pause
Pauses an item from serving without removing it from the catalog. 'ads' pauses paid Shopping ads but keeps the item in free listings; 'all' pauses everywhere.
Also known as: pause_ads
Channel support
| Channel | Status | Field name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Merchant Center | Optional | pause | — Docs → |
| Meta Commerce Manager | Not supported | — | — |
| TikTok Shop | Not supported | — | — |
| Pinterest Catalog | Not supported | — | — |
| Amazon | Not supported | — | — |
| Bing Merchant Center | Optional | pause | — |
Why it matters
Useful for short-term tactical pauses — supplier delay, stock arriving in a few days, temporary policy review. Cleaner than deleting and recreating items because historical learning is preserved.
Pause is the soft-disable that's underused in most catalogs. When inventory is delayed by 3 days waiting for restock, the choices are: keep items live (impressions on items that will frustrate users), remove items (lose historical learning signal), or pause (invisible to users, preserves signal, lifts cleanly when restocked).
The two values: `ads` (pauses paid Shopping ads only — items still appear in free listings), `all` (pauses across all surfaces). For supplier delays where you want to avoid paid spend but maintain organic visibility, `ads` is the right answer. For full pause during product migration or extended unavailability, `all` is cleaner.
The operational discipline: pause is for short-term tactical use (days to a few weeks). Items paused indefinitely should be removed from the catalog entirely — pause isn't archival storage.
Format rules
-
Lowercase: 'ads' (paid only) or 'all' (everywhere)
Applies to: Google Merchant Center, Bing Merchant Center
Valid examples
ads Pause paid ads but keep free listings live
all Full pause
Common mistakes
yes Use 'ads' or 'all'
FAQ
How is pause different from availability='out of stock'?
Out of stock signals to users that the product is sold out. Pause is invisible to users — it just stops the item from delivering ads. Use pause for operational reasons, out of stock for actual inventory state.
Last reviewed: 26 May 2026
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