# Microsoft Advertising

Microsoft Advertising runs product ads across Bing, Yahoo and the Microsoft Audience Network from a catalogue uploaded to Microsoft Merchant Center. Its feed specification is closely modelled on Google's, which makes it the cheapest additional channel to launch once a Google Shopping feed already exists.

- **Canonical URL:** https://www.feedlab.io/knowledge/channels/microsoft-bing
- **Last reviewed:** 16 September 2026
- **Source:** feedlab knowledge base
- **Licence:** free to quote and cite with attribution to feedlab






## Feed specification

| Property | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Destination | Microsoft Merchant Center |
| Refresh | Scheduled fetches run on a daily cadence. Microsoft also supports importing a Google Merchant Center account directly, which copies the catalogue across rather than reading your feed URL, and that copy can drift from the source. |


### Accepted formats

- `Text (TSV)`
- `XML (RSS 2.0)`
- `XML (Atom 1.0)`



## What catches Shopify merchants out

### The Google import is a copy, not a mirror

Importing from Google Merchant Center is the fastest way to launch, but it creates a separate catalogue that syncs on its own schedule. Publishing a feed URL to both channels from one mapping keeps them genuinely identical.

### It uses the Google product taxonomy

Microsoft accepts Google's product category taxonomy values, so the google_product_category mapping carries over unchanged. This is the main reason a Google feed can be repointed with so little work.

### Identifier rules follow Google closely but not exactly

Microsoft expects the same gtin, mpn and brand combination logic as Google. Where the two differ is in enforcement: an item that Google merely warns about can be rejected outright, so a feed that looks healthy in Merchant Center is still worth checking here.








## Frequently asked questions

### Can I use my Google Shopping feed for Microsoft Advertising?

Largely yes. Microsoft's specification mirrors Google's attribute names and reuses the Google product taxonomy, so the same mapping usually works. Publishing the same feed URL to both is more reliable than Microsoft's Google Merchant Center import, which creates a copy that can drift.

### Does Microsoft Advertising require GTINs?

Microsoft applies broadly the same identifier rules as Google, expecting a gtin or an mpn together with a brand for products that have them. Enforcement can be stricter, so items that only trigger a warning on Google may be rejected here.




## Primary sources

- [Microsoft: Feed file guidelines](https://help.ads.microsoft.com/#apex/ads/en/56895/1)
- [Microsoft Merchant Center product feed attributes](https://help.ads.microsoft.com/#apex/ads/en/51084/1)