# How to download ads from the Meta Ad Library > The Meta Ad Library has no download button for ads. What it does offer, four ways to save ads for research, and a naming habit that keeps them usable. - **Author**: Marxx - **Published**: 2026-10-26 - **Category**: Competitor research - **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-guides/how-to-download-ads-from-meta-ad-library --- You cannot download ads from the Meta Ad Library with a button, because the three-dot menu on each ad card offers only Report ad and Copy Ad Link (checked 2026-10-20). To keep an ad, save its link and details, take a screenshot, or use a tool that saves ads for research. ## What Meta does offer - **Search.** For most ads, the library shows ads that are active now. Ads about social issues, elections or politics are also kept after they stop, for seven years ([Meta's help page](https://www.facebook.com/help/259468828226154), checked 2026-10-20). - **Details on each card.** Library ID, start date and platforms. - **The Ad Library report.** You can download data for social issue, election and political ads since October 2019, such as spend by advertiser and by place. That is data, not the ad creative. - **An Ad Library API** for developers. ## Four ways to save an ad | Method | What you keep | Note | |---|---|---| | Copy Ad Link | A link to the ad | May stop working once the ad ends, since most ads leave the library | | Screenshot | A picture | Fine for static ads and key video frames | | Screen recording | A video file | For private research. See [how to download videos from the Facebook Ad Library](/guides/how-to-download-videos-from-facebook-ad-library) | | A tool that saves ads | The ad, with its details | Saves time at scale | ## Steps for a clean manual save 1. Open the [Meta Ad Library](/glossary/meta-ad-library), pick your country and **All ads**, and find the brand. 2. Click **See ad details**. 3. Open the card's three-dot menu and choose **Copy Ad Link**. 4. Take a screenshot. 5. Add a row to your sheet: brand, Library ID, start date, platform, angle, hook and offer. 6. Name the file the same way each time, such as brand, then Library ID, then start date. See the [ad naming convention template](/templates/ad-naming-convention-template). The start date matters most. It tells you how long the brand has paid for the ad. See [how to find out how long an ad has been running](/guides/how-to-find-out-how-long-an-ad-has-been-running). ## A worked example Say you save 30 ads from three rivals. You name each file like this: `rivalbrand_100200300400500_2026-06-02.png`. A month later you sort by start date. - 11 ads started over 60 days ago. Study these first. - 12 started in the last two weeks. Treat them as tests. - 7 sit in between. Check them again next month. You tag the 11 old ones by angle. Six share one angle, so you test your own version of it. ## Use what you save with care The ads belong to the brands. Keep them for research. Do not reuse their images, video, music or words in your own ads. Learn why an ad works, then make your own. Build a proper library with [how to build a swipe file](/guides/how-to-build-a-swipe-file). ## Mistakes to avoid - **Saving only the link.** It may break when the ad stops. - **Saving without the start date.** You lose the clue that matters. - **Saving 300 ads with no tags.** You will never use them. - **Republishing a rival's ad.** We make Marxx. Its browser extension adds a Save button to the Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn ad libraries, Pinterest and Google Images. ## FAQ ### Is there an official way to download ad creative from the Ad Library? Not that we found. The card menu offers Report ad and Copy Ad Link only. The Ad Library report downloads spend data for political and issue ads, not creative. ### Can I see ads after they stop running? For most ads, no. The library shows active ads. Ads about social issues, elections or politics stay for seven years. ### Is it okay to save a competitor's ad? Keep it for private research. Do not republish it or reuse its assets. --- - [More Competitor research articles](https://marxx.ai/library-guides/category/competitor-research) - [All articles](https://marxx.ai/library-guides)