__gads — Google AdSense / Ad Manager
By the OpenCookies team · published 2026-10-22 · updated 2026-10-22
- Service
- Google AdSense / Ad Manager
- Category
- Advertising and profiling
- Default duration
- 13 months
- Type
- Third-party cookie (set by another domain)
- Consent required?
- Yes, before any storage or reading.
What is it for?
Google cookie for serving ads on sites that display AdSense or Ad Manager: it limits how often an ad is repeated and measures its performance.
What does it look like?
The value is a string made of an ID and dates. The cookie is written on your site’s domain by the advertising script.
How to see it in your browser
Open your site, press F12, then choose the “Application” tab (Chrome, Edge) or “Storage” (Firefox). This cookie is written by another domain: look for it under “Cookies”, under the service’s domain. If you cannot see it, your browser may be blocking third-party cookies.
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
Do not load the advertising script (AdSense, Ad Manager) before 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”.
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
Who adds it to my site?
The AdSense or Ad Manager script. If you display no Google ads, it should not appear.
How does it relate to __gpi?
They work together for ad delivery and measurement.
Durations are defaults and may change with configuration. This page describes a cookie; it is not legal advice.