_gac_<IDENTIFIANT> — Google Ads
By the OpenCookies team · published 2026-10-22 · updated 2026-10-22
- Service
- Google Ads
- Category
- Advertising and profiling
- Default duration
- 90 days
- Type
- First-party cookie (set by your own site)
- Consent required?
- Yes, before any storage or reading.
What is it for?
Stores information about the Google Ads campaign that brought the visitor, so conversions can later be imported into Google Ads. Its name contains the Google Analytics property ID.
What does it look like?
The value looks like 1.1700000000.XXXXXXXX: a version, the date and the gclid click ID.
How to see it in your browser
Open your site, press F12, then choose the “Application” tab (Chrome, Edge) or “Storage” (Firefox). Under “Cookies”, select your site’s address: the _gac_<IDENTIFIANT> cookie appears in the list if present, with its value and expiry date.
What does the rule say?
Targeted advertising, remarketing and profiling require prior, free and informed consent. These cookies cannot be exempted.
How to prevent it before the choice
Set ad_storage to denied by default in Google Consent Mode and load the Google Ads tag only after consent.
How OpenCookies handles it
Common services like this one are in OpenCookies’ tracker list: the banner neutralizes their script before the visitor chooses and only restarts it after “Accept”. The test shows whether this cookie appears before the choice, after “Refuse” and after “Accept”.
Step-by-step guide : Google Consent Mode v2: how to set it up simply
Check it on my site
Does this cookie appear on your site before the visitor chooses? The OpenCookies test shows it in two minutes.
Related cookies
Frequently asked questions
Why is there also _gcl_aw?
Both keep the Google Ads click ID: _gac_ serves the Analytics integration, _gcl_aw the Google Ads tag measurement.
Does it disappear with Consent Mode?
With ad_storage denied, the tag does not write this cookie.
Durations are defaults and may change with configuration. This page describes a cookie; it is not legal advice.