Google Ads MCC (Manager Account): How to Create, Link, Log In, and Manage Access

Quick Answer: A Google Ads MCC, now officially called a manager account, lets you view and manage many Google Ads accounts from one login. To set one up, create a new manager account from Google's manager account page with a business Google account, turn on 2-step verification, then link each client account by sending a request with its 10-digit customer ID. The client must accept the request, and you cannot force a link. After that, you sign in at ads.google.com with the Google account that has access, choose the manager account (it shows the label "Manager" under its name), and switch between clients from inside it. Give team members the lowest access level they need (Admin, Standard, Read only, or Email only), avoid shared logins, and review access regularly. A manager account is free to create, does not run ads itself, and is a single point of failure if its login is compromised, so protect it.

MCC originally stood for "My Client Center." Google now calls it a manager account.

What is a Google Ads MCC (manager account)?

A manager account is a special Google Ads account type whose purpose is to manage other Google Ads accounts. You sign in once and can open, switch between, and report across all linked accounts. The individual accounts underneath are called client accounts, or sub-accounts.

	Standard Google Ads account	Manager account (MCC)
Runs ad campaigns directly	Yes	No
Can manage other Google Ads accounts	No	Yes
Typical user	One business advertising its own products	Agencies, freelancers, in-house teams with several brands, regions, or businesses
Cost to create	Free to open; you pay for ad spend	Free to create; only the client accounts spend money on ads
Login	A Google account with access	A Google account with access, plus 2-step verification required

Who needs an MCC?

Agencies and freelancers who manage ads for several clients
Businesses with multiple brands, countries, or divisions that want one view of their accounts
Anyone who wants to give a partner access without sharing a password
Teams that want cross-account reporting, scripts, or consolidated billing

If you only run one account for your own business and do not need to give outside access, you can manage without one, but you can add one later.

How do you create a Google Ads manager account?

Use the right Google account. Create or choose a dedicated business account or a company-managed account, not a personal account you might lose access to. Make sure you can complete 2-step verification.
Go to Google's manager account page. Visit the Google Ads manager account homepage and select the option to go to manager accounts. Sign in with the Google account you chose.
Name the account. The name is what your clients will see in their own accounts when you send a link request, so use a clear business name.
Set the account details. When asked, choose how you will use it (managing other people's accounts or your own), your country, time zone, and currency. Pick the currency carefully because it is a permanent setting for the manager account. Your clients' accounts keep their own currencies.
Create the account and turn on 2-step verification. Manager accounts require it, and you should use it for every user.
Invite your team from the account's access settings, with the right access level for each person (see the access levels table below).

Already have a regular Google Ads account? You cannot convert it into a manager account. Create a new manager account, then link your existing account as a client account.

Need more structure? You can also create a sub-manager account from inside an existing manager account (using the blue plus button and selecting "create new manager account") for a region, team, or large client.

How do you log in to a Google Ads MCC ("MCC login Google")?

Go to ads.google.com and click Sign in.
Choose the Google account that has access to the manager account. If you have several Google accounts, make sure you pick the one that was invited.
Complete 2-step verification if prompted.
On the account list, look for the entry that shows Manager under its name, and open it. You can also search by the manager account's 10-digit ID (format 123-456-7890).
Once inside, use the account selector at the top of the screen to switch between the manager account and any linked client account.

Why can't I log in or see the manager account?

Problem	Likely cause	What to do
The account does not appear	You are signed in with the wrong Google account	Sign out, then sign in with the invited email, or use a separate browser profile for each account
"You don't have access"	The invitation was never sent or accepted	Ask an admin to invite you, then accept the email invitation
Pending invitation	The invitation email is in spam or expired	Ask the admin to resend it
Verification fails	2-step verification is not set up on your Google account	Set it up in your Google account security settings
Account suspended or restricted	Policy or billing issue	Check notifications in the account and Google Ads Help
Mixed-up accounts	Several accounts open in the same browser	Use separate Chrome profiles for each Google account

How do you link a client account to your MCC?

You can link an existing account, or create a new client account directly inside the manager account.

Link an existing account

In your manager account, open the Accounts page and click the blue plus button.
Choose Link existing account.
Enter the client's 10-digit customer ID (found in the top corner of their account) and send the request.
The client opens the request from their email or from their account, under Access and security on the Managers tab, and accepts it. Menu names change over time, so if you cannot find it, check Google Ads Help.
After acceptance, the client account appears in your list.

You cannot force a link. The client always has to approve.

Create a new client account from the MCC

In the manager account, click the blue plus button and choose to create a new account.
Set the account's time zone and currency. These cannot be changed later, so check them before you create it. Your manager account and a client account can use different currencies, but a mismatch you did not plan for (for example, a manager account set to one currency and a client account to another) can create confusion in billing and reporting, so decide this up front.
Add billing details if you will pay, or leave billing for the client to set up.

What happens to the client account after linking?

The original account stays the same, with its history intact.
The client's existing users keep their access.
Billing and payment methods do not change unless you set up consolidated billing under the manager account.
By default, the manager account does not get administrative ownership of the client account. Ownership has to be turned on in the client account, and you need it to perform critical actions such as accepting link requests and unlinking other managers.

What access levels can you give users?

Access is set separately for the manager account and for individual client accounts. The levels below are the common ones. The exact options can vary by account type, so check Google Ads Help for your account.

Level	What the user can do	Good for
Admin	Full control, including managing users and access, and billing-related settings where available	A small number of account owners and leads
Standard	Manage campaigns, ads, keywords, and settings, but not users or access	PPC managers doing daily work
Read only	View settings and reports, but not change anything	Clients, executives, analysts
Email only	Receive reports and alerts by email, without logging in	Stakeholders who only need updates
Billing (client accounts)	See invoices, payments, and billing information without editing campaigns	Finance contacts

Access best practices

Never share a login. Use named individual users, so you can see who made which change and remove access cleanly when someone leaves.
Use least privilege. Give Standard or Read only unless a person truly needs Admin.
Limit Admins to two or three trusted people, so there is always a backup.
Use company-controlled Google accounts for staff, instead of personal ones.
Require 2-step verification for everyone, and prefer security keys or authenticator apps over SMS where you can.
Review access regularly, for example every quarter, and remove former employees, contractors, and old vendors immediately.
Check change history when something unexpected happens, to see who changed what.
Document account IDs, owners, and access in a shared, secure place.

How is a manager hierarchy structured, and what are the limits?

You can nest manager accounts, and Google applies limits to keep structures workable. Figures below come from Google Ads Help and partner documentation as of October 2026, and Google can change them, so confirm current numbers before you plan a large structure.

Limit	What it means
Hierarchy depth	A client account structure can be at most six levels deep. Trying to add more manager levels produces an error about the maximum number of sub-manager levels
One manager above a manager	A manager account cannot be directly managed by more than one other manager account
Several managers per client	A client account can be linked to more than one manager, but not directly managed by more than five manager accounts at the same time
Number of accounts per manager	Active-account limits and total-account limits differ. The active limit depends on the highest combined monthly spend in the previous 12 months; below $10,000 USD, the active limit is 50. Google separately lists a total cap of 85,000 non-manager accounts. Check the current table for larger spend tiers; limits apply at the top manager level
Permissions flow downward	Users of a higher manager can make changes in the manager below it, but not the other way around

If you hit a limit, unlink or cancel accounts you no longer need, or restructure under a different top manager. Inactive accounts count toward the total cap. Canceling an account can affect the active limit but does not remove it from the total hierarchy; unlinking removes the link. Moving it beneath another sub-manager of the same top manager does not bypass the top-level cap.

What errors do people hit when linking, and how do you fix them?

Problem	What it usually means	Fix
"Linking invitee would exceed the maximum number of allowable sub-manager levels"	The structure is too deep	Link the new manager to a higher level, or unlink an existing manager from the client first
"This client is already linked to the maximum number of allowed managers"	The client has reached the manager limit, and may have forgotten about old agency links	Ask the client to remove outdated managers in their access settings
Request not arriving	Wrong customer ID, or the client is not seeing the email	Re-check the 10-digit ID, ask the client to look in the access settings in their account
Cannot link or create more accounts	Account limit reached	Unlink or cancel accounts to get under the limit
Cannot accept requests or unlink other managers	You lack ownership, or you are not an Admin on the manager account	Have the client enable administrative ownership, and use an Admin user
Cannot see client billing	Billing stayed with the client	Ask for Billing access, or set up consolidated billing if appropriate

How do you unlink or offboard a client?

From the manager account, open the accounts list or sub-account settings, select the client, and choose to unlink or cancel the link.
From the client account, an Admin can remove the manager under the access settings.
Before you unlink, export reports, handle any shared lists, scripts, and conversion settings you set up, and confirm who owns billing, so the client is not left with a broken setup.
After you unlink, remove the client's users from your internal tools and confirm that your team no longer has stale access.

What can you do at the manager level?

Cross-account reporting and dashboards. View performance across accounts, and connect data to tools such as Looker Studio.
Scripts and automation. Run scripts across many accounts, and use the API with a developer token tied to your manager account.
Shared libraries. Where available, maintain shared lists such as negative keyword lists and placement exclusion lists that apply across accounts.
Consolidated billing. Where set up, pay for several client accounts through a single manager-level billing arrangement.
Account creation and organization. Create new client accounts, use labels, and group accounts with sub-managers.
Alerts and notifications. Get alerts for budget, performance, and policy issues across accounts.

What should a client check before linking to an agency's MCC?

Most guides are written for the agency. If you own a Google Ads account and an agency, freelancer, or partner asks you to link it to their MCC, check these points first.

Linking is a request, not a transfer. It only connects your account to their manager account. You stay the owner of your account, and nothing changes until you accept.
Keep an Admin user of your own. Best practice is that you, the client, always keep Admin access and administrative control of your account. Be cautious if an agency wants to create your ad account inside its own MCC and will not give you Admin access. Without it, you may not be able to see everything, change billing, or remove the agency later.
Confirm who pays. Your billing and payment methods stay with you unless the agency sets up consolidated billing. Agree in writing who pays Google, how fees are shown, and what happens if the agency leaves.
Verify the request. Check that the manager account name and ID match what the agency told you through a channel you trust, such as a phone call or a known email address. Do not accept unexpected requests. Scammers can send link requests that look routine.
Agree on the access level. Ask which actions the agency needs, and whether they will use Standard access for daily work, so that you keep control of users and billing.
Know the limit. Your account can be directly managed by up to five manager accounts at once, so old agency links can block a new one.

How do you see which manager accounts are linked to your account?

Sign in to your Google Ads account as an Admin.
Open Tools and settings, then Access and security, and choose the Managers tab. Menu names can change, so check Google Ads Help if you cannot find it.
Review every manager account listed. Anything you do not recognize, or an agency you no longer work with, should be removed.
To remove one, use the option to remove access next to that manager's name, then confirm the change in the account's history.
Also review the Users tab, because individual people can have access separately from manager accounts.

Do this review at least quarterly, and whenever you end a relationship with a partner. Before you remove a manager, make sure you have exported your reports and know where your tracking, audiences, and shared lists live, so nothing disappears with the agency.

What are the security risks of an MCC?

A manager account is a high-value target. One compromised login can give access to many clients' campaigns and budgets.

Account takeover. Weak passwords, no 2-step verification, and reused credentials are the main causes. Use strong unique passwords, a password manager, and 2-step verification.
Phishing and fake invitations. Be careful with unexpected emails about link requests, "policy violations," or "account suspended." Go directly to ads.google.com instead of clicking email links, and accept link requests only from managers you know and have verified.
Excess access. Too many Admins, unused users, and former staff multiply the risk.
Unwanted manager links on client accounts. Clients should review the managers linked to their accounts and remove any they do not recognize.
Malware and browser compromise. Keep devices updated and avoid installing unknown browser extensions on machines used for ad accounts.
Invalid traffic and click fraud. The manager account does not stop it. Review invalid click rates, search terms, placements, and click patterns in each client account, and use protection tools that work across accounts.

Best practices for agencies and in-house teams

Use a clear structure. Group accounts by client, region, or business unit, and avoid nesting managers deeper than you need.
Standardize naming and labels. Include client, country, and platform in account names so reports are easy to read.
Document ownership. Record who owns each account, who pays, and who has Admin access. Put this in your contract.
Agree on billing early. Decide whether the client pays Google directly or you use consolidated billing, and who owns the data and the account.
Onboard and offboard with a checklist. Include access, tracking, billing, shared lists, and report handover.
Set up cross-account monitoring. Alerts for budget spikes, conversion drops, and unusual click patterns across clients.
Keep clean data. Review search terms and placements regularly, and watch for invalid traffic in every account.
Review quarterly. Audit users, linked managers, account limits, dormant accounts, and billing setups.

Common mistakes

Trying to convert an existing ad account into a manager account instead of creating a new one.
Using one shared login for the whole team.
Giving everyone Admin access.
Creating accounts with the wrong currency or time zone, or setting up a currency mismatch between the manager account and clients by accident.
Clients accepting a link, or letting an agency create their account, without keeping their own Admin access.
Letting clients' old agencies stay linked.
Forgetting that dormant accounts count toward the limit.
Clicking email "link request" or "account suspended" messages without checking.
Using a personal Google account for the manager account, then losing access when the person leaves.
Assuming the MCC protects clients from invalid clicks.

MCC setup checklist

FAQ

What is a Google MCC?

MCC is the former name, short for My Client Center, of what Google now calls a manager account. It lets you manage many Google Ads accounts from one login.

What is a Google MCC account used for?

Agencies, freelancers, and multi-brand businesses use it to view and manage multiple accounts, give and receive access without sharing passwords, run cross-account reports and scripts, and consolidate billing.

How do I log in to a Google Ads MCC?

Go to ads.google.com, sign in with the Google account that has access, complete 2-step verification, and open the account labelled Manager. Then use the account selector to switch between client accounts.

What does "mmc gg ads" mean?

It is a common misspelling and shorthand for "MCC Google Ads," that is, a Google Ads manager account.

Is a Google Ads MCC free?

Yes. Creating a manager account costs nothing. You pay only for the ads that run in the linked client accounts.

Can I run ads directly from an MCC?

No. A manager account is for managing other accounts. Ads run in client accounts, which you can create inside the manager account or link from existing ones.

Can I turn my existing Google Ads account into an MCC?

No. Create a new manager account and link your existing account to it as a client account.

How do I link a client to my MCC?

Send a link request from your manager account using the client's 10-digit customer ID, and ask the client to accept it in their account. You cannot force the link.

Does linking change the client's billing?

No. Billing and payment methods stay with the client unless you set up consolidated billing. The client's existing users also keep their access.

How many accounts can I manage in one MCC?

It depends on your combined monthly spend over the last 12 months, and on factors such as cancellations and activity. Distinguish the spend-based active limit from the separate total limit, which includes inactive accounts. See Google's current account limits page before planning a large structure.

Can a client be linked to more than one manager?

Yes, a client account can be directly managed by up to five manager accounts at the same time. A manager account, however, cannot be directly managed by more than one other manager account.

What access levels exist?

Common levels are Admin, Standard, Read only, and Email only, with a Billing level for client accounts. Exact availability can vary, so check Google Ads Help for your account.

How do I remove a manager from a client account or unlink a client?

The client's Admin can remove a manager in the account's access settings. A manager with the right permissions can unlink from the sub-account settings. Export reports and settle billing and shared settings first.

Does an MCC protect against click fraud?

Not by itself. It gives you cross-account visibility and shared tools, but you still need to review invalid clicks, search terms, placements, and traffic patterns in each account, and consider protection software.

Next Steps

A Google Ads manager account (MCC) is the standard way to manage several accounts, give partners access without sharing passwords, and report across clients. Create it with a business Google account and 2-step verification, link clients by request, keep access named and minimal, watch the limits and hierarchy, and review users on a schedule. Because one login can reach many budgets, treat the MCC as a security asset, not just a convenience.

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