Microsoft Advertising is removing Max CPC from new standalone automated campaigns

Microsoft Advertising has notified advertisers that, from October 1, 2026, Max CPC will no longer be available when creating new non-portfolio campaigns using standalone automated bidding strategies. Reporting from Search Engine Land and Search Engine Journal, along with a reproduced Microsoft advertiser email and confirmation from Microsoft Ads Liaison Navah Hopkins, says the affected paths include Maximize Conversions, Maximize Conversion Value and Maximize Clicks; target-based variants such as Target CPA and Target ROAS are part of the same automated-bidding control model where the cap is being removed at standalone campaign creation. Existing campaigns that already have a Max CPC can retain it for now, while portfolio bid strategies, Enhanced CPC and Target Impression Share continue to support a ceiling. Microsoft says a hard cap can conflict with an automated strategy’s performance goal and disrupt spend pacing.

A Max CPC is a hard auction-level guardrail: it limits what the platform may pay for one click even when an automated strategy wants to bid more. Removing that control from new standalone campaigns changes risk management for advertisers that use tCPA, tROAS or maximize-style bidding but still want protection from unusually expensive clicks. The replacement controls are not equivalent. Budgets limit aggregate spend, and CPA/ROAS targets describe desired average outcomes rather than a maximum single-click price. Teams that still require a hard ceiling may need to use a portfolio strategy or another retained bidding path, and should test whether that structural workaround changes campaign behavior or reporting.

The advertiser notice says Max CPC will no longer be available from October 1 when creating new non-portfolio campaigns. Search Engine Land and Search Engine Journal report that existing campaigns with a Max CPC will keep the setting, so the immediate change is not a forced migration of the installed base. That distinction matters for agencies planning Q4 launches or recreating campaigns from templates.

Microsoft Ads Liaison Navah Hopkins said portfolio bid strategies, Enhanced CPC and Target Impression Share will continue to support Max CPC. For advertisers that need a hard per-click limit, a portfolio strategy becomes the clearest retained route after October 1. Teams should not assume that moving a campaign into a portfolio is operationally identical to its current standalone configuration; targets, learning history and governance should be tested.

Microsoft’s own current documentation describes Max CPC as an optional control that makes sure the platform does not pay more than a specified amount for an individual click under automated strategies. By contrast, Target CPA and Target ROAS optimize toward averages over time, while campaign budgets constrain aggregate spend. Removing Max CPC therefore changes the type of risk being controlled, not simply the location of the same setting.

The company says Max CPC can give its bidding system conflicting instructions when an advertiser simultaneously asks it to hit a CPA or ROAS target and prevents bids above a fixed ceiling. Microsoft argues that removing the cap can make it easier for automated bidding to optimize toward the stated business goal. Whether that improves advertiser outcomes depends on conversion quality, auction volatility and the value distribution of clicks; the claim should be tested at account level rather than assumed.

The initial change is being described for campaign creation in the Microsoft Advertising interface. Specialist reporting says Editor support will change later and an API update is expected, but Microsoft has not published a public migration document specifying exact API-version behavior or a forced-conversion path for existing capped campaigns. Microsoft’s current Learn documentation still describes Max CPC fields for automated strategies, so integration owners should watch for documentation and schema updates before October 1.