I get it. You’re in a rush to set up your first Meta advertisement and get things rolling. But here’s the thing – if you don’t get the hang of Meta ecosystem, you’ll feel stuck in a big interconnected loop.
That’s why before you can run smart Facebook or Instagram ads, you first need to know where everything lives. That’s where most marketers initially get stuck. (Quite understandable, tbh!)
Meta has changed its interface a lot in the past few years. What used to be Power Editor is now part of Ads Manager. Business Suite was meant for Page admins but now shows boosted post insights too. There’s an app version, a desktop version, and half the tools seem to move around every few months.
So if you’ve ever asked:
- Where do I edit my campaign?
- Why can’t I find my ad account?
- What’s the difference between Ads Manager and Business Suite?
You’re not alone.
This guide on Meta ad tools is here to help you out. .
We’ll break down exactly what each Meta tool does, how they connect, and when to use them. Whether you’re boosting posts, managing a full-funnel ad campaign, or simply checking performance, this guide will ensure you’re at the right place at the right time.
So, let’s get clear on what platform does what – and where to start.
What is Meta Ads Manager?
Meta Ads Manager is the primary dashboard where all Facebook and Instagram ads are created, launched, monitored, and optimized. If you’ve ever run an ad on Meta’s platforms (or plan to), this is the control center where it all begins.
But despite its importance, Ads Manager can feel overwhelming at first glance. Its interface is dense with buttons, columns, dropdowns, and tabs. Meta often changes the layout without much warning, which adds to the confusion. So let’s break it down in plain language.
The core idea behind Meta Ads Manager
At its heart, Meta Ads Manager is a campaign builder and performance monitor rolled into one. It’s where you:
- Define your campaign’s goal (like website visits, sales, or video views)
- Choose your audience (based on age, interests, location, or behaviors)
- Pick where your ad appears (Instagram, Facebook feed, Stories, Reels, etc.)
- Upload your ad creative (images, videos, text)
- Set your budget and run dates
- Track results as your ad runs
Everything happens inside a clean but layered interface, which is organized around three major tabs:
The Campaign → Ad Set → Ad Structure
Once inside Ads Manager, you’ll see your ads organized in three levels:
- Campaign Level:
You set the overall objective here (like Leads, Sales, or Awareness). Think of this as “what success looks like” to Meta’s delivery algorithm. - Ad Set Level:
This is where you pick your audience, budget, placements, and schedule. It’s the engine behind the targeting. - Ad Level:
Here, you upload the creative — the actual image, video, headline, and text that people will see.
This nesting structure gives you control and flexibility. You can test multiple ad creatives under the same targeting, or test multiple audiences under one campaign – without creating any messy duplicates.
Tabs you’ll end up using the most
- Campaigns / Ad Sets / Ads Tabs:
These help you switch between levels and monitor performance across each. - Performance Columns:
You can customize what metrics show up on your dashboard – like CTR, ROAS, Cost per Result, Impressions, etc. - Breakdowns:
Split your results by platform (Instagram vs Facebook), gender, age group, device, or placement – useful for spotting trends.
This is just your starting point and basic understanding of what Facebook’s Ads Manager actually is and what it is meant for. Once you dive into it, you will be able to figure out what each tab means. From a personal opinion, it is more of a learning experience, than a concept to grasp at one go.
What is Meta Business Suite (and how is it different from Ads Manager?)
Most advertisers hear about Meta’s “Business Suite” and “Ads Manager” and assume they’re competing tools – but they’re not. They’re designed for different purposes, often used by different types of marketers, and they serve different day-to-day workflows.
Let’s clear up the confusion.
Meta Business Suite is built for page managers, not performance advertisers
Meta Business Suite was originally introduced as a central dashboard for managing Facebook and Instagram business pages. It was Meta’s answer to social media management tools, not advertising tools.
Here’s what it’s best for:
- Scheduling posts and stories for Facebook and Instagram
- Replying to comments and DMs across both platforms
- Tracking basic performance (reach, engagement, follower growth)
- Boosting posts quickly (without needing to open Ads Manager)
- Managing team access and inboxes
Over time, Meta added light ad features here, like boosting or checking results for recent campaigns. But this section was always meant for page admins, creators, and small business owners. If you just want to post consistently and throw in a few quick boosts, Business Suite can work well.
But for advertisers looking to set up proper campaigns (with ad sets, budget controls, testing, and precise targeting) Business Suite just isn’t enough.
Why Meta Ads Manager is the better tool for campaign management?
Ads Manager is built specifically for running Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns.
Here, you can:
- Build structured campaigns with multiple ad sets and creatives
- Define precise objectives (video views, conversions, app installs, etc.)
- Access deeper targeting (lookalikes, custom audiences, retargeting)
- Set optimization goals and control placements
- Analyze real performance data — breakdowns, attribution, funnel view
Unlike Business Suite, Ads Manager also gives access to advanced tools like Advantage+ campaigns, automation rules, custom conversions, and A/B testing, all of which are essential for scaling ads.
In short: if you’re serious about Facebook Ads, Ads Manager is non-negotiable.
Mobile vs Desktop: Which version of Meta Ads Manager should you use?
Meta provides both a desktop dashboard and a mobile app for managing ads, but they’re not built equally.
Let’s clear the air: the mobile version isn’t a full replacement. Think of it as a pocket-sized toolkit. It’s helpful for quick fixes, but if you’re planning campaigns or diving into reports, the desktop version is where the real power lies.
What you can (and can’t) do on mobile version of Meta Ads Manager?
The Meta Ads Manager app is perfect for real-time monitoring. Let’s say you’re running a weekend campaign and need to pause an underperforming ad. A few taps and you’re done. You can tweak budgets, adjust dates, even preview creatives.
But when it comes to building campaigns from scratch, editing complex audience setups, or comparing detailed performance metrics across time windows, the app quickly runs out of steam. You’ll notice that features like custom breakdowns, rule automation, or Advantage+ placements are either missing or hard to find.
Even reports look different. The mobile app offers surface-level stats: impressions, clicks, and cost. But if you’re trying to see if your Instagram placements outperformed Facebook, or what age group clicked the most, you’ll need to switch to the desktop dashboard.
Best way to work? Use both — with intention
If you’re managing ads solo or on the move, the mobile app gives you just enough control. You’ll never miss something critical. But as your campaigns get more advanced, the desktop interface becomes non-negotiable. Especially for tasks like:
- Creating and editing ad sets with layered targeting
- Reviewing performance breakdowns (age, gender, device, placement)
- Setting up automation rules or testing creatives
There’s no shame in using both. The pros do too. Think of mobile as your field tool and desktop as your command center.
How do Meta’s automation features actually work?
As Meta’s ad system becomes more complex under the hood, the platform is quietly giving you more tools to simplify the workload, especially through automation.
But automation doesn’t mean “set it and forget it.” It means letting Meta do the repetitive heavy lifting, while you focus on strategy.
Let’s walk through the most powerful automation features that live inside Ads Manager today.
1. Advantage Suite: Meta’s AI-powered campaign tools
If you’ve noticed the word “Advantage” popping up everywhere in Ads Manager, that’s Meta’s umbrella term for all things automation and AI.
Some features you’ll see:
- Advantage+ Placements: Meta chooses where your ads run, across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Reels, Stories, and more, based on where your audience is most responsive. You can still exclude placements, but it’s usually better to let the system decide.
- Advantage+ Audience: Instead of manually building audiences, Meta uses its data signals to expand beyond your chosen targeting and find high-intent users. It’s especially powerful for broad campaigns or when you don’t have strong first-party data.
- Advantage+ Creative: Meta may adjust your creative for different placements , cropping images, changing aspect ratios, or rearranging text, to improve engagement without you lifting a finger.
- Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns (ASC): These are built specifically for eCommerce brands. You just have to upload your catalog and creative. Meta handles audience, placements, and budgeting. It’s performance-driven, especially for warm retargeting and repeat purchases.
Tip: You can’t customize Advantage+ campaigns as much as traditional ones. If you want full control (e.g., testing audience splits), you may want to run a manual version in parallel.
2. Automation Rules: Your campaign safety net
Inside the “Rules” section of Ads Manager, you will find one of the most underrated tools: Automated Rules.
These rules let you define conditions where the system will take action without you needing to log in.
Example use cases:
- Pause underperforming ads: “If CPC > $3 and CTR < 0.8%, pause the ad.”
- Increase budget on winners: “If ROAS > 3 over last 3 days, increase budget by 15%.”
- Get alerts: “If daily spend exceeds $500, send notification.”
You can trigger actions at the campaign, ad set, or ad level. Just be careful: over-automating without monitoring can lead to false positives or missed opportunities.
3. Dynamic Creative and Ad Rotation
Ever wondered if you should run 3 ads or test 5 different headlines? Meta’s Dynamic Creative solves this by letting you upload multiple versions of:
- Headlines
- Primary text
- Descriptions
- Images/videos
- CTA buttons
The system then automatically mixes and matches to find the best-performing combination, optimizing in real-time.
You’ll also notice options like Asset Customization by Placement, where you can adjust creative size and copy for each placement (e.g., Reels vs. Feed), or let Meta do it for you.
Why understanding automation matters in 2025?
Automation isn’t optional anymore, it’s how algorithm for Meta advertising works. The algorithm lean heavily on signals, learning loops, and budget fluidity.
But blindly trusting automation is a trap. Marketers who understand how these features behave get better results, faster.
That’s why this section exists: to demystify what’s happening at the backend so you can use automation as a smart assistant.
Where do you find key reports in Ads Manager & what do they actually mean?
For most advertisers, reporting is where things start to fall apart. Or where they start getting confused.
That’s not because they don’t have the right data. But because Meta hides a lot of it behind confusing buttons and overwhelming dropdowns. Initially, when you go to Ads Manager, you will find 20+ columns, and have no idea which key metrics to actually track.
Let’s walk through how to access the data that actually matters, understand what each report means, and avoid the common traps that confuse both beginners and seasoned marketers.
How to find your campaign reports in Facebook Ads Manager?
Once you’ve launched a few ads, here’s where you’ll find your performance data:
- Go to Ads Manager → You’ll land on the “Campaigns” tab by default.
- Use the tabs at the top to switch between:
- Campaigns
- Ad Sets
- Ads
- For each tab, you can click the gear icon (⚙️) to customize the columns. This is key — Meta doesn’t show you the most helpful metrics by default.
- At the top-right corner, you’ll find filters, time ranges, export options, and a button labeled “Breakdown”.
QUICK TIP: If you’re seeing metrics like “Link Clicks” or “Post Engagement” but your campaign was optimized for leads or purchases, you’re looking at the wrong columns. Always match reporting columns to your objective.
So, which columns actually matter for your Meta Ads reports?
Meta lets you customize reports with hundreds of columns, but that’s overkill. Most advertisers just need 5–7 core metrics to start with.
Here’s a beginner-friendly set to monitor:
| Metric | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Results | Shows how many goal actions you got (clicks, leads, purchases, etc.) |
| Cost per Result | Tells you how efficiently your ads are working |
| Impressions | Total number of times your ad was shown |
| CTR (Link Click) | Measures engagement — higher = better targeting or creative |
| Amount Spent | Keeps track of your budget burn |
| Conversion Rate | (If available) Helps judge landing page or funnel performance |
If you’re optimizing for purchases, you may also want to enable ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) — but you’ll need to set up your Pixel and event tracking correctly first.
What’s the “Breakdown” feature in Ads Manager and why is it useful?
Click on the Breakdown button at the top of Ads Manager to dissect your results by variables like:
- Age
- Gender
- Platform (Facebook vs Instagram)
- Placement (Reels vs Stories vs Feed)
- Device type (Android vs iOS)
For example: If your CTR is low, use Breakdown to check which placement or device is underperforming. Sometimes, Stories work great, but Feeds underperform. So, this helps you cut waste fast.
Where to check learning phase status in Ads Manager?
One of the most misunderstood parts of Ads Manager is the learning phase indicator.
Here’s how to find it:
- In the “Delivery” column inside Ads Manager, look for status labels like Learning, Learning Limited, or Active.
- Hover over these labels to see what’s happening.
If your ad set is stuck in Learning Limited, it means Meta isn’t getting enough conversion data to optimize delivery. That’s a signal to either broaden your audience, increase budget, or simplify your campaign.
PRO TIP: Making large edits during the learning phase will restart it. Avoid touching campaigns unless you really need to.
Common pain points faced while reporting with Ads Manager
You’d think downloading reports from Ads Manager would be easy. It’s not. The Export button (at the top-right of Ads Manager) lets you download CSV/XLS files.
But most downloaded reports include cluttered columns, confusing headers, and nested data. That’s why you’ll need to clean the data up in Excel to make it useful.
Additionally, you might also have these questions while reporting:
- “Why don’t I see ROAS in my report?”
→ You likely haven’t set up purchase tracking correctly via Pixel or CAPI. - “Why is everything showing as 0?”
→ Double-check your filters and time range. Sometimes it’s just set to today. - “Why is performance data delayed?”
→ Conversions and results often lag by a few hours, especially with iOS tracking delays. - “Why is Instagram missing?”
→ Make sure your campaign includes Instagram in placements. Also, Breakdown by Platform to verify.
Want to simplify Meta Ads reporting?
Ask Vaizle's AI Agent to generate a report for you
Why can’t I find my ad account or edit some campaigns? (Common UI Frustrations)
Meta’s interface can be tricky, especially if you’re managing multiple assets or switching between tools like Business Suite and Ads Manager. Below are common UI blockers and what to do when they show up.
“Why is everything greyed out?”
You’ve launched Ads Manager, only to find that key buttons are inactive or your campaigns can’t be edited. This typically happens because:
- Wrong ad account is selected. Meta often defaults to your most recently used account — which may not be the one with active campaigns.
- You don’t have the right permissions. If you’re working in a client account or a shared Business Manager, double-check whether you’re listed as an Admin or Advertiser. Without these roles, editing is restricted.
- Meta is still loading data. Sometimes, the UI appears before the backend finishes fetching campaign info. Wait a few seconds or refresh.
Quick fix: Use the dropdown at the top-left to confirm the correct ad account, and check your role inside Business Settings.
“Where is my ad account?”
This is a common blocker for teams managing many Pages or clients. Reasons why your ad account may be missing:
- You’re logged into the wrong profile (especially if you manage accounts for different businesses).
- Your Business Manager doesn’t own the ad account — it may belong to a partner or another agency.
- You’ve been removed from the account or had access changed.
To find your account: Go to business.facebook.com/settings → Accounts → Ad Accounts → and look under “Owned by” or “Shared with this Business.”
Still not there? Ask an admin to re-invite you.
“Why can’t I find Instagram data?”
You launched a campaign for both Facebook and Instagram, but now you’re trying to view Instagram-specific performance – and it’s nowhere to be found.
That’s because:
- Default columns in Ads Manager don’t show platform breakdowns.
- Instagram metrics are grouped under placements like “Instagram Feed” or “Stories,” not a separate “Instagram” tab.
Solution: Use Breakdowns → By Delivery → Platform or Placement to see how different surfaces (like Instagram Reels vs. Facebook Feed) are performing.
Here’s the thing. If something looks broken, don’t panic. Meta’s team regularly tests interface changes with select users. This A/B testing results in temporary bugs or partial rollouts. In such cases, check the same feature on a colleague’s account or browser. Chances are, you’re part of a test group.
If you’re seeing persistent issues:
- Check Meta’s Status Page: metastatus.com
- Join forums or communities like Facebook Ads Reddit, Meta Business Help, or your favorite Slack groups.
- Consider a analytics tool like Vaizle AI to get plain-English explanations and save hours of guesswork
So, where do you go from here?
By now, you should have a clear picture of how Meta’s tools fit together and which ones to use for what. Ads Manager is your core engine room, Business Suite is more of a social and page management cockpit, and features like Advantage+ and automation rules are what give Meta Ads its modern edge.
Still, it’s normal to feel like there’s too much clicking around for simple answers.
If you’re running ad campaigns regularly, you probably want cleaner reporting, faster diagnostics, and fewer tabs to switch between. That’s where tools like Vaizle AI can step in, helping you ask plain-English questions like “Which creatives performed best last week?” or “Why did my ROAS drop on Instagram in May?”
No dashboards, no downloading. Just smart answers.
