When did Meta let people see all ads a Page runs?
Meta announced view ads on 6 April 2018, after testing it in Canada. On 28 June 2018 it said you can now see the ads any Page is running across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and its partner network through Info and Ads. In March 2019 Meta moved that view into the Ad Library.
Meta announced “view ads” on 6 April 2018 and said the feature, tested in Canada, was planned to launch globally in June. Its 28 June 2018 post says you can now see the ads any Page is running, even ones you are not shown. In March 2019 that view became part of the Ad Library. Treat every ad your Page runs as public.
What did Meta announce on 6 April 2018?
Meta’s post of 6 April 2018 covered three changes. First, authorized advertisers only: Meta had said in October 2017 that only authorized advertisers would be able to run electoral ads, and now extended the requirement to “issue ads”. Advertisers had to confirm identity and location, and the ads would be labeled “Political Ad” with “paid for by” information.
Second, view ads. Meta said it had been testing in Canada a feature that lets you see the ads a Page is running, even if they are not in your News Feed. It applied to all advertiser Pages, not only those running political ads, and Meta planned to launch it globally in June.
Third, Page verification. People who manage Pages with large numbers of followers would need to be verified, and those who did not clear the process would no longer be able to post.
If you manage a large Page, check Meta’s current verification requirements.
When did View Active Ads arrive?
On 28 June 2018 Meta wrote: “You can now see the ads a Page is running across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and our partner network, even if those ads aren’t shown to you.” The route was to log in, visit any Page and select Info and Ads, where you see ad creative and copy and can flag anything suspicious with Report Ad. The post gives no country list.
The same post added more Page information, such as recent name changes and the date the Page was created. A 7 February 2019 update to Meta’s India post says a Page’s Info and Ads section holds “all the ads the Page is currently running, even if they’re not targeted to you”.
Before you launch, assume a competitor can read your ad copy and creative.
How did authorization spread after 2018?
The US rules began on 24 May 2018, when election-related and issue ads needed a “Paid for by” label. Meta’s 6 December 2018 post says it had rolled out these changes in the US, Brazil and the UK, with India next, where anyone running a political ad would first need to confirm their identity and location. Its March 2019 post lists the US, the UK, Brazil and India, plus Ukraine and Israel, as places where transparency tools had launched.
If you run ads on these topics, read the current authorization rules for your country before you spend.
When did view ads become the Ad Library?
On 28 March 2019 Meta announced an improved Ad Library that “brings together all ads on our platforms”. It said the all-active-ads view had previously been visible only on a Page in the Info and Ads section. Meta also added a Page Transparency section to the Home tab of every Page, with the creation date, previous Page merges, name changes and, for certain Pages, the primary country location. People previously had to click Info and Ads for that.
So if an old guide tells you to look under Info and Ads, use the Ad Library instead.
How do you see a Page’s ads now?
Meta’s current help page says the Ad Library contains all active ads shown across Meta technologies. Anyone can search it by term, name or Page, and choose a country. Page details such as creation date and name changes are included. You can report ads you think are misclassified or break Meta’s advertising standards.
Search your own Page and your competitors’ Pages, and compare what the public sees with what you intended.
FAQ
Is Info and Ads still how I see a Page’s ads?
Meta’s March 2019 post describes the Ad Library as “one place to see ads on Facebook”, and says Page details now sit in a Page Transparency section on the Home tab. Today, use the Ad Library and search by Page name.
Can people see ads that were not shown to them?
Yes. Meta’s 28 June 2018 post says you can see the ads a Page is running “even if those ads aren’t shown to you”. Its 7 February 2019 update to the India post says a Page’s Info and Ads section shows all the ads the Page is currently running, even if they are not targeted to you.
Did Meta require Pages to be verified?
In 2018, yes for large ones. Meta’s April 2018 post said people managing Pages with large numbers of followers must be verified or lose the ability to post. Those posts give no follower threshold, so check Meta’s current Page requirements.
Sources
- Making Ads and Pages More Transparent (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- A New Level of Transparency for Ads and Pages (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Increasing Ad Transparency Ahead of India's General Elections (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Shining a Light on Ads With Political Content (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- A Better Way to Learn About Ads on Facebook (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- About the Meta Ad Library (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.