{"id":130,"date":"2026-07-20T14:23:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T12:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lukaswojcik.com\/blog\/?p=130"},"modified":"2026-09-10T10:54:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T08:54:35","slug":"microsoft-ads-consent-mode-implementation-via-javascript-and-gtm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lukaswojcik.com\/blog\/en\/digital-marketing\/microsoft-ads-consent-mode-implementation-via-javascript-and-gtm\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft Ads Consent Mode: Implementation via JavaScript and GTM, Differences From Google"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With growing privacy regulations (GDPR, DMA), managing user consent has become the foundation of web analytics. Everyone is familiar with Google Consent Mode (GCM), but Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing Ads) has also introduced its own mechanism for its UET (Universal Event Tracking) tag. How does it work, and how is it implemented?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Microsoft Ads Consent Mode?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Microsoft Ads Consent Mode allows the UET tag to adjust its behavior based on whether the user has granted consent for advertising cookies (ad_storage<\/code>). If consent is denied, the UET tag does not store cookies (like _uetvid<\/code>) but can still send anonymous, cookieless pings to Microsoft’s servers. This helps with basic conversion modeling.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\n\"Comparison\n
Microsoft only evaluates ad_storage, while Google splits the same decision into four signals. The order matters more than the number: the default has to be set before the UET tag loads.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\r\n\n\n\n

Implementation via Vanilla JavaScript<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Without GTM, with the UET tag hardcoded on the site, consent is managed through the .push<\/code> method on the uetq<\/code> array. Microsoft has aligned its API closely with Google’s approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Set the default state (before the UET tag loads):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

window.uetq = window.uetq || [];\nwindow.uetq.push('consent', 'default', {\n    'ad_storage': 'denied'\n});\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Step 2: Update after the user clicks “Accept” in the banner:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
window.uetq.push('consent', 'update', {\n    'ad_storage': 'granted'\n});\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
This tells the UET tag that it is now allowed to drop and read identifiers in the browser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Implementation via Google Tag Manager (GTM)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Implementing this via GTM is straightforward because the official Microsoft UET tag natively integrates with GTM’s Consent API.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. State Management (Simo Ahava’s Template):<\/strong> Use the Consent Mode (Google tags)<\/em> template created by Simo Ahava. While named for Google, this template sets the global GTM consent state (like ad_storage<\/code>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. UET Tag Configuration:<\/strong> Add the official “Microsoft Advertising Universal Event Tracking” tag in the GTM workspace.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Advanced Consent Settings:<\/strong> Under the tag’s Advanced Settings -> Consent Settings, specify that the tag requires ad_storage<\/code> consent.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. When consent is granted, GTM updates the state, and the UET tag automatically reacts, shifting from cookieless pings to full tracking.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    Differences: Google Consent Mode vs. Microsoft Ads<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    The core concept is identical, but the maturity of the modeling engines differs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n