What Is the Flexible Ad Format in Meta Ads?

With the flexible format you hand Meta a pool of media instead of picking one format. You upload several images and videos to a single ad, and the delivery system predicts which arrangement each person is most likely to respond to in each placement: one image, one video, or a carousel built from your assets. It suits advertisers without a strong format preference who would otherwise build separate ads to test formats.

How does the flexible ad format work?

When you select Flexible as the format, Meta says you can select up to 10 images and videos in a single ad campaign. Meta’s delivery system then decides which media, or which combination of media, to show, based on the placement and the audience. Where the ad can run depends on the aspect ratios of your media and the format shown.

Meta lists three benefits:

• Automatic optimization of the format, useful if you have no strong preference
• Less setup, since you do not pick formats per placement or build extra ads to test formats
• More customization, because you can group media with different text combinations, which Meta says can help prevent ad fatigue

Which objectives and conversion locations support it?

You can only select Flexible in the ad setup section if the campaign uses one of four objectives, and some need a specific conversion location:

Objective	Conversion location Meta requires
Traffic	Website
Engagement	Website or message destinations
Sales	Website, app or message destinations
App promotion	No specific location listed

If Flexible does not show in ad setup, Meta says to click More options to find it.

Is the flexible ad format still available?

Meta’s own page carries a warning: “This feature may not be available to you.” It adds that if you no longer have access to the flexible format in ad setup, you should look at multi-media ads and at customizing your ad creative instead. Meta’s ad preview page also refers to a “multi-media workflow” for uploading several pieces of media.

How is it different from flexible media and dynamic creative?

Meta’s pages describe three similar-sounding features differently:

Feature	What Meta says it decides
Flexible ad format	Which format (single image, video or carousel) to build from the multiple media you upload
Flexible media	Whether one image or video can also run in additional placements
Dynamic creative	Which combinations of your creative elements, such as images and headlines, to show

Meta also notes that since June 2024 you may not be able to use dynamic creative when you create ad sets with the Sales or App promotion objective, and recommends the flexible ad format to get a similar result.

FAQ

Can I choose which format each person sees?

No. With the flexible format, the delivery system picks the format it predicts people are most likely to respond to, based on the placement and audience. If you need a fixed format, such as always a carousel, select that format directly in ad setup instead of Flexible.

Does the flexible format work on Instagram?

Yes. Meta’s page on Instagram ad formats says that if you select Flexible, your ad may appear on Instagram as an image, video or carousel ad, depending on what the delivery system determines people are most likely to respond to. It repeats that the feature may not be available to you.

Is flexible the replacement for dynamic creative?

For Sales and App promotion campaigns, Meta points that way. Its dynamic creative page says that since June 2024 you may not be able to use dynamic creative for new ad sets with those objectives, that existing campaigns are unaffected, and that the flexible ad format is recommended for a similar result.