
| 160 x 600 | Wide skyscraper | Older desktop layouts. |
| 970 x 250 | Billboard | Premium desktop, limited inventory. |
These IAB sizes have been stable for well over a decade, which makes them the most reliable numbers on this page.
Responsive means you do not control the combination
A responsive search ad is not an ad. It is a pool of components that Google assembles per auction. Any of your 15 headlines can appear next to any other, in either order, so each one has to read correctly on its own and none of them can depend on the one before it.
The specific failure to avoid is a headline that completes a sentence started by another headline. It will eventually be shown alone, and it will read as nonsense.
Performance Max is only as good as the asset group
Performance Max serves across search, display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail and Maps from one asset group. That means one set of images and headlines is being reshaped into a dozen different surfaces.
Supplying the full set of ratios, a proper logo pair and real video rather than an auto-generated slideshow is most of the work. The rest of Performance Max is budget and feed quality.
Numbers on this page you should re-check
The RSA character limits and the IAB banner sizes are stable and safe to build against. Minimum image dimensions, maximum file sizes and the permitted number of assets per group are the values Google revises, sometimes without a changelog entry.
Before a production batch, open the asset upload screen in Google Ads. It rejects out of spec files immediately and tells you the current rule, which is faster than reading anything.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the Google responsive search ad character limits?
- Headlines are 30 characters each and you can supply between 3 and 15 of them. Descriptions are 90 characters each and you can supply between 2 and 4. The two optional display path fields are 15 characters each. The Google Ads editor enforces these as you type.
- What image sizes does Google Ads need?
- Three ratios cover responsive display and Performance Max: 1.91:1 landscape, 1:1 square and 4:5 portrait, commonly supplied at 1200 x 628, 1200 x 1200 and 960 x 1200. Add a 1:1 logo and, where possible, a 4:1 landscape logo. Minimum accepted dimensions change, so check Google Ads Help before a batch upload.
- What is a safe zone in a Google display ad?
- Google does not put interface furniture over your creative, so the safe zone here is about cropping rather than overlay. Google reshapes supplied assets into the ratios each placement needs, so anything essential near an edge can be cut. Keep the subject and any text central, and supply every ratio yourself rather than letting the system derive them.
- What display banner sizes should I actually build?
- If you build a subset, build 300 x 250, 728 x 90, 300 x 600, 320 x 100 and 320 x 50. Those five cover most available inventory across desktop and mobile. These IAB sizes have been stable for over a decade.
- How many headlines should a responsive search ad have?
- As many distinct ones as you can write honestly, up to 15. Each has to stand alone, because Google assembles them in different combinations per auction. A headline that only makes sense following another headline will eventually be served without it.
- Do Performance Max and display ads use the same assets?
- They use the same ratios and largely the same text field types, which is why a well built asset library serves both. Performance Max spreads them across more surfaces, including YouTube and Discover, so vertical video earns its place there in a way it does not in classic display.
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