If you feel like you’re seeing too many ads on Facebook, resetting your ad preferences can help reduce the number of ads you see. Here are some tips on how to reset your Facebook ad preferences and cut down on the ads in your News Feed.
Why You Might Want to Reset Facebook Ads
There are a few main reasons why you may want to reset your Facebook ad preferences:
- You’re seeing too many irrelevant ads – Resetting your info will clear out Facebook’s understanding of your interests and demographics, meaning future ads should hopefully be more relevant.
- You want a fresh start – Maybe you’ve used Facebook for years and have liked pages and clicked ads for products you’re no longer interested in. Resetting gives you a clean slate.
- Privacy concerns – Resetting your ad preferences helps limit the amount of data Facebook has saved about you. This gives you more control over your privacy.
Resetting your preferences is an easy way to take control over the ads you see on Facebook moving forward.
How to Reset Your Facebook Ad Preferences
You can reset your Facebook ad preferences right from the Facebook app or website. Here are step-by-step instructions:
- Open the Facebook app on your mobile device or visit Facebook.com on your computer.
- Click on the menu icon in the top right (on mobile) or click the down arrow icon (on desktop).
- Go to “Settings & Privacy” and select “Settings.”
- Click on “Ads” in the left sidebar.
- Select “Your Information” from the top menu.
- Click “View and Edit” next to “Your Categories.”
- Select “Remove All” to delete your ad interests and demographics.
And that’s it! Facebook will now reset your ad profile. Over time, as you like pages and click ads again, Facebook will rebuild its understanding of your interests.
Other Ways to Control Facebook Ads
In addition to resetting your ad preferences, here are some other tips for gaining more control over the ads you see:
- Adjust your ad settings – Go to “Ad Preferences” under Settings and disable options like “Use data from partners” and “Ads based on your activity on Facebook Company Products.”
- Hide individual ads – Hover over any ad and click “Hide Ad” to remove that specific ad from your News Feed.
- Unlike pages – If you’ve liked pages for products, brands, or topics you no longer want to see ads about, unlike those pages.
- Use Ad Blockers – Browser extensions like Adblock Plus can hide display ads on Facebook.
The Impact of Resetting Facebook Ads
Resetting your Facebook ads will have a few noticeable effects:
- You’ll see fewer ads for a while – With your preferences erased, Facebook has to start understanding your interests from scratch.
- Future ads will be more general – Expect to see more broadly targeted ads until Facebook can rebuild its ad profile for you.
- Some ads may still be relevant – If you follow Pages or have Activity tracked by Facebook, they’ll still have some data to personalize ads.
- It’s temporary – Your ad preferences will be rebuilt over time based on how you use Facebook.
So resetting your ad preferences can help reduce the number of ads you see and remove irrelevant ads in the short term. But for an ongoing solution, combining resets with things like ad blocking tools is more effective.
Can I Download My Facebook Data Before Resetting Ads?
Before resetting your Facebook ads, you may want to download a copy of your Facebook data for your records. Here’s how:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings.
- Click “Your Facebook Information” in the left sidebar.
- Select “Download Your Information” and choose what data categories you want to download (photos, posts, profile info, etc).
- Enter your password and click “Request Download.” Facebook will compile and email you a download link when it’s ready.
Downloading this data lets you save a snapshot of your Facebook activity before resetting things like your ad preferences. The download includes data like:
- Posts, photos, videos you’ve shared
- A list of ads you’ve clicked
- Info from your profile
- Pages and people you follow
This can be useful if you ever need to look back at your Facebook history or for analyzing what ads and posts you tended to engage with.
Will Resetting Ads Delete My Profile Information?
Resetting your Facebook ad preferences does not delete any of your profile information, posts, or other Facebook activity. Your profile, photos, videos, and posts will all remain intact after resetting your ad settings. The only thing that gets deleted are the interests and demographic data Facebook uses to show you targeted ads.
If you do want to delete parts of your Facebook profile and activity, you can:
- Delete old posts, photos, and videos.
- Unlike pages you no longer want to follow.
- Remove personal info from your profile.
- Limit the audience for past posts.
But resetting your ad preferences won’t make any changes to your actual Facebook profile or account details. It simply clears out Facebook’s “memory” about your interests and characteristics.
Should I Reset Facebook Ads from a Computer or Phone?
You can easily reset your Facebook ad preferences from either a computer or a mobile device. The process involves accessing the same Ad Preferences menu.
However, here are some things to consider about using a computer vs phone:
| Computer | Phone | |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Access | Requires opening Facebook in a browser which may take more time. | The Facebook app is easy to open instantly on your home screen. |
| Navigation | Navigating settings menus is easier with a mouse and full screen. | On a small screen, navigating through nested menus can be tricky. |
| Ad Display | Ads are shown in the right sidebar rather than your News Feed. | Ads are directly mixed into your News Feed on mobile. |
So while the process is essentially the same, using a computer makes it slightly easier to access the settings and navigate through the various menus. But either device works perfectly fine.
Should I Delete Facebook After Resetting Ads?
Resetting your Facebook ad preferences gives you an opportunity to take a break and reevaluate your relationship with Facebook. At that point, you may be wondering if you should delete your Facebook account altogether.
Here are a few pros and cons to weigh when deciding whether to delete Facebook:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| – Completely disconnect from the platform | – Lose access to all connections and content |
| – No possibility of data tracking | – Can’t conveniently stay in touch with certain friends/family |
| – Frees up more time | – Difficult to reconnect later if you change your mind |
| – Forces you to focus social energy elsewhere | – May miss out on events, updates, invites |
There are good reasons for deleting your account if Facebook is having an overall negative impact on your life. But make sure to download your data first, and be aware that you can deactivate temporarily before committing to a permanent delete.
What Happens When I Reset Facebook Ads?
Here is an overview of exactly what happens when you reset your Facebook ad preferences:
- All your interests and other custom audiences are erased from your ad profile.
- Ads will be less personalized until Facebook rebuilds its data on you.
- Facebook will show you more randomly targeted ads in your News Feed.
- Any advertisers you hid will be unhidden.
- Over time, your new ad preferences will be shaped by how you use Facebook moving forward.
Resetting gives Facebook’s ad algorithm a fresh start in understanding your interests. And it removes the influence of old ad interactions that may no longer represent what you want to see.
Conclusion
Resetting your Facebook ad preferences can be a quick and easy way to clear out old ad data and take control of the ads you see in your News Feed. While the effects are temporary, it can provide a clean slate as Facebook relearns your current interests based on new activity and engagement.
Use this reset in combination with other ad controls like hiding ads and limiting tracking for a more robust ad management approach. And consider downloading your Facebook data before a reset if you want an archive of your past ad interactions.