How to use the Meta Ad Library (Facebook Ads Library) in 2026
Short answer
The Meta Ad Library is Meta's public database of ads running on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads and the Audience Network. Search by brand or keyword, pick a country and ad category, then filter by platform, media type and date. It is free, but it has no keyword-wide sorting by reach and no saved history across brands.
What is the Meta Ad Library?
Meta launched the Ad Library in 2019 as a transparency tool. Anyone, with or without a Facebook account, can see the ads a Page is currently running across Meta's apps. For ads about social issues, elections or politics, it also shows spend and impressions and keeps those ads for seven years.
Since the EU Digital Services Act took effect in 2023, ads delivered in the European Union carry extra data: reach, a breakdown by age, gender and country, and the period the ad ran. Those ads stay searchable for a year after they last ran, even when they are no longer active.
How do you search the Meta Ad Library?
- Open facebook.com/ads/library. No login is needed.
- Choose a country, or “All”, and the ad category. “All ads” covers commercial ads; “Issues, elections or politics” is the political archive.
- Type a brand name to see suggested Pages, or type a keyword and press Enter to search ad text.
- Use Filters to narrow by platform, media type (image, video, meme), active status, language and the date the ad started.
- Click “See ad details” to open an ad, its variations and, for EU ads, the transparency data.
What can't the Meta Ad Library do?
The official library is built for transparency, not research. Four gaps come up again and again:
- No sorting by reach or spend for commercial ads, so the biggest ads don't surface first.
- Keyword search is literal, and results are ordered loosely, which makes niche research slow.
- Outside the EU, inactive commercial ads disappear, so you can't study what a brand ran last quarter.
- No way to save, tag or compare ads across brands.
Free Ad Library fills those gaps. It indexes ads from the library, keeps inactive ones, and lets you sort by estimated reach.
Meta Ad Library vs Free Ad Library at a glance
| Meta Ad Library | Free Ad Library | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Signup | Not required | Not required |
| Search by keyword across all brands | Yes, literal match | Yes |
| Sort by reach | No (commercial ads) | Yes |
| Estimated spend | Political ads only | Yes, estimate from reach |
| Inactive ads | EU ads, one year | Kept in the index |
Examples of ads you can find this way
See more →Shopify
Active
Take the first step to your first sale. Join millions of people powering their business with Shopify.
- Reach
- 33.8M
- Spend
- €1M
Shopify
Active
East Fork started in a barn. Now they sell across the planet. Join millions of people powering their business…
- Reach
- 31.9M
- Spend
- €958.5K
Shopify
Active
Build your website, launch your business, and sell everywhere with Shopify in 2026.
- Reach
- 27.3M
- Spend
- €819.2K
Zalando
Inactive
Video@bayagorbusha’s winter rotation? No notes. 🎥: @bayagorbusha 🔎 Sneakers: AD111A2MD-D11 #adidasOriginals 🔎…
- Reach
- 12.1M
- Spend
- €363.4K
Temu Europe
Inactive
🎉 Temu welcomes your return! Click now and join the event on the Temu app! 💕
- Reach
- 11.4M
- Spend
- €341.5K
Revolut
Active
Join the millions of customers worldwide who already spend, send, and save smarter with Revolut. Download the…
- Reach
- 11.3M
- Spend
- €338.3K
ASICS
Inactive
The ASICS Winter Sale is now on. Get set for 2026 and save up to 40% on selected footwear and apparel now.
- Reach
- 10.4M
- Spend
- €311.6K
The North Face
Inactive
VideoThe North Face on. City explored. Coffee earned. @thenorthfaceuk #NeverFearTheForecast #TheNorthFace…
- Reach
- 8.9M
- Spend
- €266.6K
FAQ
Questions about this guide
Do I need a Facebook account to use the Meta Ad Library?
No. The Ad Library is public, and you can search it without logging in.
Can I see how much a brand spends on Facebook ads?
Meta only publishes spend for political and social-issue ads. For commercial ads, Free Ad Library estimates spend from EU reach at a fixed cost per thousand impressions.
How far back does the Meta Ad Library go?
Political ads are kept for seven years. Commercial ads delivered in the EU stay visible for a year after they stop; elsewhere, inactive commercial ads are removed.