Ever clicked on a product online, and before you know it, that same product is following you around in ads throughout the day? We’ve all been there!

As consumers become more aware of how their personal data is being collected, stored, and used, privacy has become a major concern.

With growing incidents of data breaches, misuse of personal information, and overly aggressive advertising tactics, people are more cautious about their privacy.

They want to feel confident that their data is handled responsibly and ethically.

With privacy regulations like GDPR in Europe and CCPA in California, advertisers are now required to prioritize data protection and respect users’ privacy.

Consent Mode in Microsoft Advertising

In response to these challenges, Microsoft Ads introduced Consent Mode in July 2023 to help businesses align with privacy laws and manage user consent for cookies and tracking in a more transparent, compliant way.

💡 Before diving deeper into Microsoft’s version, check out our ultimate guide to Consent Mode to better understand the concept.

What’s UET Consent Mode?

UET Consent Mode, also known as Bing Consent Mode or Microsoft Consent Mode, was developed by Microsoft to help businesses manage user consent for data collection and tracking, particularly in the context of advertising, analytics, and marketing using Microsoft tools.

It ensures that businesses can gather insights while respecting user privacy preferences and staying compliant with privacy regulations.

This not only helps businesses avoid potential fines and penalties but also builds trust with users who are increasingly concerned about how their data is collected and used. 

📙 Read our 13 Cookie Consent Banner Requirements with Examples Included to ensure compliance and improve user experience.

How Microsoft’s Consent Mode Works

Microsoft’s Universal Event Tracking (UET) code adjusts its tracking based on a parameter called ad_storage, which controls whether ads can store cookies on a user’s device.

This setting can be either “granted” (allowing cookies) or “denied” (blocking cookies).

Here’s how each setting works:

• Granted: Cookies are allowed for ad tracking and personalization.
• Denied: Cookies are blocked, and no ad tracking or personalization happens.

Note: In the European Economic Area, Consent Mode is enforced with a default state of “denied“. If you don’t configure UET Consent Mode, all requests will be automatically denied.

How It Helps Businesses

Microsoft Advertising’s UET Consent Mode enables businesses to tailor ad experiences based on user consent, respecting privacy while optimizing ad performance.

• Consent-Based Data Collection: Consent Mode checks if users agree to ad cookies. If consent is granted, data is collected for ad personalization; tracking is limited if consent is not given.
• Real-Time Adjustment of Data Collection: The system ensures that data collection is adjusted in real-time based on the user’s consent status, ensuring that ad behavior aligns with their preferences.
• Personalized Ads: Microsoft Advertising uses the data to display relevant ads for consenting users, boosting engagement by delivering tailored content.
• Non-Personalized Ads: For users who opt out, ads are shown based on broader factors (e.g., location), ensuring compliance with their consent choices.
• Support for First-Party and Third-Party Cookies: Consent Mode supports both first-party and third-party cookies, offering flexibility in tracking and optimizing ad experiences across various platforms.
• Compatibility with CMPs and TCF v2.0: It integrates seamlessly with Consent Management Platforms (CMPs) and complies with the Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) v2.0, further ensuring privacy and data protection standards.
• Impact on Conversion Tracking and Audience Targeting: Consent Mode influences conversion tracking, audience targeting, and automated bidding strategies, allowing businesses to adapt their campaigns based on user consent while maintaining performance metrics.

Real-time updates to consent status ensure that ad behavior is always in line with users’ preferences, optimizing both privacy compliance and advertising outcomes.

For a deeper look at the legal risks of ignoring consent signals, check out our article on Consent Mode penalties.

3 Ways to Implement Consent Mode for Microsoft Advertising 

Manually within the Source Code using the UET Tag

Step 1: Set Up Microsoft UET Tag on Your Website

1. Log into your Microsoft Advertising account.
2. Navigate to UET Tags: Go to “Tools” > “UET Tag” and create a new UET tag if you don’t have one.
3. Install the UET Tag: Copy the UET code and place it in the <head> section of each page on your website to enable tracking.

Here’s an example of what the UET tag looks like:

<script>(function(w,d,t,r,u){var f,n,i;w[u]=w[u]||[],f=function(){var o={ti:"12345678", enableAutoSpaTracking: true};o.q=w[u],w[u]=new UET(o),w[u].push("pageLoad")},n=d.createElement(t),n.src=r,n.async=1,n.onload=n.onreadystatechange=function(){var s=this.readyState;s&&s!=="loaded"&&s!=="complete"||(f(),n.onload=n.onreadystatechange=null)},i=d.getElementsByTagName(t)[0],i.parentNode.insertBefore(n,i)})(window,document,"script","//bat.bing.com/bat.js","uetq");</script>

Step 2: Implement a Default ad_storage Setting

Add the following script in the <head> section right after the UET tag to set the initial consent mode for ad_storage on all pages.

Microsoft recommends setting the default to “denied”.

// UET tag is added here
// You can set default consent mode right after the UET tag 
<script>
window.uetq = window.uetq || [];
window.uetq.push('consent', 'default', {
    'ad_storage': 'denied'
    });
</script>

Step 3: Update Consent Based on User Choice

Insert code that updates ad_storage based on the current user’s consent status:

• If a user grants consent, update the setting to “granted“:

<script>
window.uetq = window.uetq || [];
window.uetq.push('consent', 'update', {
    'ad_storage': 'granted'
    });
</script>

• If a user denies consent, ensure it remains “denied“.

Manually within the Source Code through the TCF for UET Tag

If you use Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF), place the following code before your UET tag:

<script>
window.uetq = window.uetq || [];
window.uetq.push('config', 'tcf', { 'enabled': true });
</script>

If you’re unfamiliar with TCF, you’re likely not using itere is the step by step guide and this approach isn’t relevant for you.

Note: You can use either Consent Mode or TCF with Microsoft Advertising, but never both at the same time. Pick the one that fits your compliance requirements and technical setup.

Using Google Tag Manager

Here is the step-by-step guide to implementing Consent Mode for Microsoft Advertising in Google Tag Manager.

1. Open your Microsoft Advertising Universal Event Tracking tag that tracks page views on your website.
2. Scroll down to the Consent settings section.
3. Activate Enable consent updates from GTM.
4. Enable Inherit consent from GTM.
5. Save it and publish your container.

Using Usercentrics Cookiebot

Usercentrics Cookiebot is a widely used Google-certified Consent Management Platform (CMP) designed to help with privacy law compliance.

It ensures compliance with privacy regulations, manages the consent banner, and makes the implementation of consent mode for Microsoft Advertising very simple.

It’s so simple that no action is required on your part!

Usercentrics Cookiebot natively supports UET. Once consent information is available, it’s automatically passed to UET via the existing global UET tag.

When users select their preferences, Usercentrics Cookiebot automatically updates Microsoft Advertising’s tracking settings turning ad cookies on or off based on consent.

🤖 Interested in trying Usercentrics Cookiebot?
Start your 14-day free trial today!

How to Test the Consent Mode Setup

1. Check Consent Changes: Test that the ad_storage settings change correctly when users grant or deny consent. How? Use UET Tag Helper browser plugin. It’s available for both Edge and Chrome browsers.
2. Once installed, you will see the UET Tag Helper icon in your browser and reload your website.
3. Open the plugin and select your UET tag, which should display a green tick if it has loaded correctly.
4. Go to Events > Parameter details.
5. Inspect the Consent State (asc) parameter: The asc parameter in UET events reflects the user’s consent status. It can have two values: denied or granted.

Google vs. Microsoft Consent Mode: Key Differences

Both Google and Microsoft Consent Modes help advertisers comply with privacy regulations while keeping their ad campaigns effective.

However, there are some key differences between the two:

• Google offers two types of Consent Mode: Basic and Advanced (with Advanced being the most used), while Microsoft provides only one.
• Google utilizes 4 consent parameters (ad_storage, analytics_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization), while Microsoft uses ad_storage only.

Final Thoughts 

Whether you implement Consent Mode manually, through Google Tag Manager, or via a Consent Management Platform like Usercentrics Cookibot, the key is choosing a setup that aligns with your compliance needs and technical environment.

Testing your setup is just as important, ensuring that consent updates are applied correctly will help you avoid tracking gaps and compliance risks.

By implementing Consent Mode, you can safeguard user privacy while keeping your Microsoft Advertising campaigns effective and data-driven.

Hana Kobzová

Hana Kobzová is a freelance PPC expert and the founder of PPC News Feed. She’s passionate about helping PPC community to stay updated. Whether it’s sharing recent updates, discovering new tricks, optimizing workflows, or programming useful scripts, Hana is always finding ways to empower professionals within the PPC community.