How product set filters work
You build sets in Commerce Manager under Catalog, then Sets, or from Ads Manager. A filter combines a product attribute, a condition and a value, for example price is less than 100 or title contains "jeans," and you choose whether products must match all filters or at least one. Filters are dynamic, so products join or leave the set as your catalog changes. Contains matches whole words only, so "shoes" won't match "shoe," and number filters don't accept decimals. For your own groupings, Meta recommends the internal label and custom number attributes, since internal labels don't need a policy review each time you change them.
Using sets in catalog ads
When you create Advantage+ catalog ads, which Meta's product page now calls Products from your catalog, or show products with your ad creative, you select a product set to promote. A carousel needs at least two valid products in the set and a collection at least four; if a set falls below that, the ad may be paused. Meta also offers Include other products from catalog, which can show items outside the set when the set holds less than 60% of the catalog. See dynamic product ads for how the format works.
Splitting a catalog into sets
We split a catalog when product groups need different budgets, messaging or margins, such as a sale set filtered on sale price is greater than 0, or one set per category. Meta's guidance pulls the other way: a larger set gives delivery more products to choose from, and very narrow filters limit recommendations. So we keep each set broad enough to stay above the minimum, and we avoid editing a set mid-campaign, which Meta says can affect performance while the audience updates.
Common questions
What is the All products set in a Meta catalog?
It's the default product set every catalog has, containing all its products. Meta says you can't edit, duplicate or delete it.
Do I need to filter out-of-stock products from a product set?
No. Meta says out-of-stock products are already excluded from ads, so you don't need an availability is in stock filter.
How many products does a Meta product set need?
At least two valid, unique products for carousel ads and four for collection ads. Variants count as one product, and out-of-stock, archived or policy-rejected items don't count.
Can I edit a product set while ads are running?
You can, but Meta doesn't recommend it, because performance may be affected while the audience updates. You also can't delete a set that an active campaign is using.
Why does my product set contains filter miss products?
Meta's contains filter matches whole words only. "Board" won't match "skateboard," plurals don't match singulars, and characters like > split the term, so use starts with for Google product category paths.