Microsoft Ads to Drop Max CPC From New Campaigns Starting Oct. 1, 2026

Microsoft Advertising emailed advertisers that Max CPC bidding will no longer be offered when creating new non-portfolio campaigns after October 1, 2026 [2]. Campaigns created before that date will keep the Max CPC option, and it will remain available for campaigns using portfolio bid strategies, with the company saying further updates will come later [2]. Microsoft says the setting can hinder its bidding system from optimizing toward performance goals, even when the maximum CPC is set above the average CPC, and the change pushes advertisers toward automated bidding controls [3]. The change was among the items recapped in search forum coverage on August 21, 2026, alongside notes that Google's August spam update finished that morning [1].

Sources

1. seroundtable.com · Daily Search Forum Recap: August 21, 2026 Aug 21, 2026
2. seroundtable.com · Microsoft Advertising Max CPC Won't Be Available For New Campaigns On Oct 1 Aug 21, 2026
3. searchenginejournal.com · Microsoft Ads Is Removing Max CPC From New Campaigns via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson Aug 20, 2026

This is the neutral brief the press writes once, for everyone, before each reader’s paper adds its own so-what. It links out; it does not republish. 3 articles clustered.

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