Step-by-step guide
Last updated: August 2026
Have these ready — it's what onboarding stalls on:
Grant the minimum the work needs. On Google Ads, the levels are:
| Access level / role | What it can do |
|---|---|
| Admin | Full control including users and billing. Grant sparingly. |
| Standard | Manage campaigns and see reports; can't manage users. The usual level for a media agency. |
| Read only | View campaigns and reports, no edits. Good for auditors. |
| Billing | Access to billing and payments only. |
| Email only | Receives reports/notifications, no account access. |
Under 5 minutes. You send or accept a manager-account link; the agency confirms from their MCC. Linking is usually instant once both sides confirm.
Open Tools → Setup → Access and security → Managers and grant the access — a few minutes.
Accept and confirm from their side, then start work.
Access is granted when:
The most common problems and how to fix them:
Someone must accept the link. If the agency sent the request, accept it in Admin → Access and security → Managers. If you sent it, the agency accepts in their MCC.
You entered an ad-account ID, not a manager (MCC) ID, or transposed digits. Confirm the 10-digit MCC ID with the agency.
You need Admin on the account to manage access. If you only have Standard, ask whoever set up the account to grant it or add the agency.
Manager (MCC) linking is Google's official agency method — no password shared. You keep ownership of the account and can terminate the link anytime from Access and security. The client's login and 2FA are never involved.
Everything above is why agencies switch to a single link. HandItSafe requests exactly this Google Ads access for you — the client approves through Google Ads's official process in about three minutes, no password shared, and keeps a panel to remove it anytime. When the engagement ends, removing access is one tap with a full log.
FAQ
No. MCC linking is Google's official way to let an agency manage your account without your password. You keep ownership and can unlink anytime.
Admin lets them manage campaigns and billing settings; Standard lets them manage campaigns without billing. Grant the minimum they need.
Admin → Access and security → Managers → Remove. HandItSafe also gives your client a one-tap remove and a log of when access started.
MCC linking connects the agency's whole manager account (best for agencies managing many clients). Adding a user by email grants one person access. For agencies, MCC linking is cleaner and scales.
Only if you grant Admin or Billing access. Grant Standard and they manage campaigns without seeing payment methods.
Keep reading
HandItSafe requests exactly this access in one link. No passwords. Your client keeps a panel to remove it anytime.