Free Chrome Extension · Meta Ads Downloader
Download Facebook and Instagram ads from the Meta Ad Library in one click
The Meta Ads Downloader is a free Chrome extension that puts a Download button on every ad card in the Meta Ad Library. One click saves the image, or the video as an MP4, straight to your computer, so you can build a swipe file of Facebook and Instagram ads for research.
Free on the Chrome Web Store. Use it with the free swipe file and the Meta Ad Library search builder.
What the downloader does
One-click download
every ad card in the Meta Ad Library gets a Download button. You don't need to screen-record or dig through developer tools.
Video and image ads
it saves the video MP4 when Meta serves one, and the image for static ads. When no video file is available, it falls back to the poster frame.
Tidy files
downloads go into a "meta-ads" folder, named by advertiser and library ID, so a folder of fifty ads is still easy to sort.
Run time captured
it records how long the ad has been running, based on the ad's start date. An advertiser who keeps an ad running for months is usually happy with it.
Optional swipe file
a second button keeps the ad, its copy and its run time in your HookAds swipe file, so you can still search for it after Meta takes it down.
Private
it only reads the Ad Library pages you open, and only downloads or saves the ad you click. Nothing else leaves your browser.
How to download Facebook ads from the Meta Ad Library
The Meta Ad Library has no download button of its own, so the extension adds one. Setup takes about a minute the first time.
- Add the Meta Ads Downloader to Chrome from the Chrome Web Store.
- Open the Meta Ad Library at facebook.com/ads/library, choose a country, and set the ad category to "All ads".
- Search for a brand or a keyword, then pick the advertiser from the dropdown if you only want their ads.
- Click Download on any ad card. The file saves to the "meta-ads" folder in your downloads.
How to download Instagram ads
Instagram ads don't have a separate library. They live in the same Meta Ad Library as Facebook ads, so the downloader works on them with no extra steps. Open the Platform filter in the Ad Library and choose Instagram. You'll see only ads running on Instagram, including Reels, Stories and feed ads, and each card gets the same Download button. For more on researching Instagram ads, see our Instagram ad library guide.
How to download video ads from the Meta Ad Library
Set the Media type filter to Videos to hide everything else. Click Download on a video ad and the extension saves the MP4 Meta is serving for it. Some ads only expose a preview image, and for those you get the poster frame. Video is the format people most want to study frame by frame, since the first two or three seconds (the hook) usually decide whether the ad works.
Can you download Facebook ads without an extension?
Sometimes. For an image ad you can right-click the image and save it, though you often get a small preview instead of the full file. For a video ad you can open your browser's developer tools, find the MP4 in the Network tab and open it in a new tab, or screen-record the ad while it plays. Both methods work. They're slow and fiddly when you want twenty ads from one competitor, and the extension turns that into one click per ad.
What to do with the ads you download
A folder of downloads only helps if you can spot patterns in it later. File each ad by mechanism (before and after, testimonial, demo, price anchor, founder story) instead of by brand. Then you can write briefs from it: "three demo ads with a question hook" is a brief, and "Nike folder" is not.
Once you've found an ad whose structure is worth copying, run its opening line through the hook checker, browse the Hook Bank for more hooks on the same pattern, or see how others break ads down in our ad teardowns. New to the library itself? The Meta Ads Library guide covers every filter, and the ad library hub compares it with Google's and LinkedIn's.
What it can't do
- It only works on the Meta Ad Library, not on ads in your own Facebook or Instagram feed.
- It can only download ads the library shows: ads that are active or that Meta keeps in its archive.
- It downloads the creative. The ad copy and run time are kept only if you use the optional Save to HookAds button.
Meta ads downloader FAQ
Is the Meta Ads Downloader free?
Yes. It's free, and downloading needs no sign-up or account.
What can I download?
Any ad shown in the Meta Ad Library, which covers Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and the Audience Network. You get the image for static ads, and for video ads the MP4 when Meta serves one or the poster frame when it doesn't.
Can I download Instagram ads with it?
Yes. Instagram ads are in the Meta Ad Library too. Set the Platform filter to Instagram and every ad card gets the Download button.
How do I download a Facebook video ad?
Install the extension, open the Meta Ad Library, set Media type to Videos, find the ad and click Download. The MP4 saves to your downloads folder.
Where do the downloaded files go?
Into a "meta-ads" folder inside your normal downloads folder. Each file is named by advertiser and library ID.
Is it allowed to download ads from the Meta Ad Library?
The Meta Ad Library is a public transparency tool. Use what you download for research, inspiration and competitive analysis. Don't run someone else's creative as your own ad, and don't use their trademarks or footage.
Does it work on other platforms?
Not yet. For now it only works on the Meta Ad Library. For Google and LinkedIn ads, our ad library hub explains how to search each one.
Downloading the ad is the easy part
Once you have the ad, the work is figuring out why it's still running and making a better one. HookAds is a free hub for that, with hooks, teardowns, templates and AI ad prompts.
Browse the Hook Bank →