Meta's standard attribution window is set at the ad set level, and the common default is 7-day click, 1-day view. Since March 2026, Meta counts only link clicks as click-through, and credits likes, shares, saves, and 5-second video plays separately under a 1-day engage-through window. It is a reasonable default, and it is also the setting most likely to flatter Meta's own reporting.
Where the inflation comes from
The culprit is view-through attribution: Meta will claim a conversion from someone who merely saw an ad and did not click, as long as they converted within the view window. On a warm retargeting audience that is sometimes fair. On cold prospecting it lets Meta take credit for purchases it had little to do with, which is why its numbers usually run highest of any platform. Engage-through is a second source of non-click credit: a conversion after someone liked, saved, or watched 5 seconds of an ad counts too, even though no one visited your site from it.
When to tighten it
For cold prospecting, or any time you need a conservative read, lean on click-based windows and treat view-through and engage-through with suspicion. Keep the setting consistent across campaigns so comparisons are fair, and remember that every platform grades its own homework, so the deciding number should come from somewhere that does not benefit from the answer.
The real fix
Do not try to make Meta's window match reality; make your business run on one source of truth instead, tied through to blended ROAS and pipeline. Meta's own step in this direction is its incremental attribution model, an alternative to standard attribution that optimizes and reports on conversions its models predict the ad actually caused; it is worth testing, but it is still Meta grading its own homework. Platform attribution is for the algorithm to optimize; your source of truth is for decisions.
The takeaways
- Meta's default attribution setting is 7-day click, 1-day view, set at the ad set level.
- View-through credit counts conversions from people who only saw an ad, which is the part most likely to overstate Meta's results.
- That can be fair on warm retargeting. On cold prospecting it inflates the numbers.
- For a conservative read, lean on click-based windows, keep the setting consistent, and run the business on one source of truth and blended ROAS.
Common questions
What is Meta's default attribution window?
7-day click and 1-day view, set at the ad set level. It counts conversions from anyone who clicked a link in the last seven days or viewed in the last one; non-link engagements now sit in a separate 1-day engage-through window.
Should I use 1-day or 7-day attribution on Meta?
For cold prospecting or a conservative read, lean on shorter click-based windows and treat view-through credit with caution. Keep the setting consistent across campaigns, and reconcile against a single source of truth.