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Trend filters: filter by changes over time

Trend filters help you catch fluctuations in performance metrics over time. You can filter by increase or decrease in values (such as spend, impressions, or CPA) by comparing two time periods.

If you want to build complex filter logic with grouped conditions and AND/OR operators, see Advanced filters: build multi-level filters.

Before you begin

  • Before applying trend filters, make sure the Compare toggle is active in the date picker. This unlocks trend-based conditions.
  • Some metrics (especially goal-related and cohort-based metrics) require selecting a goal first. If a goal isn’t selected, these options are greyed out with a reminder.

Open trend filters

  1. In Ads Manager, open the Filters dropdown.
  2. Go to the By Trend tab.

Create a trend filter

In the By Trend tab, you can:

  • Compare metric values across two time periods
  • Choose a comparison range such as Previous Period, Month, Quarter, or Year
  • Apply conditions like Increase by more than or Decrease by less than

Trend filters are available for many metric types, including:

  • Spend, Impressions, Taps
  • Installs (Tap-through, View-through, Total)
  • CPA, CPT, TTR, CR
  • Goals, Revenue per Goal, ARPU, ROAS (1/3/7/14/30/60 days)
  • Attributed installs and in-app conversion events

Choose the date comparison

Trend filters use the selected date range and a comparison range.

  • If the compare switch isn’t enabled, trend filters compare the selected date range with the Previous Period by default.
  • If the compare switch is enabled, Ads Manager uses your selected comparison range (for example, Last 7 Days vs Previous 7 Days).

You can also select:

  • Previous Month
  • Previous Quarter
  • Previous Year
  • Custom Range (if chosen from Ads Manager’s main date picker)

If goal-related metrics are greyed out

If goal-related or cohort-based metrics are disabled, you need to select a goal first.

  1. Exit the filter builder.
  2. Click the Goal dropdown.
  3. Select your goal.

What happens when you apply a trend filter

Once a trend filter is applied, it affects all views in Ads Manager:

  • the table
  • the total summary
  • the graph

Save your trend filters for later

Trend filters are session-based. To reuse them later, save them under Saved Filters.

Saved filters also remember your selected comparison range.

To learn more, see Save, reuse, and delete filters.

Keep in mind!

  • You can’t compare different metrics within the same trend rule (for example, “Spend increase compared to Impressions” isn’t supported).
  • You can’t apply different comparison date ranges within the same filter group. If one trend filter compares against Previous Period, other trend filters in that group align to the same comparison range.

If something is unavailable, hover to see the tooltip and why it’s disabled. For more details, see Eligibility, limitations, and tooltips for advanced filters.

Related links

Need more help?

If you’re unsure how to structure your filters or want to confirm they align with your campaign goals, reach out to your Customer Success Manager or start a conversation via live chat from the platform.