Consent mode

Consent mode is Google's way of passing a user's consent choices from a site's or app's banner to Google tags, which then change what they store and send.

A consent management platform collects the user's choice; consent mode tells Google's tags what that choice was. The site sets default states, often denied before the user answers, and updates them when the user acts (Google for Developers, updated 30 July 2026). The main signals are ad_storage (cookies or device IDs for advertising), ad_user_data (sending user data to Google for advertising), ad_personalization (personalised ads) and analytics_storage.

There are two ways to implement it. In basic mode, Google tags do not load until the user consents. In advanced mode, tags load with the default settings. When consent is denied, they send cookieless pings that Google uses to model conversions (same source).

Consent mode is not a consent mechanism in itself and does not replace a consent management platform (CMP). In the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, Google separately requires publishers that use its ad products to run a Google-certified CMP integrated with the IAB TCF when they serve personalised ads.

Example: A retailer's banner starts with ad_storage, ad_user_data and ad_personalization set to denied. A visitor accepts analytics only, so the site updates analytics_storage to granted. Google Ads tags then send cookieless pings for that visitor, and conversions from the visit are modelled rather than observed.

Related terms: CMP, TCF, consent string, GPP, CHIPS.

Authoritative source: Google for Developers, "Consent mode overview" (last updated 30 July 2026).