Facebook's scheduled reports send a static file, not a live workbook, and cross-account reports cannot be scheduled. Every method with those limits named.
There are five ways to get Facebook Ads data into Excel: manual report exports from Ads Manager, the Meta Ads Manager for Excel add-in, the scheduled email report feature inside Ads Reporting, the Marketing API via Power Query, and connector add-ins that pull data on a schedule. The manual export is the starting point for most teams, and the scheduled email feature sounds like an automated solution but has two limits worth knowing before you build a workflow around it: cross-account reports cannot be scheduled, and what arrives in your inbox is a file to download, not a live connection to your workbook. Here is every method with those details spelled out.
Method 1: Ads Manager report export (any account)
In Meta Ads Manager, go to your campaigns view and find the Reports button in the top right of the reporting table. Click it, then select Export table data. Choose XLSX (formatted data), XLSX (raw data), or CSV, then click Export. The file downloads immediately and opens in Excel.
You can also work from inside Ads Reporting: navigate to Analyze and Report in the top navigation, open or create a custom report with the columns and breakdowns you want, then click Export from within the report view. This approach gives you more control over metrics, date ranges, and breakdowns before exporting.
The catch: every export is a static snapshot of the moment you clicked. There is no way to make the exported file update itself. The reporting window goes up to 37 months, so historical data is available, but you retrieve it one export at a time.
Method 2: Meta Ads Manager for Excel (official Microsoft add-in)
Meta publishes an official add-in called Meta Ads Manager for Excel, available from the Microsoft Office Add-ins store. To install it, open Excel, click the Insert tab, choose My Add-ins (or Get Add-ins), and search for "Meta Ads Manager for Excel." Once installed, you log in with your Meta account directly inside Excel and can pull performance data from one or multiple ad accounts into a workbook without exporting anything from Ads Manager first.
The catch: the add-in is read-only reporting; you cannot create or edit ads from within it. It targets Excel 2016 and later on Windows and Mac desktop and is not available in Excel on the web. Data still requires a manual refresh inside the add-in; it does not update on a schedule by itself.
Method 3: Scheduled email reports inside Ads Reporting
Ads Reporting lets you set up a recurring report that delivers to one or more email addresses on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Inside a saved report, look for the schedule option and toggle on Schedule Email. Choose the frequency, add recipient addresses, and save. Recipients get the report on the schedule you set.
The catch: two important limits. First, this feature only works for single-account reports; cross-account reports cannot be scheduled for email delivery. Second, what recipients receive is the report file itself (XLSX or CSV), not a live connection to an Excel workbook. The workflow is still: open email, download file, paste into your master workbook. It saves you the login step but not the copy-paste step.
Method 4: Marketing API via Power Query
The Meta Marketing API exposes campaign, ad set, and ad-level insights. Power Query can call these endpoints: go to Data, then Get Data, then From Web, pass your access token as a query parameter or header, and parse the JSON into a table. You can pull impression, spend, click, and conversion data at any breakdown the API supports.
The catch: Meta access tokens expire. The standard user access token lasts about 60 days, and the short-lived token used in developer testing expires in hours. When the token expires, the Power Query refresh fails silently or with a generic error, and you need to regenerate a long-lived token and update the connection. Managing token rotation is the main maintenance burden of this approach. Power Query also only works on Windows and Mac desktop Excel, not Excel on the web.
Method 5: Brooked for Excel (scheduled, campaign and ad-level data)
Brooked for Excel is an add-in that connects to the Facebook connector and pulls campaign and ad-level performance data into the worksheet. It handles token management in the background, so you do not need to manually regenerate access tokens when they expire. It runs inside Excel's ribbon, works on desktop (Windows and Mac) and Excel on the web (where Power Query cannot run), and includes an AI analyst you can ask questions like "which campaigns had the best ROAS last month" in plain English.
Honest framing: Excel support is in beta. Manual imports and the AI analyst work today; scheduled refresh is rolling out through the beta. The Google Sheets version of the same connector is fully live, so the Facebook plumbing itself is mature.
Setting up the Facebook Ads connection
Open Brooked in the Excel ribbon, choose Facebook Ads as the source, and authenticate with your Meta account credentials. Select the ad account you want, pick the metrics and dimensions (campaign, ad set, or ad level), set a date range, and import into the active worksheet. No token strings to paste and no CSV in between.
Brooked AI, Facebook AdsMethod comparison
| Method | Cost | Works on | Refresh | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ads Manager report export | Free, any account | Any Excel | Manual re-export | One-off campaign or ad-level snapshots |
| Meta Ads Manager for Excel (official add-in) | Free, any account | Excel 2016 and later (Windows & Mac desktop) | Manual refresh inside the add-in | Multi-account pulls without leaving Excel |
| Scheduled email reports | Free, single-account only | Any Excel (via emailed file) | Automated delivery, manual paste into workbook | Regular stakeholder updates without login |
| Marketing API via Power Query | Free (developer setup) | Windows & Mac desktop Excel | Manual refresh in Power Query | Technical teams, token management acceptable |
| Brooked for Excel | Free during beta | Desktop, Mac & web Excel | Scheduled (rolling out in beta) | Campaign and ad-level reporting without code |
What marketing teams build with this
- Weekly paid media dashboard: spend, impressions, clicks, and ROAS by campaign, refreshed every Monday
- Creative performance tracker: CTR and conversion rate by ad creative to identify what to scale
- Cross-channel budget view: Facebook spend next to Google, TikTok, and other paid channels in one workbook
- Audience analysis: cost per result broken down by audience segment and ad set
- Month-end reporting pack: campaign summary for leadership, auto-formatted from live data
Troubleshooting common issues
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Frequently asked questions
Can I export Facebook Ads data to Excel?
Yes. In Meta Ads Manager, go to the reporting table, click Reports in the top right, and select Export table data. Choose XLSX or CSV, then click Export. The file downloads immediately and opens in Excel. You can also save a custom report first and then export from the saved report view.
Does Facebook have a native Excel add-in?
Yes. Meta publishes an official add-in called Meta Ads Manager for Excel, available from the Microsoft Office Add-ins store. It lets you download ad performance data from one or multiple ad accounts directly inside Excel 2016 and later. You install it via the Insert tab in Excel, then My Add-ins, and log in with your Meta account. The add-in is read-only for reporting; you cannot create or edit ads from within it. For older Excel versions or Excel on the web, the manual export or a connector add-in is the fallback.
Can I schedule Facebook Ads reports to update Excel automatically?
Not with the built-in tools. The scheduled email feature inside Ads Reporting sends you a fresh file on a daily, weekly, or monthly cadence, but it is a file attached to an email, not a live connection to an Excel workbook. You still need to open the email, download the file, and copy the data into your workbook. For hands-off refresh of an existing Excel file, a connector add-in is needed.
Why can I not schedule my cross-account report in Facebook Ads Manager?
Scheduled email delivery in Meta Ads Reporting is only available for single-account reports. If your report spans multiple ad accounts, the Schedule Email option is not available. You would need to export each account separately, or use the Marketing API or a connector that can pull cross-account data.
How far back can I pull Facebook Ads data?
The Meta Ads Manager reporting window goes up to 37 months from the date of your request. When exporting, set the date range to any period within that window. The Marketing API has similar historical limits, and some breakdowns have shorter retention windows, so very granular historical data may not be available beyond certain points.
Do Facebook Ads exports work on Windows, Mac, and Excel on the web?
The XLSX or CSV file you download from Ads Manager opens in any version of Excel, on any platform. Power Query for the Marketing API works on Windows and Mac desktop Excel but is not available in Excel on the web. Brooked for Excel works on desktop (Windows and Mac) and on Excel on the web, which is the gap Power Query leaves.
Get Facebook Ads data in Excel on a schedule, without token headaches.
Brooked for Excel is in beta and free to try. Working in Google Sheets instead? See the no-code integration guide.
See Brooked for Excel →
