What does the Ad Library show for every ad?
Four things. Meta’s Business Help Center says the library “contains all active ads that are shown across Meta technologies” and that “Anyone can view and search the Ad Library.”[1] For an active ad that is not about social issues, elections or politics and did not reach the EU or UK, its table lists the ad creative, the Page the ad ran from, and a dates column that “Only includes the date in which the ad started to run.”[1]
Timing is quick. The library’s front page says an ad “will appear in the Ad Library within 24 hours of the time it gets its first impression,” and that changes show within 24 hours too.[2] A September 2026 guide describes the card as showing “Started running on [date],” with “See ad details” on a single ad and “See summary details” where Meta has grouped copies (“3 ads use this creative and text”); the details view adds the Library ID, the platforms and a “This ad has multiple versions” note where it applies.[8]
What can you not see about a competitor’s ads?
Everything that would tell you whether the ad worked. For a commercial ad outside the EU and UK, Meta’s table answers “No” on amount spent, impression ranges, total reach, reach breakdowns, estimated audience size, targeting selections, disclaimer information, and advertiser and payer information.[1] Clicks, conversions and cost per result are not in the library for any ad type; even political ads get ranges, not exact figures.[1]
You also cannot see history. The table marks “Archival of ads” as “No” for commercial ads outside the EU and UK, and the consumer help page says that for all ads “you can search for ads that are currently active on the Meta Products.”[1][7] Once a competitor switches an ad off it is gone, so a Monday check cannot tell you what ran last month unless you logged it. There is no follow or alert feature; the only subscription the library offers is email updates about the library itself.[2]
What extra appears for political ads, and for ads shown in the EU and UK?
Two separate regimes add data. For ads about social issues, elections or politics, Meta says the library offers “additional information,” including “spend, reach and funding entities,” and that “These ads are visible whether they’re active or inactive, and are stored in the Ad Library for 7 years.”[1] Under “See ad details” a reader gets the start date and status, an impressions range (“for example 1,000 - 5,000”), a spend range (“For example: $1,000 to $5,000”), viewers by age and gender, the locations reached, an estimated audience size, the disclaimer, and Page-level targeting selections over the last 7, 30 or 90 days.[1]
Ads that delivered an impression in the EU are displayed and archived “as a result of regulatory requirements in the EU Digital Services Act,” and the UK is covered by a separate commitment.[1] These ads show the dates they ran, ad-level targeting choices (age, gender and location, included or excluded), total reach to the EU or UK, and reach by location broken down by age and gender; EU ads also name the advertiser and payer.[1] They are kept for one year after the last impression, and the library “will only display and archive information that pertains to the United Kingdom, EU or associated territories.”[1][6] A US ad that never reached Europe gets none of it.
| Detail | Commercial ad, no EU or UK delivery | Social issues, elections or politics | Delivered to the EU or UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ad creative and the Page | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dates | Start date only | Dates the ad ran | Dates the ad ran |
| Kept after it stops | No | Yes, 7 years | Yes, one year from the last impression |
| Amount spent | No | Range | No |
| Impressions | No | Range | No |
| Total reach | No | No (Brazil excepted) | Yes, for the EU or UK |
| Reach by age, gender, location | No | Yes | Yes, by targeted location |
| Targeting selections | No | Page-level, last 7, 30 or 90 days | Ad-level age, gender, location |
| Advertiser and payer | No | Disclaimer | EU only |
What does the Meta Ad Library API return?
Less than the website, for a US business. The API’s landing page says it searches for “Ads about social issues, election or politics that were delivered anywhere in the world during the past 7 years” and “Ads of any type that were delivered to the United Kingdom (UK) or European Union during the past year,” then adds: “To search for all ads currently running across Meta technologies, please use the Ad Library.”[3] The Graph API reference for the ads_archive endpoint states the rule: “Ads that did not reach any location in the EU will only return if they are about social issues, elections or politics.”[4]
So the API cannot pull a US competitor’s commercial ads, and the fields people hope for are political-only anyway: the reference marks bylines, delivery_by_region and the estimated audience size bounds as “Available only for POLITICAL_AND_ISSUE_ADS.”[4] Access needs a Facebook account and an authorization step.[3] Meta’s Transparency Center says the same: “a deeper analysis of ads about social issues, elections or politics,” plus EU-delivered ads.[6]
The Ad Library Report is narrower still: spend by advertiser and location “for ads about social issues, elections or politics since October 2019,” 17,465,341 ads and $5,561,494,331 in the US on the day we read it.[5]
How do you read the start date and multiple versions as signals?
Since Meta publishes no results for a commercial ad, the only thing that moves is what the advertiser does: keep paying, stop, or add copies. The “Started running on” date records how long someone has been willing to pay for that creative, and an ad still live weeks after it began is one the advertiser has not killed.[8] An ad that disappears was switched off, and because inactive commercial ads are not archived, only your own log proves it existed.[1] That is why the check below is a log, not a visit.
Versions are the second signal. When the details view says “This ad has multiple versions,” or the card groups copies as “3 ads use this creative and text,” the advertiser is running one idea in several crops, headlines or placements.[8] Many copies on day two is a test; many copies on day forty is a winner being scaled. The practitioner thresholds and the survival data are in how to tell which of a competitor’s Facebook ads are working; the short version is that an ad still running at 30 days earns a closer look.
One caution: a relaunched ad gets a new Library ID and a fresh start date, so an ad that “started last week” may be a returning winner. And borrow the structure, not the ad; recreating an ad’s style without copying it covers where that line sits.
A weekly Ad Library check in six steps
- 1
List five competitors by Page, not keyword
Open facebook.com/ads/library, set the country and the category to all ads, pick each brand’s Page from the dropdown and bookmark the URL.[2] A keyword search also returns everyone who mentions the name. - 2
Record every new ad with its start date
New ads show within 24 hours of their first impression,[2] so a weekly visit catches everything. Log the Library ID, start date, headline and format. - 3
Mark what disappeared
Compare this week’s cards with last week’s log. A commercial ad that is gone was switched off and will not return to the library,[1] so your log is the only record of how long it ran. - 4
Count the versions
Note grouped copies and “multiple versions” flags per ad.[8] Rising copies on an ad that is also getting older is the clearest scaling signal the library gives. - 5
Open the details on the survivors
For ads past 30 days, open “See ad details” for the platforms and the landing page,[8] and write down the offer, the proof and the layout. - 6
Write one reply ad
Take the competitor ad that has run longest and build its structure with your own brand, offer and proof. Showfolk’s competitor ad tracker does this check for you: it watches each rival’s Ad Library page, reads every new ad and drafts a reply ad. How the competitor ad tracker works.
Questions people ask
- Can I see how much a competitor spends on Facebook ads?
- No, not for a commercial advertiser. Meta’s Ad Library table says the amount spent is not shown for an ad that is not about social issues, elections or politics and did not reach the EU or UK. A spend range, such as $1,000 to $5,000, appears only for political and issue ads.
- Does the Meta Ad Library show targeting or audience data?
- Only for two kinds of ads. Political and issue ads show Page-level audience selections over the last 7, 30 or 90 days, and ads delivered to the EU or UK show ad-level age, gender and location choices plus reach by those groups. A commercial ad outside those regions shows none.
- Can I see a competitor’s old or inactive ads?
- Usually not. Meta keeps inactive ads only for political and issue ads (7 years) and for ads that delivered to the EU or UK (one year after the last impression). A commercial ad outside those regions leaves the library when it stops.
- Does the Ad Library API return all ads?
- No. Meta’s Graph API reference says ads that did not reach any location in the EU are returned only if they are about social issues, elections or politics. For all other ads Meta points you to the website.
- What does the start date tell me about a competitor’s ad?
- How long the advertiser has been willing to pay for it. Meta publishes no results for a commercial ad, so an ad still running after several weeks, especially with many grouped versions, is the strongest sign of a winner the library gives.
Sources
Every figure above points at one of these. Facts were last checked on .
- [1]Meta Business Help Center: About the Meta Ad Library. The table of what is shown per ad type (start date only and no archival for commercial ads; spend and impression ranges, breakdowns and 7-year archive for political ads; dates, ad-level targeting and reach for EU and UK ads), the Digital Services Act reason, and the “See ad details” wording
- [2]Meta Ad Library (the library’s own front page). Ads appear within 24 hours of the first impression and changes show within 24 hours; the 7-year political scope and the EU and UK one-year scope; the only subscription offered is email updates about the library
- [3]Meta Ad Library API. “Ads about social issues, election or politics that were delivered anywhere in the world during the past 7 years” and “Ads of any type that were delivered to the United Kingdom (UK) or European Union during the past year”; a Facebook account is needed for authorization
- [4]Meta for Developers: Graph API reference, ads_archive. “Ads that did not reach any location in the EU will only return if they are about social issues, elections or politics”; bylines, delivery_by_region and estimated audience size marked available only for political and issue ads
- [5]Meta Ad Library Report (United States). Data for ads about social issues, elections or politics since October 2019; the totals of 17,465,341 ads and $5,561,494,331 as read on October 9, 2026
- [6]Meta Transparency Center: Meta Ad Library tools. The API “allows for a deeper analysis of ads about social issues, elections or politics”; EU ads displayed while active and archived for one year after the last impression
- [7]Facebook Help Center: What is the Meta Ad Library and how do I search it?. “For all ads, you can search for ads that are currently active on the Meta Products.”
- [8]Adship, September 6, 2026: Meta Ad Library, how to search it. A dated third-party guide to the page wording: “Started running on [date]”, “See ad details”, “See summary details”, “3 ads use this creative and text”, and the Library ID, platforms and “This ad has multiple versions” on the details view
