Ads Manager is great for quick monitoring, but it isn't the right place for every analysis. Sometimes you need several months of numbers in one table, metrics specific to your business, or a file the client can keep. That's when you export Facebook ads data to Excel or CSV. This article explains how, which columns matter, and the mistakes that make exported numbers misleading.
Why export instead of staying in Ads Manager?
- Deeper analysis: pivot tables, charts, and formulas like real profit after product and shipping costs.
- A permanent archive: each month's numbers kept safe from later changes to campaigns or the account.
- Combining with other data: such as actual store orders or returns.
- Easy sharing: a file anyone can open without access to the ad account.
How to export Facebook ads data from Ads Manager
- Open Ads Manager and pick the level: campaigns, ad sets or ads.
- Set the date range at the top of the page.
- Choose the right columns under Columns, or build and save a custom column preset.
- For a breakdown (by day, age or placement), pick it under Breakdown.
- Click Reports, then Export table data, and choose Excel or CSV.
For repeated exports with the same settings, save the report in Ads Reporting instead of re-selecting columns every time — you can also schedule it to arrive by email.
The columns you actually need
| Column | Why you need it |
|---|---|
| Campaign / ad set / ad name | To identify each row |
| Amount spent | The basis of every calculation |
| Results and result type | What the campaign actually achieved |
| Cost per result | The key comparison metric |
| Impressions, reach and frequency | To understand saturation |
| Link clicks and CTR | To measure ad appeal |
| Purchase value and ROAS | For sales campaigns |
| Currency | Essential if accounts use different currencies |
Common export mistakes
- Summing reach across campaigns: reach doesn't add up, because the same person may see several campaigns. Sum impressions instead.
- Averaging cost per result: the correct figure is total spend ÷ total results, not the average of the cost column.
- Mixing result types: messages, purchases and leads in one column produce a meaningless number.
- Ignoring the attribution window: changing attribution between two exports changes the numbers. See Why Ads Manager Numbers Don't Match Your Store: Facebook Attribution Windows Explained.
- Mixing currencies: adding an EGP account to a USD account in one column is a very common error: Ads in Multiple Currencies (EGP, SAR, AED, KWD): How to Compare and Report Without Errors.
Export by day to spot trends
Add the Day breakdown when exporting to get one row per day. You can then chart spend and cost per result across the month and see exactly when performance started to shift. That's very useful when hunting for the cause of a sudden cost spike, and for linking it to a change made in the campaign the same day.
From a raw file to a report the client understands
A file exported from Ads Manager is full of columns and jargon. Before sending it to a client:
- Remove columns they don't care about and keep the metrics tied to their goal.
- Add a correctly calculated totals row.
- Add a short note: what improved, what weakened, and what's next.
To save time, start from a ready-made template: Free Facebook Ads Report Template (Excel Download).
How often should you export?
Daily monitoring doesn't need exports — a short daily report is enough. Exports suit the end of each week or month, the run-up to a client meeting, or the analysis of a campaign that has ended. Keep the files in a tidy folder named by account and month so you can return to them when comparing periods.
Cleaning exported data before analysis
Raw exports often include rows you don't want: paused campaigns with zero spend, test ads, or summary rows that double-count when you add a pivot table. Filter out zero-spend rows, make sure each row is a single level (don't mix campaign and ad rows), and check that numbers are stored as numbers, not text — otherwise your sums and averages will quietly break.
When manual exports aren't enough
If you manage many accounts, exporting each one every week, then cleaning and merging the files, takes hours. At that point you need a tool that gathers data from every account and exports it into an organized file in one click.
Exporting campaign data in Raqeeb Ads
In the Raqeeb Ads Campaign Analyzer you choose a campaign and period, see the numbers, the comparison with the previous period and each ad's performance, then export it all to a tidy Excel file in one click. In client reports you can export as PDF or Excel with your logo and colors, combining campaigns from several accounts in one report.
FAQ
How do I export Facebook ads data to Excel?
Why does my exported total differ from Ads Manager?
Can I schedule Facebook ads exports?
A media buyer running Meta campaigns for clients across Egypt and the Gulf, who built Raqeeb Ads to fix the account-monitoring problems he kept running into himself.