Negative Keywords Tool & Bulksheet Builder for Amazon Ads

How to use the negative keywords tool for Amazon Ads

This negative keywords tool for Amazon Ads writes Sponsored Products bulksheet rows with the 31 columns and values from Amazon's How to create Sponsored Products campaigns in bulksheets guide. It doesn't analyze phrases — it turns the terms you choose into rows Amazon accepts.

1. Get your search terms. Download the Sponsored Products search term report from Reporting, or tick Sponsored Products Search term data in a bulk operations download. You can also paste your own list of negatives.
2. Add your bulk operations file. It has the numeric Campaign Id and Ad Group Id every new row needs, plus your existing negatives and keywords.
3. Choose where the negatives go. Back to the campaign or ad group each term came from, or one list to many campaigns at once — for example every campaign with "Dog Beds" in its name.
4. Choose which terms. By default the builder picks terms with spend and no sales. Set a minimum spend or clicks, or add terms whose ACOS is above your limit.
5. Download the Excel file. Fix any red rows first: invalid characters, too many words, or a missing Campaign Id.

What the builder checks for you

• Word and length limits: 4 words for negative phrase, 10 for negative exact, 80 characters for both.
• Characters: letters, numbers and - & + [ ] ' " only; periods only in the middle; no hyphen or plus next to a space; quotes in pairs.
• Product pages: search terms that look like ASINs (b0…) are product detail pages. A keyword can't block those, so they are listed for negative product targeting instead.
• Duplicates and existing negatives: keyword text plus match type must be unique, so repeats and negatives you already have are left out.
• Your own keywords: a negative that would block one of your keywords in the same campaign is left out with a warning.

What to do next: upload the bulksheet

1. Open Bulk operations. Sellers find it in Seller Central's campaign manager, vendors in the advertising console under Sponsored ads.
2. Upload the Excel file. Every row already says Create in the Operation column. Amazon skips rows with an empty Operation.
3. Check Bulk spreadsheet history. If the status says Finished with errors, download the error report. It lists each row with an error message. Fix those rows in the report's campaign tab and upload that file again.
4. Give it time. New negative keywords can take up to 72 hours to work. Compare your next search term report with this one.

Common Amazon bulksheet errors for negative keywords

"Invalid value for column: Campaign ID, which can't be found in any parent entity row"

The Campaign Id doesn't match a campaign. Usually the ID was copied from the console or typed by hand. Use the numeric ID from a bulk operations download — load that file as file 2 and the builder fills it in.

Invalid value "Exact" for column "Match Type"

A negative row needs negativeExact or negativePhrase. A positive match type on a negative row is rejected. When a pasted list says "exact" or "phrase", the builder writes the negative version.

"Keyword is invalid" or "Keyword text is too long"

The term has a character Amazon doesn't accept, such as ! or an emoji, or it is longer than 80 characters. Edit it or leave it out.

Too many words for negative phrase

Long search terms often break the 4-word limit for negative phrase. Switch them to negative exact, which allows 10 words, or pick the short part that causes the waste.

"Duplicate Keyword Text"

The same keyword text and match type twice in one campaign or ad group is a duplicate. The builder removes repeats inside the file and skips negatives your bulk download already has.

Search report changes in late 2026

Amazon is closing the old Sponsored ads reports page. Legacy saved reports and schedules are deleted on December 31, 2026, and search term reports move to Reporting. The new files use names like "Total cost" and "Purchases" instead of "Spend" and "7 Day Total Orders". The builder reads both.