Your previous Google Ads account was used in a way that violated Google’s policies – Google Ads

Your previous Google Ads account was used in a way that violated Google’s policies. As a result you can’t create a new Google Ads Account

Quoted word for word by an advertiser in the Google Ads Community in March 2024, after trying to open a new account for clients. People also search for a second version: “This Google Ads account was used in a way that violated Google’s policies. As a result, you can’t create a new Google Ads account.”

You see this when you try to open a Google Ads account, not inside one you already have. Google is telling you that an earlier Google Ads account, one it connects to you, broke its policies, and that it won’t let you open another. Its help pages say any new accounts that the advertiser tries to create may also be suspended, and Google recommends that advertisers reinstate all the suspended ads accounts first, before attempting to create new accounts.

The advertiser who posted it in the Google Ads Community was setting up accounts for clients. They said their existing accounts were still running ads, with no warnings. That’s one report, but it shows something useful: the account Google means isn’t necessarily one you use today.

Checked against Google’s help pages on 11 October 2026. Google changes them without notice, so check the linked page before relying on a detail.

At a glance

• A block at sign-up

  It stops a new account being created. On its own, it says nothing about the accounts you already run.

• No account is named

  The message says “previous” account. Finding out which one is the first job.

• Related accounts count

  Google’s examples: the same email or payment method, or the same manager account.

• Old suspension first

  Google recommends getting suspended accounts reinstated before creating new ones.

• No new email or card

  Signing up again with different details to get past it is what Google’s Circumventing Systems policy describes.

On this page10 sections

What the message means

Google’s help pages answer the question “Can a suspended advertiser set up or use other accounts?” twice. The suspensions overview says accounts related to the suspended account may be suspended, and that new accounts may be suspended too. The billing and payment suspensions page starts its answer with a plain “No”.

This message goes one step further. Instead of suspending a new account after it’s opened, Google stops it being opened at all. So the cause isn’t anything you typed into the sign-up form. It’s an earlier account, and Google’s advice points there.

Which previous account does Google mean?

The message doesn’t say, and we haven’t found a Google page that explains how it picks the account. Google’s billing and payment suspensions page does give examples of accounts it treats as related to a suspended one: accounts using the same email or payment method, or accounts linked to the same manager account.

In our experience, when Google treats accounts as related, it’s typically a shared card: the same business card used on both. So look for any Google Ads account, old or current, that shares a sign-in, a card or a manager account with you.

1. The accounts on your sign-in. Sign in to Google Ads with the Google Account you tried to sign up with. Google says selecting your profile image at the top right shows a list of the Google Ads accounts associated with your current Google Account. Open each one and look for a suspension notice at the top.
2. Your email. Google sends suspended advertisers an in-account notification and an email that will identify all policies the advertiser has been suspended for violating. Search every inbox you’ve used for Google Ads, including old ones.
3. The cards. List every card that has paid for Google Ads, including any a colleague or a previous agency set up.
4. Any manager account. If you’re an agency, or an agency once ran your ads, look through the accounts linked to the manager account for one that’s suspended.

Old accounts can be hard to reach. Google says advertisers may not be able to access suspended accounts after an extended period.

How it relates to related accounts and new accounts

This message is about opening an account. Three of our guides cover the situations next to it:

• An account suspended because of another one. If Google has turned down an appeal saying the issue is connected to another related account, the fix starts with that other account.
• Thinking of opening a new account anyway. Our guide to a new Google Ads account after a suspension explains why it makes the original problem harder.
• Agencies. If the earlier account sits under your manager account, read what happened when one client took down a manager account.

What Google asks you to do

Google’s advice is to get the suspended account reinstated before creating anything new. The appeal steps are the same as for any suspension:

1. Fix what the account was suspended for.

   The suspension email names the policy. Before appealing, Google asks you to ensure that all linked (or previously linked) and all related accounts comply with its policies.

2. Appeal from inside the suspended account.

   Google says to select the Contact us link in the notification at the top of your screen. That opens the appeal form.

3. Send one appeal per account.

   If more than one account is suspended, Google asks you to submit a separate appeal for each suspended account. It also warns that if you file too many appeals for the same account suspension, it may not process them.

4. Wait for Google’s email.

   When your appeal has been reviewed, Google says you’ll receive an email with the outcome.

Only then try the sign-up again. We haven’t found a Google page that says the block lifts on its own once the old account is reinstated, so treat that as something to check, not a promise.

If the suspension is old

A “previous” account may be years old. Google gives every advertiser at least six months from the date of account suspension to appeal. Since 21 July 2026, it also says the option to appeal a policy decision directly from your Google Ads account will not be available for policy decisions made more than six months prior. Google words that for policy decisions in general. We haven’t seen it say how it applies to an old account suspension.

Google also has a separate appeal form for account suspensions. It asks for the suspended account’s Google Ads customer ID, and it warns: “While awaiting a response, please do not create new accounts as they will also be suspended.” Our guide to customer IDs, appeal IDs and case IDs shows where to find the number, and our guide to what the appeal form asks covers the rest.

Agencies opening accounts for clients

The March 2024 report came from an agency. If your manager account is tied to a suspended account, be careful what you link to it. Google’s billing page counts accounts linked to the same manager account as related to a suspended one, and says related accounts will be suspended. So a client’s account linked to that manager account could be caught too. Deal with the suspension before you link new clients.

And don’t ask a colleague or a client to open an account for you to get round the message. That is still a new account opened to re-enter the system.

Can it be fixed?

Sometimes. It all depends on the earlier suspension. Google says accounts are only reinstated in compelling circumstances, such as in the case of a mistake. If the earlier account was suspended by mistake, or its problem has really been fixed, an appeal is the way back. In our experience, it’s hopeless if the underlying suspension isn’t addressed first.

If the earlier account broke the rules in a way that can’t be put right, no wording will change that, and a specialist will tell you so. See when a suspension can’t be fixed. Only Google decides whether an account is reinstated.

The appeal route

• Find the suspended account and read its suspension email.
• Fix the cause, and check the accounts linked to it.
• Appeal from that account’s Contact us link, one appeal per account.
• Leave the sign-up alone until the account is reinstated.

Then read what the appeal form asks and, if it’s turned down, what a rejected appeal means.

Frequently asked questions

Why can’t I create a new Google Ads account?

Because Google connects your sign-up to an earlier Google Ads account that it says was used in a way that violated its policies. Google’s advice is to get suspended accounts reinstated before creating new ones.

Which account is Google talking about?

The message doesn’t say. Look for any account that shares your sign-in, a card or a manager account. Google’s billing page gives the same email, the same payment method and the same manager account as examples of related accounts. In our experience, a shared card is typical.

My current accounts are running. Why am I blocked?

The message is about a “previous” account, so it may be one you no longer use. The advertiser who posted it in March 2024 said the same: their existing accounts were still running ads.

Can I use a different email address or card?

No. Google says new accounts the advertiser tries to create may also be suspended, and its Circumventing Systems policy names creating new accounts to re-enter the system as a violation.

How long do I have to appeal the old suspension?

Google gives at least six months from the date of suspension. Since 21 July 2026 it also says the option to appeal a policy decision from inside your Google Ads account isn’t available for decisions made more than six months earlier.

Will the block lift once the old account is reinstated?

Google recommends reinstating suspended accounts before attempting to create new ones. We haven’t found a Google page that says the block lifts on its own, so try the sign-up again after reinstatement and check.