- Facebook Ad Library (or Meta Ad Library) is a valuable tool for marketers to gather inspiration and conduct competitor research.
- FB Ad Library has a critical limitation, such as the inability to save ads for future reference.
- To download ads from the Facebook Ad Library, you can use the Foreplay Chrome Extension.
- Foreplay.co allows you to save ads by injecting a save button directly on the ad library page.
- Foreplay.co also offers collaboration features and the ability to share saved ads with clients or colleagues.
For many, competitor's ads is the first step in their entire creative process. If you are searching for how to save ads from the Facebook Ad Library, I am sure you have tried everything from downloading locally to screenshotting or copying the ad link from Ad Library - unfortunately, this method is incredibly unorganized, and if the ad gets taken down your ad library link will break and you will receive this message when trying to open it;
This big problem begs the question, how can I download photo and video ads from Facebook Ad Library?
Luckily, this process mess can be replaced with a simple Chrome Extension. Here's how you get the most out of this Chrome extension to save ads and more.
3 Steps to Saving Ads from Facebook Ad Library
Step 1: Download the Foreplay Chrome Extension
Since Facebook does not allow you to save ads manually, you must install the free Foreplay Chrome Extension. Once installed, you will be prompted to create an account where all your saved ads will be stored.
Download the Foreplay Extension for Free
Step 2: Go to the Facebook Ads Library and Find the Ad you Want to Save
Head over to facebook.com/ads/library/ and find an ad you want to save. You will notice that, with the Foreplay Chrome Extension installed, a Blue "Save to Foreplay" button is injected directly into the page. Simply click that button and your ad will be saved forever to your Foreplay Swipe File.
In this case, we saved an ad from a brand we love to draw ad inspiration from, Magic Spoon.
Once the button turns from blue to green you ad has been saved from the facebook ad library. You can click this green button to open the saved ad in your Foreplay dashboard. Just like that you have saved the facebook ad forever, the best part is that even if the video url changes, you will have the asset saved.
It is important to note that the ad library downloader works for all meta ad types, including;
- Image Ads
- Video Ads
- Carousel Ads
However, you must wonder, "How do I download videos from the Facebook ad library?
Step 3: Download Video Ads from the Facebook Ad Library
Saving ads to your Foreplay dashboard is super helpful; it saves all the associated ad content, including ad copy calls to action, and you can easily share links. Most importantly, the ads you save will be on your dashboard forever, but for many, you want to actually download ads from Facebook.
If you want to take it one step further, here's how you can download the video or image ad from Facebook ad library.
- Go to your Foreplay dashboard (app.foreplay.co)
- Click on the eye icon in the top right corner - this will open the ad details drawer.
- Scroll the right-hand column and click the "Download" button.
This will download your Facebook Ad Library ad video or image ad locally to your Mac or PC as a .png for images and .mp4 for video ads. This will download the actual ad video or image, not the entire ad unit.
Download Facebook Video Thumbnails
Thumbnails for facebook video ads can act as another drop in the bucket thats is your ad creative success. Foreplay's chrome extension not only helps you save ads from FB ad library it is also a useful thumbnail downloader.
After saving the facebook video using Foreplay;
- Go to your Foreplay Dashboard
- Click on the "Ad Details" icon
- Click "Download Thumbnail"
Organize & Share Your Meta Ad Library Inspiration
For many of us, saving ads from the Facebook Ad Library is a way to share them with team members, colleagues, or advertising agencies. Luckily, when you use Foreplay to save your ad inspiration, it is easier than ever to organize and share your ad inspiration.
Organize Ads Inspiration into Boards
Foreplay allows you to create Folders and boards, meaning when you save ads from the Facebook Ad Library, you won't lose track of them; you can organize them into collections and filter ads to help develop your future advertising strategies.
Share Ad Inspo Boards & Collections
Beyond organizing your ad inspiration for yourself, Foreplay lets you easily share the ads with your marketing team using public share links. Simply click the "Share" button wherever you see it, and a link will be copied to your clipboard that you can share with anyone.
Foreplay is not only an easy way to download and save ads from the Facebook Ad Library, but it's also a place where creatives can gather creative ideas and collaborate. Give it a try!
Moving Beyond the Facebook Ad Library for Ad Inspiration
Now that you know how to save ads from the meta ad library in the fastest, easiest way, it is important to mention that the Foreplay Chrome extension works for multiple platforms and inspiration sources that creative strategists use to discover winning strategies. Here are some other guides you should check out on how to save ads from other ad libraries like the TikTok Creative Center or LinkedIn Ad Library;
- Save & Download Ads from TikTok
- How to Save Ads from Instagram using your Mobile Phone
- How to Save YouTube Shorts
- How to Save LinkedIn Ads
Saving Facebook Ads FAQ
Q: Facebook Ad Library link is broken "No ads match your search criteria The ad you searched doesn't exist."
A: If you are getting this message, is it because the ad is no longer active. If wan to save ads from facebook forever, use the Foreplay Chrome Extension.
Q: If I use the Foreplay extension to save ads, will they be there forever?
A: Yes, all ads you save using Foreplay will remain in your foreplay account even when the facebook video or image becomes inactive.
Q: How do I save all the ads from meta's ad library? Not only one?
A: To do this you are going to want to sue an ad library scraper, check out this article on how to scrape all the ads from meta ad library.
Concluding the best way to Save Ads or Download Video Ads from Meta Ad Library
In conclusion, while a vital resource for marketers seeking to capture insights and develop marketing strategies from active campaigns, the Facebook Ad Library presents significant limitations in its inability to save ads directly.
In this article, we explored the most straightforward and efficient solution to this challenge by detailing the use of the Foreplay Chrome Extension. With this tool, marketers can save their favorite ads from the Facebook Ad Library and organize them into boards for easy access and sharing.
The Foreplay extension not only enhances the functionality of the Facebook Ad Library by allowing the download of ads but also supports collaboration and sharing, making it an indispensable tool for marketers and creative teams.
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Founder of Foreplay.co
