What the Attribution Setting Controls
Every Meta ad set has an attribution setting: the time window after someone clicks or sees your ad in which a conversion can be credited to it. It affects two things at once: what Ads Manager reports, and how Meta optimises delivery.
That's why the same campaign can show very different ROAS under different settings, without a single extra sale.
Windows Available in 2026
| Window | Credits a conversion when someone... | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1-day click | Clicked a link in your ad and converted within 24 hours | Available |
| 7-day click | Clicked and converted within 7 days | Available (default) |
| 1-day view | Saw the ad without clicking and converted within 24 hours | Available (default) |
| 1-day engage-through | Engaged with the ad, such as a video view, and converted within a day | Part of the default |
| 28-day click | Clicked and converted within 28 days | Reporting comparisons only |
| 7-day and 28-day view | Saw the ad and converted within 7 or 28 days | Removed January 12, 2026 |
An Example
Illustrative: someone clicks your ad on Monday and buys on Friday. Under 7-day click, Meta credits the ad. Under 1-day click, it doesn't. If they had only seen the ad and bought the same day, 1-day view would credit it.
Which Setting to Choose
| Business | Suggested starting point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ecommerce with a short path | 7-day click + 1-day view | Captures multi-session carts |
| Impulse or low-price offers | 1-day click + 1-day view | Purchases happen fast |
| High-ticket or considered purchases | 7-day click | Buyers take days to decide |
| Retargeting | 1-day click | Avoids crediting sales that would happen anyway |
Use Meta's compare attribution settings view before switching, and change one ad set at a time.
Reading Results Sensibly
- Compare like with like. Ad sets on different settings aren't comparable.
- Treat view-through with care. If view-through makes up a large share, test click-only.
- Expect gaps. Even 7-day click misses buyers who take longer, switch devices or block tracking.
Checking Meta Against Reality
Meta's numbers are Meta's view. An independent first-party tracker shows what actually happened across all your channels, and can send those real conversions back to Meta so delivery improves. ClickMagick does both: it attributes sales with the model you choose and sends conversions to Meta through the Conversions API. See ClickMagick for Facebook ads.
See your Meta results on your own data, not just Meta's.
Try ClickMagick FreeFrequently Asked Questions
What is Meta's default attribution setting?
For ad sets optimising for website conversions, the default is 7-day click and 1-day view, with 1-day engage-through also included in the default setting.
Can I still use 28-day attribution on Facebook?
Not as an ad set setting. The 28-day click window remains for reporting comparisons, but Meta removed the 7-day view and 28-day view windows from its Ads Insights API on January 12, 2026.
Should I use 1-day click or 7-day click?
Use 7-day click if buyers usually take a few days to decide, and 1-day click if they buy on the spot. Use Meta's compare attribution settings feature to see the difference before switching.
Does changing the attribution window change performance?
It changes what's reported and how delivery is optimised. A shorter window will usually show lower ROAS even if real sales haven't changed.
Why don't Meta's numbers match my store?
Meta counts conversions within its own windows, including view-through, and can't see blocked or cross-device sales. Your store counts orders. An independent tracker helps reconcile the two.