How to Exclude Tablets or Desktops in Google Ads (Device Bid Adjustments Explained)

If your campaign is burning budget on devices that don't convert, device exclusions are one of the fastest fixes in your toolkit. The good news: it's not complicated. The slightly annoying news: there are a few platform quirks, especially around tablets, that you need to know before you start clicking.

TL;DR: You can exclude tablets or desktops in Google Ads by setting a -100% bid adjustment at the campaign or ad group level under the Devices section. This guide walks you through exactly how to do it, when it makes sense, and what to watch out for—including the Smart Bidding caveat and the tablet grouping issue that still trips people up.

Whether you're a freelancer cleaning up a client account or an agency managing dozens of campaigns, this is a clear, repeatable workflow you can apply right now.

Step 1: Understand What Device Exclusions Actually Do in Google Ads

First, a quick clarification that a lot of guides skip: Google Ads doesn't have a simple "exclude this device" toggle for Search campaigns. What it does have is a bid adjustment system, and setting a device to -100% achieves the same practical result. Your ads stop showing on that device because your effective bid drops to zero.

It's a bid modifier, not a hard block. That distinction matters when you're working with Smart Bidding, which we'll get to in Step 3.

Google segments devices into four categories in the Devices report:

Mobile phones: Smartphones running iOS, Android, etc.

Computers: Desktops and laptops.

Tablets: iPads, Android tablets—in theory, a separate category.

TV screens: Connected TVs, smart TVs. Mostly relevant for Display and YouTube campaigns.

You can apply bid adjustments at the campaign level or the ad group level. Ad group-level settings override campaign-level settings, so if you want granular control, go ad group by ad group.

Now, the nuance that matters most: Display and Shopping campaigns give you more flexibility with device targeting than Search campaigns do. In Search, you're working within tighter constraints, particularly around tablets. More on that in Step 4.

The main thing to internalize before you touch anything: -100% means your ads effectively won't show on that device. But it's still processed as a bidding instruction, not a firewall. Keep that in mind as you move through the steps. If you're setting up a campaign from scratch, understanding how to set up a Google Ads campaign correctly from the start will save you from having to untangle device settings later.

Step 2: Check Your Device Performance Data Before Making Changes

This is the step most people rush past, and it's where bad decisions get made. Don't exclude a device because it feels right. Pull the data first.

Here's where to find it: Go to your campaign, then click Segments in the top toolbar of the campaign view, and select Device. This breaks down your performance metrics by device type within that campaign.

What you're looking for isn't just clicks or impressions. You want:

Conversion rate by device: Which device is actually closing the loop?

Cost per conversion by device: Where is your CPA out of line with your targets?

ROAS by device: If you're running ecommerce, which device is generating revenue efficiently?

Pull at least 30 days of data. Ideally 60 to 90 days. In most accounts I audit, people make exclusion decisions based on two weeks of data during a slow period, then wonder why performance tanks after the change. Small sample sizes lie.

A device with five conversions is not enough data to justify a permanent exclusion. You need statistical weight before you make a call that cuts off an entire device category.

One more thing worth doing: cross-reference with Google Analytics 4. Look at bounce rate and session duration by device. Sometimes a device looks weak in Google Ads because it's a research touchpoint, not a conversion touchpoint. GA4 can reveal whether tablet users, for example, are spending meaningful time on your site even if they're not converting directly.

Also worth checking: the Search Terms Report filtered by device. If you're seeing garbage queries predominantly on one device, that's a signal. If query quality looks consistent across devices and the conversion rate is just lower, that's a different problem with a different solution.

Do this analysis before you touch a single bid adjustment. It takes 10 minutes and saves you from making a change that hurts the account.

Step 3: Set a -100% Bid Adjustment to Exclude a Device

Once you've done the analysis and you're confident a device is underperforming, here's exactly how to apply the exclusion.

Navigate to the campaign you want to adjust. In the left-hand menu, look for Audiences and targeting and click Devices. If you don't see it in the left menu immediately, you may need to scroll down or look under the targeting section depending on your current UI view.

You'll see a table with four rows: Mobile phones, Computers, Tablets, and TV screens. Each row has a bid adjustment column. By default, these are set to 0% (no adjustment).

Click the bid adjustment field next to the device you want to exclude. Type in -100 and save. That's it. Your ads will stop showing on that device.

To apply this at the ad group level instead of the campaign level, navigate into a specific ad group, then find the Devices section within that ad group's targeting settings. Ad group settings take precedence over campaign settings, so use this when you want different device strategies within the same campaign.

Now, the critical caveat that most guides bury at the bottom: if you're using Smart Bidding, device bid adjustments are largely ignored.

This is confirmed in Google's own documentation. When you're running Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize Conversions, or Maximize Conversion Value, the algorithm controls bids dynamically and overrides manual bid adjustments—including device adjustments. Setting -100% on a Smart Bidding campaign may have no effect, or inconsistent effect, depending on how Google's system interprets it.

What to do instead if you're on Smart Bidding: the most reliable approach is to restructure. Create separate campaigns for different device targets, then apply Smart Bidding within each campaign. It's more work upfront, but it gives you actual control. Understanding how to optimize Google Ads campaigns at a structural level makes this kind of restructuring much easier to execute.

One more important note: Performance Max campaigns do not support device-level bid adjustments or exclusions at all. This is a current platform limitation. If you're running PMax and want device control, your options are limited to audience signals and asset group optimization—device exclusions simply aren't available there.

Step 4: Handle the Tablet Problem in Search Campaigns

Let's talk about the tablet issue honestly, because it's been a source of frustration in the PPC community for years.

Historically, Google grouped tablets with computers in Search campaigns. That meant you couldn't bid adjust tablets independently—they were lumped in with desktop, and whatever you did to "Computers" affected both. This was widely documented across PPC publications including Search Engine Land and PPC Hero, and it frustrated a lot of advertisers who wanted to isolate tablet performance.

The current state: tablets do appear as a separate line item in the Devices report, which is an improvement. However, the ability to independently adjust tablet bids in Search campaigns has had inconsistent availability over time, and some advertisers still report limited control depending on their account type and campaign setup. The safest approach is to check your own account's Devices tab and see whether the tablet bid adjustment field is editable.

If you find that tablet exclusion isn't fully available for your Search campaigns, here are the practical workarounds:

Workaround 1: Separate mobile-only campaign. Create a dedicated campaign targeting only mobile phones by setting Computers and Tablets to -100%. Accept that tablets may bleed through in your other campaigns if the adjustment isn't fully respected, and monitor accordingly. For more on getting the most from mobile traffic, see how to optimize Google Ads for mobile.

Workaround 2: Audience bid adjustments. Layer in-market or demographic audiences with bid adjustments to influence who sees your ads. This doesn't exclude tablets directly, but it can shift spend toward higher-converting segments.

Workaround 3: Ad scheduling overlap. If tablet traffic tends to peak at certain times and that traffic underperforms, ad scheduling adjustments can reduce exposure indirectly. It's an imperfect solution, but it's a lever.

Be honest with your clients about this limitation. What usually happens here is that agencies promise full tablet exclusion, then the client notices tablet impressions still appearing, and trust erodes. Set expectations accurately: the platform has constraints, and you're working within them.

Step 5: Apply Device Exclusions Across Multiple Campaigns Efficiently

If you're managing one campaign, manual edits in the UI are perfectly fine. If you're managing 10, 20, or 50 campaigns across multiple clients, you need a faster approach.

Option 1: Google Ads Editor. This is the most practical bulk solution for most agencies. Download your account into Editor, select multiple campaigns, and bulk-edit device bid adjustments from the shared editing panel. You can apply -100% to a specific device across all selected campaigns in a few clicks. If you're not already using Editor for bulk changes, learning how to use Google Ads Editor is a good reason to start.

Option 2: Google Ads Scripts. For accounts where you want ongoing automation, scripts can apply device bid adjustments based on performance thresholds. For example, a script can check weekly CPA by device and automatically set a -100% adjustment if a device's CPA exceeds your target by a defined percentage. This requires some technical setup, but it's powerful for large accounts where manual monitoring isn't realistic.

Option 3: Bulk uploads via Google Ads UI. Google Ads supports spreadsheet-based bulk edits through the UI. You can export campaigns, modify device bid adjustments in the spreadsheet, and re-upload. It's less elegant than Editor but works if you don't have Editor installed.

For ongoing in-interface optimization across multiple accounts, tools like Keywordme help reduce the friction of repetitive PPC tasks—managing keyword lists, removing junk search terms, and applying match types directly inside Google Ads without jumping between spreadsheets and external dashboards. When you're handling device strategy as part of a broader campaign optimization workflow, having your keyword and search term management streamlined in the same interface saves real time.

One agency practice worth adopting: document every device exclusion decision in a client changelog. Note the date, which device, which campaigns, and what the data showed at the time. This makes it easy to track impact at the 30-day mark and gives you a defensible record if a client questions why impression volume dropped. If you're managing multiple clients at scale, see how to manage multiple Google Ads accounts efficiently to keep this kind of documentation sustainable.

Step 6: Monitor Performance After Excluding a Device

Making the change is step one. Monitoring what happens next is where most people drop the ball.

Check performance at two weeks and again at four weeks after the change. Don't evaluate after three days—there's too much noise in short windows to draw conclusions.

What to monitor:

Impression and click volume: Expect these to drop. That's the point. Don't panic at a lower impression count if your conversion metrics are holding or improving.

Conversion volume and CPA: This is the real test. If overall conversion volume drops significantly after excluding a device, dig into why before assuming the exclusion was wrong.

CTR changes: Sometimes excluding a low-intent device improves your overall CTR because you're now showing to a more relevant audience mix.

Here's the trap to watch for: cross-device attribution. A user might research your product on mobile, browse more on tablet, and convert on desktop. If you exclude desktop entirely because desktop conversions look weak in last-click reporting, you might be cutting off the final step in a multi-device journey.

This is a real issue, and it's why you should use Google's Attribution Report before making permanent exclusions on high-traffic devices. Find it under Tools and Settings > Attribution. Look at the assisted conversion paths and see how often desktop appears as a touchpoint even when it's not the final click.

If cross-device paths are significant in your account, consider a softer adjustment first: try -50% on an underperforming device before going straight to -100%. This reduces exposure without eliminating it entirely, and gives you a cleaner read on whether the device was contributing more than raw conversion data suggested. Knowing how to tell if your Google Ads are performing well across all dimensions makes this kind of nuanced evaluation much more reliable.

The mistake most agencies make is treating device exclusions as a one-time fix. Device performance shifts over time, especially with seasonality. Build a monthly device performance review into your optimization cadence.

Putting It All Together: Device Exclusion Checklist

Here's the full workflow condensed into a repeatable checklist you can use every time you approach device optimization in a new account:

1. Pull device performance data for at least 30-60 days. Look at conversion rate, CPA, and ROAS by device—not just clicks.

2. Check cross-device attribution in the Attribution Report before excluding any major device. Understand whether the device assists conversions even if it doesn't close them.

3. Verify your bidding strategy. If you're on Smart Bidding, device bid adjustments may be ignored. Consider campaign restructuring for true device control.

4. Apply -100% bid adjustment at the campaign level for the target device. Use ad group level for more granular control.

5. Handle the tablet situation honestly. Check whether your Search campaign allows independent tablet bid adjustments. If not, use the workarounds in Step 4 and set client expectations accordingly.

6. For multi-campaign accounts, use Google Ads Editor or scripts for bulk edits. Document every change in a client changelog.

7. Monitor at 2 weeks and 4 weeks post-change. Watch conversion volume, CPA, and CTR. Don't react to impression drops alone.

8. Review device performance monthly. Device exclusions aren't permanent settings—they should be revisited as performance data accumulates.

Device optimization is just one part of keeping a Google Ads account lean and efficient. If you're also looking to speed up search term management, keyword additions, and match type adjustments inside the Google Ads interface, Start your free 7-day trial of Keywordme and see how much faster your optimization workflow can get—right inside Google Ads, no spreadsheets required, at just $12/month after trial.