Ads on Threads in 2026: where they stand and how to run one

The dates, from first test to global

Meta's first announcement named only "select regions". Social Media Today reported on 23 April 2025 that the January test was limited to selected brands in the United States and Japan.

Which countries and formats are supported

Meta does not publish a list of countries. What is on the record is this: on the fourth-quarter 2025 call on 28 January 2026, chief financial officer Susan Li said Meta was starting to expand Threads ads to all remaining countries that month, and named the UK, the European Union and Brazil. On 29 April 2026 she said ads had reached people in more markets, and on 29 July 2026 that the expansion was complete.

On formats, the Help Centre page on Threads ads lists single image, single video and carousel, and says carousels are images only for now. The January 2026 announcement adds Advantage+ catalogue ads and app ads. Meta's product page says Threads ads deliver on mobile only. The same Help Centre page says every campaign objective is supported, though some conversion locations are not: Messenger, Instagram Direct, WhatsApp, calls and instant forms are among those listed as unsupported.

How the Threads placement is selected, and how to remove it

You do not opt in. Meta's instructions for creating a Threads ad say the Threads feed placement is selected by default whether you use Advantage+ placements or choose placements yourself. To check an ad set, or take Threads out:

1. 01

   Open the ad set and find Placements

   With Advantage+ placements on, Threads feed is included.
2. 02

   Switch to manual placements

   For awareness, traffic and engagement campaigns, hover over Advantage+ placements, click Edit and pick Manual placements. For sales, leads and app promotion, click Show more settings and open the placement controls.
3. 03

   Untick Threads feed

   Threads is ticked by default in the manual list too. Meta notes that excluding a placement in a sales, leads or app campaign turns the Advantage+ setup off.

Two limits from the same page: Threads feed cannot be bought on its own, so Instagram feed must be selected alongside it, and an existing organic Threads post cannot yet be used as an ad. The full publishing steps are in how to publish ads on Meta.

Creative specifications for Threads feed ads

These figures are from the Business Help Centre as read on 9 October 2026.

In practice that means the 4:5 file you already make for Facebook and Instagram feed fits Threads without cropping, while a 9:16 Stories file loses its top and bottom. The other sizes are in our Meta ad sizes guide. Two details differ from the other feeds: URLs are not supported in the primary text, and Meta's product page says a Threads feed ad shows no call-to-action button, so people tap the headline or the image to reach your site.

Ads that will not deliver on Threads

The Help Centre lists setups that are not delivered to Threads even when the placement is ticked:

• Ads using Advantage+ creative, dynamic creative or dynamic language optimisation.
• Partnership ads, and posts boosted from Instagram.
• The collection format.
• Advantage+ catalogue ads using the single video format, slideshow, info card or end card.

Meta adds that when one of these becomes compatible, existing campaigns that include the placement will start delivering to Threads automatically. For what the first item covers, see our post on Advantage+ creative enhancements.

Brand safety and inventory controls

The inventory filter covers ads in the Threads feed under the same setting as Facebook and Instagram feed and Reels. It has three levels: Expanded, Moderate and Limited. Meta says the two stricter levels lower reach and can raise costs. It is set per ad account in the Brand Safety and Suitability Centre, and Meta says the option is still rolling out.

Third-party verification of the Threads feed has been available through Meta Business Partners since October 2025.

Do Threads ads appear in the Meta Ad Library?

Yes. When we opened the Ad Library on 9 October 2026, the Platform filter offered Threads beside Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network, Messenger and WhatsApp. Meta's Ad Library API reference also lists Threads as a publisher platform. Because most Threads ads are ordinary Meta ads with one more placement ticked, the filter shows where an ad ran, not that it was made for Threads. Our Ad Library guide covers the other filters.

What Meta has said about users and revenue

• Users. Meta's announcement page records more than 300 million monthly actives in January 2025 and more than 400 million in August 2025. Meta reported 500 million on 16 June 2026, a figure Mark Zuckerberg repeated on the 29 July 2026 call.
• Revenue. On 30 July 2025 Susan Li said ad supply on Threads was low and that Threads was not expected to add meaningfully to impression growth in the near term.

What to do about it

• Open your active ad sets and see whether Threads feed is ticked. If you never chose, it probably is.
• Break down results by placement before deciding. Treat Threads clicks as directional while Meta labels them in development.
• Keep supplying a 4:5 image. It is the one shape that suits Facebook feed, Instagram feed and Threads.
• Write primary text that makes sense without a link or a button, since Threads shows neither.
• If comments matter to you, add a Threads profile to your business portfolio so you can moderate them.

Sources

• Introducing ads in Threads, Meta for Business, 24 January 2025, with updates to 30 October 2025.
• Ads on Threads: one year in, Meta for Business, 21 January 2026.
• About ads on Threads, Meta Business Help Centre, undated, read 9 October 2026.
• Create an ad on Threads, Meta Business Help Centre, undated, read 9 October 2026.
• About supported account types for creating ads in Threads, Meta Business Help Centre, undated, read 9 October 2026.
• Use inventory filter, Meta Business Help Centre, undated, read 9 October 2026.
• Ads on Threads product page, Meta for Business, undated, read 9 October 2026.
• Ad Library API reference, Meta for Developers, undated, read 9 October 2026.
• Meta Ad Library, Platform filter checked 9 October 2026.
• New features to celebrate 500 million monthly users on Threads, Meta Newsroom, 16 June 2026.
• Meta earnings call transcripts: Q2 2025, 30 July 2025; Q4 2025, 28 January 2026; Q1 2026, 29 April 2026; Q2 2026, 29 July 2026.
• Threads ads expanded to all Meta advertisers, Social Media Today, 23 April 2025.