How to Save a Search in Meta Ad Library (URL Method)
To save a search in Meta Ad Library, set up the search you want and bookmark the page, because the Ad Library URL keeps your search settings in its parameters. Meta has no built-in saved search button, so how to save a search in Meta Ad Library comes down to keeping that URL somewhere you will open it again.
That part takes five seconds. The useful part is what you do with the saved link every week, and the one thing it does not save.
Does Meta Ad Library have a saved search feature?
No. As of October 2026 the public Ad Library at facebook.com/ads/library has no saved searches, no watchlist and no email alerts for new ads. You do not even need to be logged in to use it, so there is no account for it to remember things in.
People sometimes assume there is one because paid ad spy tools offer it. Those are separate products built on top of their own ad databases.
What the library does have is a URL that changes as you search. Every filter you set is written into the address bar. That is the whole trick.
What does the Ad Library URL actually store?
Run any search and look at the address bar. You will see a string of parameters after the question mark. The exact names can change when Meta updates the page, but at the time of writing they look like this:
| What you set in the library | Typical URL parameter | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| Country | country | US, IN, GB or ALL |
| Ad category | ad_type | all or political_and_issue_ads |
| Active status | active_status | active, inactive or all |
| Search text | q | your keyword or Page name |
| Search mode | search_type | keyword or Page search |
| A specific advertiser | view_all_page_id | the Page's numeric ID |
| Media type filter | media_type | video, image and others |
You do not need to edit these by hand. Set the filters in the interface, then copy the URL. Knowing what is in there helps when a saved link stops behaving the way you expect.
The most reliable saved search is one built on a Page ID rather than a typed name. Names can be shared by several Pages; the ID points at exactly one. Our guide to finding a Facebook Page ID for any advertiser shows how to get it.
How do you save a search in Meta Ad Library step by step?
- 1Set country and categoryAll ads, the right market
- 2Search the advertiser or keywordPick the exact Page if you can
- 3Add filtersActive status, media type, language
- 4Copy the address bar URLThis holds every setting
- 5Bookmark or paste into a docName it so you find it
- Open facebook.com/ads/library and choose the country and "All ads".
- Search the brand. Pick the Page from the suggestions when one matches, so the search is tied to that Page.
- Set the filters you care about: usually active ads only, plus a media type if you are studying video or statics.
- Confirm the results look right. Then bookmark the page or copy the URL.
- Give the bookmark a clear name: brand, country, filter. "Brand X, US, active video" beats "Ad Library (3)".
For a refresher on what each filter does, our complete Meta Ad Library guide walks through the whole search panel.
How do you organize saved searches for several competitors?
Bookmarks work fine up to a point. Past five or six competitors, structure starts to matter.
I use one browser bookmark folder per competitor. Inside each folder sit three or four links:
- All active ads, any media type. The baseline.
- Active video only. For creative and hook research.
- Active images only. For statics and carousels.
- A keyword search for the brand's domain or name, to catch ads run from creator handles or other Pages.
If your team shares the work, put the same links in a shared doc or spreadsheet instead, one row per saved search, with columns for the last date checked and what changed. That doc becomes your competitor watchlist. Our guide on building a competitor ad watchlist covers how to set one up in more detail.
What weekly routine works with saved searches?
A saved search only pays off if you open it on a schedule. Here is the routine I run every week for each client.
1. Open each competitor folder. Open all the links at once in tabs.
2. Look for new start dates. Every ad card shows "Started running on". Anything with a date after your last check is new. Note it.
3. Check what survived. Ads you noted as new last week that are still running are past their first test. The ones still live after a month are the ones to study. Advertisers keep paying only for ads that work.
4. Note what disappeared. If a long-running ad is gone, that is information too: it may have stopped performing, or the brand may be rotating creative.
5. Save the keepers. Download anything worth studying before it is paused.
6. Log it. Two lines per competitor in your doc: date checked, new ads, notable survivors.
Fifteen to twenty minutes covers five competitors once the folders are set up.
Does saving a search save the ads?
No, and this is the part that catches people out.
A saved search is a set of instructions, not a copy of the results. Each time you open it, the library runs the search fresh against what is live right now.
So when a competitor pauses an ad, it drops out of your saved search. With the active filter on, it is gone from view. Outside the EU, inactive commercial ads generally are not kept for public viewing, so you cannot reliably go back and find it later. Our explainer on why ads disappear from the Ad Library covers the rules by region.
Saving the search does not save the ads. If an ad is worth studying, you have to save the ad itself.
The library has no download button. Screenshots lose video and carousel cards. Our free extension, the Meta Ad Library downloader, adds a download button to each ad and can bulk-save a whole search into one ZIP with a searchable swipe board and a CSV, which pairs well with a saved search: open the link, save what is new. If you prefer other routes, our guide to downloading Facebook Ad Library videos compares the methods. Study the angle and structure; do not reuse someone else's creative. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
Why does a saved Ad Library link show different results?
A few common causes:
- The ads changed. This is the normal case. New ads launched, old ones paused.
- The country is different. If you copied a link while a different country was selected, it keeps that country. Check the country parameter in the URL matches the market you meant.
- Meta changed the page. Parameter names occasionally change after updates. If an old bookmark breaks or loads an empty search, rebuild it in the interface and save the new URL.
- The Page changed. Brands rename or merge Pages. A Page ID link usually survives a rename; a name search may not.
FAQ
Does Meta Ad Library have a saved search feature?
No. The public Meta Ad Library has no saved search, watchlist or alert feature. The workaround is that the page URL stores your search settings, so bookmarking it lets you re-run the same search any time.
How do I save a search in Meta Ad Library?
Set the country, ad category, search term and filters, then bookmark the page or copy the URL from the address bar. Opening that link later runs the same search with the same settings.
Can I get alerts when a competitor launches new ads?
Not from the Meta Ad Library itself. You can re-open your saved search links on a weekly schedule and look for new "Started running on" dates, or use a paid tool that offers alerts on its own database.
Does saving a search save the ads?
No. A saved search re-runs against whatever is live when you open it, so paused ads drop out of view. Download any ad worth keeping while it is still running.
Why does my saved Ad Library link show different results?
Usually because the competitor launched or paused ads since your last visit. It can also happen when Meta changes its URL parameters or a brand renames its Page, in which case rebuild the search and save the new link.
The Klipio extension adds a download button to every ad in the Meta Ad Library: one click per ad, or bulk-save a whole search as a ZIP with a searchable swipe file inside. Free, no sign-up.
Get the free Ad Library downloaderKlipio reads a competitor's live Meta ads, ranks them by how long they have been running — the honest signal that an ad is profitable — and turns the winning angle into on-brand creative for your own brand. 3-day free trial.
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