Google Ads conversion window: what it counts and where to change it

What the conversion window is

The Google Ads conversion window is how long after someone interacts with an ad Google will still record a conversion for it. In Google's words: "A conversion window is the period of time after an ad interaction (such as an ad click or video view) during which a conversion, such as a purchase, is recorded in Google Ads." You set it for each conversion action. For Search and Display, the click window is 30 days unless you change it. A purchase on day 31 still happens and the money still arrives. Google just doesn't record it against the ad. (Google Ads Help: About conversion windows)

The three windows and their defaults

Each conversion action has up to three windows, one for each kind of ad interaction. The figures below are from Google's help pages, read on 23 October 2026.

On the click window, Google adds: "Note that windows of at least 7 days are recommended, because they provide a richer set of conversion data." For engaged views, Google counts at least 10 seconds of a skippable in-stream ad (or the whole ad, if it's shorter) and at least 5 seconds for in-feed and Shorts ads. The engaged-view default for App campaigns is 2 days for installs and 1 day for engagement. (Google Ads Help: About Engaged-view conversions)

Where to change it

Google's steps, from the conversion windows page:

1. In Google Ads, click the Goals icon.

2. Open the Conversions drop down and click Summary.

3. Find the conversion action you want and click Edit settings.

4. On the Settings tab, open the click-through, engaged-view or view-through conversion window and pick a length.

5. Click Save, then Done.

There's one exception. For a conversion that comes from Google Analytics with Paid and organic channels selected, Google says "conversion window changes must be done in Google Analytics."

A change only counts from that day

Google is plain about this: "Just remember that any changes apply to all conversions going forward." Its own example uses an ad click on March 1 under a 30-day window. The window is cut to 10 days on March 7 and raised to 20 days on March 16. "A March 13 conversion from this interaction, which wasn't counted within the last window, won't be retroactively counted." (Google Ads Help: About conversion windows)

So a window change splits the reporting period in two, and the halves aren't measured the same way.

There's a second effect worth knowing. Google reports its main conversion columns "based on the time of the click, not the time of the conversion." If an ad was clicked last week and the visitor converted this week, "both the click and the conversion are reported back to last week" (Google Ads Help: conversion columns). With a 30-day window, last month's figures can keep growing for a month after you send the report. Google also offers "by conv. time" columns, such as Conversions (by conv. time), which put each conversion on the day it happened.

A worked example

Illustrative example: a made-up store and round numbers, not a customer or a benchmark.

On 1 October the account manager cuts the click window on the purchase action from 30 days to 7. In September, under 30 days, Google recorded 100 purchases from September clicks. Twenty of those came 8 to 30 days after the click.

If October's shoppers behave the same way, Google records about 80 purchases from October clicks. The other 20 still buy. Their payments still clear in the store's Stripe account. They just fall outside the new window, so they're not in Google's column.

The client sees Google Ads conversions down by a fifth and asks what broke. Nothing did. The setting changed, and the payments didn't.

Picking a window

Google points to the time lag report: "Not sure what conversion window to choose? Check out the time lag report in your attribution reports." Its example: "If 75% of conversions happen between the 25th and 30th day after an ad interaction, you'll want to make sure you set a window for at least this long." Google also notes that the time lag report only covers ad interactions on google.com. It doesn't show the Display Network or search partners.

The window feeds bidding too. Google says "Smart Bidding strategies, like Target CPA, ECPC, and Target ROAS will count and optimize conversions for any window you choose."

A simple rule for client accounts: pick the window from the time lag report, write it down, and don't change it in the middle of a reporting month.

How to show it in a client report

Add a settings note with one line per conversion action: the action's name, its click-through, engaged-view and view-through windows, and the date of any change. Our Google Ads report template for clients has room for that note.

If the client also runs Meta, don't compare the two as if the windows matched. Meta sets this on the ad set, as an attribution setting, with a default of "7-day click, 1-day view and 1-day engagement conversion" (Meta Business Help Center: Results). Our guide to the Meta ads attribution window covers how to read that one.

Has a window change ever caught you out in a client meeting?