Cannot find AdWords API Center

[adwordsku...@ksk-media.de]

Dear All,

Our company wants to develop a simple tool that generates AdWords reports to send to our customers and exports them to PDF.

Now to use the API, I understand that I need an Developer Token, which I am supposed to find in the MCC Account Settings. But there is no link to the AdWords API center on the page referred to here (https://developers.google.com/adwords/api/docs/signingup?hl=en). As advised I have created a completely new AdWords MCC Account. 

Help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

[Ray Tsang (AdWords API Team)]

Hi,

please feel free to send me a screenshot in private for which you are unable to proceed.

Thanks,

Ray

[aa...@informationarchitech.com]

Same experience.  The link to the Adwords API Center is simply not there.  I have tried my existing AdWords account and have also created a brand new one.

[Josh Radcliff (AdWords API Team)]

Hi,

The screenshot you sent looks like it was from the Account Settings screen while you had one of your AdWords client accounts selected (e.g., the one beginning with 386). If you log into My Client Center as the MCC account owner (the one who's email begins with "developer") and then go to Account Settings you should see AdWords API Center.

If you're still having trouble after that, please send the following only to me by clicking Reply to Author:

1. The account IDs you are trying to access
2. The user who is logged in
3. Screen shots of the entire screen when you are under Account Settings and not seeing the API center

Cheers,

Josh, AdWords API Team

[Mark Mallia]

I have the same issue. I created a manager account but I cannot seem to find the AdWords API button anywhere. Is there a way I can send you my information to verify I have indeed signed up correctly ? 

Thanks, 

Mark.

[Josh Radcliff (AdWords API Team)]

Hi Mark,

The AdWords API Center will only appear on non-test manager accounts. If you see a big red "This is a test account" banner in the AdWords user interface, then that explains why you don't see the AdWords API Center.

If you do not see that banner and your account is a manager account, please let me know. You can send your client customer ID (xxx-xxx-xxxx) only to me by clicking Reply privately to author on this post.

Thanks,

Josh, AdWords API Team

[Josh Radcliff (AdWords API Team)]

Hi Mark, others,

A few of you have contacted me privately about this issue. Upon investigating, I found that the issue is that on the page linked from the Help Center (https://www.google.com/adwords/manager-accounts/), there are two links:

a) START NOW in the upper right corner. This link will create an AdWords client account, not a manager account.

b) START USING MANAGER ACCOUNTS in the body of the page, which takes you to: https://adwords.google.com/um/MccStartNow. This link will create an AdWords manager account. This is the one you should use if you are going through the AdWords API Sign Up guide to request a developer token.

If you clicked a) instead, you have a few options:

1. If you have another email address/Google account, you can use the link in b) to create a manager account for that address.
2. If you do not have another email address you can use, check if your email provider supports adding '+' before the domain name of your email address. If so, you can create a new account as described in the third paragraph of the Tip section of this Help Center article.

Thanks,

Josh, AdWords API Team

[Virendra Deshmukh]

Hi,

Why this is too much confusing??? I created both account manager and test account. I am developer want to develop a tool to get campaign information and other advertisement information... But I need test the things... How can I get the Developer token?? can you please provide clear instructions? And I could not find the API Access Center option anywhere??? this is very ignorent.

[Josh Radcliff (AdWords API Team)]

Hi,

Sorry to hear that the process is giving you trouble. A few tips that may help:

1. Did you read through and follow the steps in the Sign Up guide?
2. You mentioned that you cannot find the AdWords API Center. The most common reason for that is that the production account you created is a client account, not a manager account. When you go to https://www.google.com/adwords/manager-accounts/ to create the account, please make sure you click the button in the body of the page under the Manager accounts tab, not the Sign Up link in the top right corner (see the attached screenshot).

If you'd like me to take a look at the production and test accounts you created, please send the client customer IDs (xxx-xx-xxxx) of those accounts only to me by clicking Reply privately to author on this post, and I'll be glad to help.

Cheers,

Josh, AdWords API Team

[Ben Rigby]

I stumbled up this thread - having the same problems as described above (not being able to find my Dev API token)... for anyone else having this problem in future, discovered that I had to switch to the old version of AdWords in order to find the correct "Account Settings" link. In the new UI, these options don't seem to be available. 

[TompiT]

Indeed same issue here, need to revert to the old UI to get access to 'AdWords API Centre' settings.

[winnow....@gmail.com]

Hey Ben,
I am also facing the same issue.
Execute following steps after login to your manager account
Click on tools icon >> Select Return to previous AdWords >> click the gear icon >> select Account settings >> AdWords API Center
Then fill the form

[Osa Aimola]

Going by the number of people with this same issue, this is obbbvvviiooouussslly a reoccurring problem and should hint at something being wrong with the process.

I've done several searches for how to get this fixed and it just doesn't work. Can you please, break this down into a clear solution?
Also how does one check if their email is a manager account or not? because I used the steps and it is just not working.

[Josh Radcliff (AdWords API Team)]

Hi,

Just so I'm clear on the first question, could you explain which issue you would like a clear solution for? There have been a couple of different issues discussed in this thread.

To check if you email is a manager account, you have a few options:

1. Log into adwords.google.com using the email address. If the account is a manager account, you will see Accounts in the list of pages on the left.
2. Issue a CustomerService.getCustomers request using OAuth2 credentials for the account, and inspect the canManageClients field. If your account is a manager account, canManageClients will be true.

Thanks,

Josh, AdWords API Team

[Ryan]

I'm also not seeing the link to the Adwords API Center in what I'm pretty sure is my manager account. I do see Accounts on the left side, and under my profile where accounts are also listed there's a grey Manager subheading under the account I'm presently logged into.

Any help would be great, thanks!

[Josh Radcliff (AdWords API Team)]

Hi,

You'll only see the AdWords API Center if your manager account is not a test manager account. Unfortunately, the only way to determine if the account is a test manager account is:

1. Click on the wrench in the upper right corner
   
2. Click on Return to previous AdWords in the upper right corner of the menu that pops up
3. Look for a red banner with This is a test account!

If you're still having trouble, please send your customer ID (xxx-xxx-xxxx) to me by clicking Reply privately to author and I'll take a look.

Thanks,

Josh, AdWords API Team

[Ryan]

#2 did the trick, thanks!

Just as a sanity check for future readers: I was definitely not operating in the test account, though I do switch between them so maybe some crossing of the streams was going on. Regardless, I was looking at the manager account (no red banner, clear "Manager" subheading under the account name), but the Adwords API Center did not appear until I selected "Return to previous AdWords".

[nikkyus...@gmail.com]

Hi,

I'm having the same issue, I've tried the steps you suggested, but it seems the account I'm using is not a test account, but still, I cannot see from the menu AdWords API Center ( neither new interface nor old one).

Any suggestions?

Thanks

[Josh Radcliff (AdWords API Team)]

Hi,

Is the account you are using a manager account? If you're not sure, you can send your client customer ID only to me by clicking Reply privately to author on this message.

Thanks,

Josh, AdWords API Team

[vodosof...@gmail.com]

Really, Adwords API is the most confusing API I've ever seen in my entire life.

I made a manager account .. then when I test it says that (AuthorizationError.USER_PERMISSION_DENIED) .. when searched online found that that's because I'm testing on non-test account .. I created a test account then now you say API CENTRE is not available for testing accounts????
How is that possible! Please give us clear instructions how to even test any of this API !!

[Josh Radcliff (AdWords API Team)]

Hi,

Sorry this has been so frustrating for you. Hopefully I can clear a few things up.

First, you can only apply for a developer token under a production manager account. Once you've applied:

• While your token is pending approval, you can use that developer token to issue API requests against any test account, regardless of its account hierarchy, provided your request includes OAuth credentials for the account you are issuing the API request against (specified via the clientCustomerId header).
  
• Once your token is approved, you can use that developer token to issue API requests against any production or test account, regardless of its account hierarchy, provided your request includes the proper OAuth credentials.

Test accounts serve two purposes:

1. They allow you to use the API while your token is pending approval.
2. Once your token is approved, they allow you to test your code and experiment with the API without worrying about generating ad spend, since test accounts will not serve ads.

A complicating factor at the moment is that the new AdWords experience in the UI does not clearly identify test accounts. We're aware of this issue and are working on a fix. As a workaround to that issue, I suggested checking if the AdWords API Center appears in your manager account, since the AdWords API Center only appears in an account if it is both: a) a production account; and b) a manager account. Therefore, if you log in as a manager account and do not see the AdWords API Center, then that account is a test account.

If you're still not sure if your account is a test account, you can send your client customer ID only to me by clicking Reply privately to author on this message.

Please let me know if the above doesn't clear things up.

Cheers,

Josh, AdWords API Team

[Stephane Michot]

Hi,

I'm having the same issue, I cannot see from the menu AdWords API Center ( neither new interface/old). Despite I've tried the steps you suggested, create a Manager Account, etc... Maybe I do something wrong...

Any suggestions?

Thanks

[Josh Radcliff (AdWords API Team)]

Hi Stephane,

Did you create a production manager account or a test account? I ask because you'll only see the AdWords API Center from a production manager account. You won't see it if your account is either of the following:

a) A test manager account

b) A non-manager (client) account

Thanks,

Josh, AdWords API Team

[piy...@coditation.com]

Hey,

Please complete the billing details after creating MCC account.

Once that is completed you can see API Center option under Tool Icon.

Thanks.

[Heber Olivar Silva]

Hi Josh, 

The Central API did not appear to my account and when I invoke method managedCustomerService I receive the tag totalNumEntries with value '0' (zero).

Is there anything else to approve or submit?

Let me know if you need any further information.

Best Regards,

Heber Olivar

-

[Josh Radcliff (AdWords API Team)]

Hi Heber,

Could you start a separate topic for this question so one of my colleagues can assist? This topic covers a variety of issues going all the way back to 2014, so it's getting difficult for others to follow. I'm going to lock the topic to avoid confusion.

Thanks,

Josh, AdWords API Team