What is the Meta Ad Library?
The Meta Ad Library is Meta's public, searchable database of every active ad running across Meta technologies, plus active branded content with a paid partnership label. Anyone can search it by keyword, name or Page. Political and social issue ads stay for 7 years with spend ranges; ads shown in the EU or UK stay for one year.
Meta runs a public archive where anyone can look up the ads a Page is running. It exists for transparency, so the depth of detail depends on the kind of ad. For a typical product ad you see the creative and when it started. For ads about politics, or ads delivered in the European Union or the United Kingdom, Meta keeps a longer record and adds data on spend, reach or targeting.
What can you find in the Ad Library?
Meta says the Ad Library contains all active ads shown across Meta technologies. It also includes active, public branded content on Facebook and Instagram that carries a paid partnership label, going back to content created on or after 17 August 2023. You can search for any term, name or Page, and results include ads containing the term or run by Pages whose names include it. A country selector lets you view ads by country.
One exception: if an ad includes certain age-restricted content, such as alcohol or gambling, Meta does not show the creative to people who are underage or not logged in to Facebook.
What data does each type of ad show?
The detail differs by ad type. This table summarises Meta’s own breakdown:
| Data | Ordinary active ads | Social issue, election or political ads | Ads delivered to the EU | Ads delivered to the UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ad creative and Page | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kept after the ad stops | No | 7 years | 1 year after the last impression | 1 year after the last impression |
| Amount spent | No | Yes, as a range | No | No |
| Total reach | No | No, except Brazil for ads created on or after 15 August 2024 | Yes | Yes |
| Targeting selections | No | Page-level totals for the last 7, 30 or 90 days | Ad-level location, age and gender | Ad-level location, age and gender |
Page transparency details, such as when a Page was created and its name history, show for all four types.
How do you look up a competitor’s ads?
- Open the Meta Ad Library.
- Enter a keyword or the advertiser’s name in the search box.
- Use the country selector to choose the country you want to see ads for.
- Click See ad details on an ad for more information, such as details from the About section or the lead form of a lead ad.
For political ads you can also filter by country, Page, status, delivery by region, language, platform, media type, disclaimer, impressions by date and estimated audience size.
What are the Ad Library Report and API?
The Ad Library Report gives an aggregated, downloadable view of ads about social issues, elections or politics in a country over a period, including spend. It is available in every country that requires authorization for those ads. The Ad Library API supports deeper analysis of political ads and of ads delivered to the EU and associated territories.
Can you report an ad from the library?
Yes. Meta lets you report ads you think are misclassified, active ads you think should carry a disclaimer, or ads you think break the Advertising Standards. To report one, find it in the library, click the options menu next to it, choose Report ad and follow the instructions. Meta says reports may trigger another review of the ad.
FAQ
Can I see how much a competitor spends on ordinary ads?
No. Meta’s table shows no amount spent for ads that are not about social issues, elections or politics, including ads delivered to the EU or UK. You see the creative, the Page and when the ad started, but not budget, spend or results for those ads.
What happens to a rejected ad in the library?
When a previously active ad is rejected or disabled, Meta covers it with a shield in the library. People can still click See ad details to view the ad and the extra information attached to it.
Do political ads appear even if the advertiser skipped authorization?
Yes. Meta says all ads about social issues, elections or politics are added to the Ad Library, even when the advertiser has not completed the authorization process. An ad that runs without the required disclaimer is paused, disapproved and added to the library until the advertiser completes authorization.
Sources
- About the Meta Ad Library (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Report an ad that violates our Advertising Standards (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- About ads about social issues, elections or politics (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
Drafted with AI and checked claim by claim against the pages linked under Sources. Found a mistake? Tell us via the corrections policy.