Attribution setting

The attribution setting is the rule Meta uses to decide which conversions get credited to your ads: after which action (a link click, a view or another engagement) and within how many days. You choose it per ad set. It changes the conversions Ads Manager reports, and Meta says it also shapes delivery, so two ad sets with different settings aren't counting the same thing.

How does Meta define the attribution setting?

Meta's page, now titled About attribution models and attribution settings, works in two layers. You pick an attribution model for the ad set, and "If you select standard attribution, you can also choose attribution settings, which determine which conversions can be credited to your ads." On what a setting holds:

The standard attribution setting allows advertisers to choose whether to credit a conversion based on ad impressions, clicks and/or engagements. Advertisers can also select in what time period to credit these conversions.

It matters for actions that happen off the ad. Meta's About actions attributed to your ad page says a purchase on your website is "attributed back to your ad if they happened within a certain number of days after someone viewed or clicked on your ad." Impressions, link clicks and video views happen on the ad and have their own columns.

What attribution windows can you choose?

Meta lists three for website and in-store conversions:

The default, from Meta's Results page: "Meta uses a default attribution setting of 7-day click, 1-day view and 1-day engagement conversion." Meta adds that "Some accounts may still use prior versions of click-through and engage-through attribution while this feature is rolling out", and some iOS 14+ app campaigns get fewer options.

Can you compare attribution settings?

Yes, in reporting, without editing the ad set. Meta's Compare attribution settings in Meta Ads Manager page lets you compare "1-day view, 1-day click, 7-day click and 28-day click", and "regardless of the ones you chose to optimize for in your campaign." So 28-day click is a reporting view, not one of the settings above. You also pick a conversion count, "All conversions" or "First conversion", and if a campaign "hasn't been live for at least 28 days, the 28-day click attribution view will only provide partial data".

How is an attribution model different from an attribution setting?

The model is the layer above. Meta's page lists standard attribution; incremental attribution, which "optimizes delivery for incremental conversions using models that predict whether a conversion is caused by an ad"; and custom attribution, which uses data from "your external analytics tool". Its intro sentence names only "standard or incremental". Only the standard model has settings. Meta warns that results "cannot be compared in the Campaign Overview table across ad sets with different attribution models", and its incremental setup page says "You cannot change your attribution model after you publish your campaign."

What it means for your ads

• Check the setting before comparing two reports. Add the Attribution setting column (Columns, then Customize columns). A 1-day click ad set can count fewer conversions than a 7-day click one for the same spend, so cost per result and ROAS move with it.
• It changes what delivery learns from. Meta's Optimization events metric counts outcomes "based on your chosen attribution setting", and that count is what the learning phase waits for.
• Set bid targets in the same window. On what bid strategy target to set, Meta's About bid strategies FAQ says: "Base your performance results within your attribution window."
• Test creative inside one ad set. Ads in the same ad set share its attribution setting, so they are counted the same way.

Common mistakes

• Reading a mixed campaign as one number. When ad sets in one campaign use different settings, Meta's About multiple attribution settings page says results are "added together across different attribution settings".
• Trusting an old example. Meta's Optimization events page still gives "1-day click and 7-day view" as an example. Its current list of settings has view-through at 1 day only.
• Expecting Ads Manager to match your store. Meta counts conversions inside the window you chose. Your store counts every order.

Sources

• About attribution models and attribution settings — Meta Business Help Center (accessed October 24, 2026)
• Results — Meta Business Help Center metric glossary (accessed October 22, 2026)
• About actions attributed to your ad — Meta Business Help Center (accessed October 22, 2026)
• Compare attribution settings in Meta Ads Manager — Meta Business Help Center (accessed October 22, 2026)
• About multiple attribution settings — Meta Business Help Center (accessed October 22, 2026)
• How to use incremental attribution in Meta Ads Manager — Meta Business Help Center (accessed October 22, 2026)
• Optimization events — Meta Business Help Center metric glossary (accessed October 22, 2026)
• About bid strategies — Meta Business Help Center (accessed October 22, 2026)

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The attribution page's left-hand menu still calls it "About the attribution setting". Meta revises these pages without notice, so check the source before acting on any of it.

Terrads makes ads that differ in concept and layout, so when you compare results under one attribution setting, the versions are actually different.