Meta Ad Library: How to Search, Filter and Save Ads
Updated
Search the ad library
Fill in what you know. You get a search link to the platform's own ad library; the results open on its site.
The Meta Ad Library is Meta’s public, searchable record of ads running on Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s other apps. Open facebook.com/ads/library, pick a country, and search an advertiser name or a keyword. You don’t need to log in to open an ad’s page. This guide covers searching, Instagram ads, what the library shows and hides, the API, and saving ads; for TikTok, LinkedIn, Google and Microsoft, see our ads library page.
Where to find the Facebook Ads Library
Many people call it the Facebook Ads Library; Meta’s name for it is the Meta Ad Library, at facebook.com/ads/library. Meta describes it as the place to search every ad currently running on Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s other apps.
The first time you open a single Meta Ad Library ad, the page may run a short browser check before the ad appears. Let it finish; the ad’s video and images load after it.
How to search the Meta Ad Library, step by step
Searching it takes four steps:
- Open the library at facebook.com/ads/library.
- Choose a country. Results follow the country you pick. When we tested search links for Brazil, the US, India, Germany and Mexico, each returned active ads from that country.
- Type a keyword or an advertiser name. Try the brand name first, then a product word.
- Open an ad. Each Meta Ad Library ad has its own page with the creative, including its video and images.
The search box on our home page does steps 1 to 3 for you: it fills in the keyword and country and opens the search on Meta’s site. The Meta Ad Library also has filters for media type, inactive ads, exact phrase and Page ID. We have not verified those in a browser yet, so our search box leaves them out.
Where to find Instagram ads
There is no separate Instagram ad library: Instagram ads show up in the same Meta Ad Library searches as Facebook ads. The library records where each ad appeared, and Instagram is one of Meta’s apps. Search the brand exactly as you would for Facebook, then open an ad to see its creative.
What the Meta Ad Library shows and hides
Here is what Meta says and what our own checks of the Meta Ad Library found, question by question.
| Question | What we found |
|---|---|
| Which ads are in it? | Meta says every ad currently running on its apps, Instagram included. |
| Does it keep HD video? | In 121 video ads from US, Mexico and India searches, 119 had an HD version and all 121 had SD. |
| How sharp is HD? | The HD files in our sample were 720p; SD was 340 to 360p. We saw no 1080p. |
| Can I see image and carousel ads? | Yes. Image, multi-image, carousel and catalog ads gave us the original images, for example 1080x1080 and 1080x1350. |
| Are ads that ended still there? | In our test, a commercial ad that had ended returned no result. |
| Spend and reach for ordinary ads? | We have not verified what the website shows for these. |
| Which ads does the API cover? | Social issue, election and political ads from the past seven years, plus any ad delivered to the UK or EU in the past year. |
The pattern is simple: the Meta Ad Library is strongest on what an ad looks like right now. Ads that have ended may be gone, and we have not confirmed what numbers it shows.
When the Meta Ad Library shows nothing
Work through these checks in order:
- Check the country. An advertiser running ads only in Brazil won’t show up in a US search of the Meta Ad Library.
- Check whether the ad ended. In our test, a commercial ad that had ended returned no result.
- Try the brand name and a product word. The Page name and the product name are often different.
- Let the page finish loading. A single ad page may show a short check first.
If facebook.com/ads/library won’t load at all, the problem is on Meta’s side or your connection, and AdsLibrary.org cannot fix it. Try again later.
The Meta Ad Library API and EU rules
The Meta ads library API lets you build your own searches, but it doesn’t return every ad in the Meta Ad Library. It covers two groups: ads about social issues, elections or politics that ran in the past seven years anywhere, and ads of any type delivered to the UK or EU in the past year. Using it needs a Facebook account and an identity check.
Whether you use the website or the API, follow Meta’s own terms.
How to download ads from the Meta Ad Library
Saving straight from the Meta Ad Library is awkward: Meta’s media links don’t carry a file name, and in our tests they expired after about four and a half days, or after 33 to 36 hours for ads with only an SD version. You don’t need a browser extension for this. Our Facebook ad downloader works in the browser and saves videos as .mp4. Read its usage notice first, keep copies for research, and don’t run other people’s ads as your own.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Facebook account to use the Meta Ad Library?
You can open Meta Ad Library pages without logging in; in our tests, single ad pages loaded for a visitor with no account. The Meta Ad Library API is different: it needs a Facebook account and an identity check before you can use it.
Is the Facebook Ad Library down?
We can't check Meta's servers for you, so AdsLibrary.org cannot confirm an outage. If the Meta Ad Library will not load at all, wait a while and try again; if it loads but finds nothing, see the next answer.
Why does my Meta Ad Library search show no ads?
If a search comes back empty, check two things: the country you picked, and whether the ad is still running. Pick a country where the ads actually run. In our test, a commercial ad that had ended returned no result, so an older campaign may simply be gone.
Where are Instagram ads in the Meta Ad Library?
Instagram ads sit in the same Meta Ad Library as Facebook ads. Meta says the library covers every ad currently running on its apps, Instagram included, so search the brand the same way you would for Facebook.
Can the Meta Ad Library show how much an ad cost or how many people saw it?
Not that we can confirm for ordinary commercial ads: we have not verified that the Meta Ad Library website shows their spend or reach. The API, which is for pulling data in bulk, does not cover most of those ads either: it only covers social issue, election and political ads from the past seven years, plus any ad delivered to the UK or EU in the past year.
What is the difference between the Meta Ad Library and the API?
The Meta Ad Library website is where anyone searches ads currently running on Facebook, Instagram and Meta's other apps. The API is for building your own searches, but it only returns two groups: social issue, election and political ads from the past seven years, and any ad delivered to the UK or EU in the past year.
Why do saved Meta ad videos look blurry?
Video quality in the Meta Ad Library is capped lower than many people expect. In our sample of 121 video ads, the HD versions were 720p and the SD versions were 340 to 360p, and we saw no 1080p files. If you saved the SD version, it will look soft on a large screen.
How long does a Meta ad video link keep working?
Media links from the Meta Ad Library expire. In our tests they expired after roughly 104 to 108 hours, about four and a half days, and links for ads with only an SD version lasted about 33 to 36 hours. After that, open the ad again to get a fresh link.
Is AdsLibrary.org part of Meta?
No. AdsLibrary.org is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta. Every search we link to runs on Meta's own Ad Library at facebook.com/ads/library.