Dynamic creative
- Updated October 22, 2026
Dynamic creative is a Meta setting, switched on at the ad set level, that takes several creative elements, such as images, videos, headlines and primary text, and combines them automatically into different versions of one ad. Meta delivers the combinations to different people and reports them together. Since June 2024, Meta says you may not be able to turn it on for sales or app promotion in Ads Manager.
How does Meta define dynamic creative?
From Meta's About dynamic creative:
When you use dynamic creative in Meta Ads Manager, you can upload multiple creative elements, like images and headlines, which are automatically combined to generate different ad variations for your audience. The variations you get depend on the creative elements and ad placements you select.
Meta's developer guide adds the aim: it "helps you find the best creative combination per impression and learns from the asset's performance across audiences."
Is dynamic creative still available?
Yes, with a narrower reach than before. Three Meta pages put it differently:
| Meta page | What it says about objectives |
|---|---|
| About dynamic creative | "As of June 2024, you may no longer be able to use dynamic creative when creating ad sets on Ads Manager when you select sales or app promotion as your objective." |
| Create an ad that uses dynamic creative | Its steps still say "Select either Awareness, Engagement, Traffic, Leads, App promotion or Sales" |
| Dynamic Creative, Marketing API ("Updated: May 21, 2026") | The objective "must be one of" six values, OUTCOME_SALES and OUTCOME_APP_PROMOTION included |
The note names only sales and app promotion, and only in Ads Manager. It adds that "existing campaigns leveraging dynamic creative will be unaffected at this time", and recommends the flexible ad format "to achieve a similar result". A missing toggle can also be an account gate: a new business portfolio or ad account "may not have access to all advertising features."
Where do you turn on dynamic creative?
On the ad set. Meta's create page says to continue "until you reach the Dynamic creative section at the ad set level", then "Toggle on Dynamic creative" and pick Single image or video, or Carousel, as the format. The limits:
- "The maximum number of images and/or videos you can include in your ad is 10", and a carousel takes images only.
- "You can create a maximum of 1,000 ads that use dynamic creative."
- In the API, "You can only create one ad per ad set", and to remove one you delete or archive "the parent ad set".
It doesn't work with "ads in multiple languages or asset customization or ads with political content", so ad localization needs another route. With it on, "you won't be able to select WhatsApp Status as a placement."
Can you see which headline or image won?
Partly. The help page says "results are shown as the aggregate performance
across all variations", which is why Meta says using it "as a substitute for
split testing is not recommended". Meta's insights
guide
says "we currently show only creative-asset level breakdowns", such as metrics
by image or headline, and that "Insights on full delivered ads are found in Ads
Manager under" the By Dynamic Creative Asset breakdown. So you can see how
each headline or image did across the versions it ran in, but that is not a
controlled comparison between them.
What does "Optimize creative for each person" add?
More change than the elements you gave it. Meta: "Dynamic creative variations are only based on the creative elements you provide unless you toggle on Optimize creative for each person". With it on, Meta lists changes such as "Cropping your image and video", "Swapping text between fields, such as primary text and headline" and "Creating videos from images". For background fill, Meta adds: "you won't be able to preview the change."
What it means for your ads
- Upload different ideas, not rewordings. The system can only combine what you give it.
- Keep words out of the image. Meta's best practices say "Avoid text on top of images: Use the text, headline and link description fields instead", so any headline can sit with any image.
- Explore with it, decide with a test. Use an A/B test when you need a winner.
Common mistakes
- Calling it removed. Meta's wording is "may no longer be able to", on two objectives, with existing campaigns unaffected.
- Treating it as flexible ads. Flexible picks media and format per person at the ad level. The full comparison is in the long version.
Sources
- About dynamic creative in Meta Ads Manager — Meta Business Help Center (accessed October 22, 2026)
- Create an ad that uses dynamic creative in Meta Ads Manager — Meta Business Help Center (accessed October 22, 2026)
- Best practices for ads that use dynamic creative in Meta Ads Manager — Meta Business Help Center (accessed October 22, 2026)
- Dynamic Creative — Meta for Developers (accessed October 22, 2026)
- Marketing API insights — Meta for Developers (accessed October 22, 2026)
Availability is per account and objective, and Meta revises these pages without notice, so check the source before acting on any of it.
Terrads can write several headline and primary text options for any image or video ad you make with it, so the elements dynamic creative mixes start out as different ideas.