Skip to main content
Bulk actions let you make changes to multiple campaigns, ad sets, or ads at once, saving time when managing campaigns at scale. Whathead’s bulk editing capabilities make it easier to manage Meta campaigns than working in Meta Ads Manager.

​
What You Can Bulk Edit

You can perform bulk actions on:
  • Multiple campaigns: Update budgets, statuses, schedules, or names
  • Multiple ad sets: Change targeting, budgets, optimization goals, or statuses
  • Multiple ads: Update creative, copy, CTAs, or statuses
Bulk actions only work on entities of the same type. You cannot bulk edit campaigns and ad sets together — select only campaigns, only ad sets, or only ads.

​
Bulk Editing Workflow

1

Select Multiple Entities

On the Campaign Builder canvas, hold Shift or Cmd/Ctrl and click to select multiple campaigns, ad sets, or ads of the same type.
2

Open Bulk Editor

Click the Bulk Edit button that appears when multiple entities are selected.
3

Make Changes

In the bulk editor, modify the fields you want to change. Changes will apply to all selected entities.
4

Review Changes

Whathead shows a preview of which entities will be updated and what will change.
5

Apply Changes

Click Apply to save changes locally, then Publish to send updates to Meta.

​
Bulk Editable Fields

​
Campaign Level

FieldCan Bulk EditNotes
Campaign Name✅ YesCan append or prepend text to all names
Budget✅ YesCan set same budget or increase/decrease by percentage
Bid Strategy✅ YesMust be compatible with all selected campaigns
Status✅ YesPause, activate, or archive all at once
Schedule✅ YesSet same start/end dates for all
Objective❌ NoCannot change objective on existing campaigns

​
Ad Set Level

FieldCan Bulk EditNotes
Ad Set Name✅ YesCan append or prepend text to all names
Budget✅ YesCan set same budget or increase/decrease by percentage
Targeting⚠️ LimitedCan add targeting options, but not replace entirely
Placements⚠️ LimitedCan expand placements across all ad sets
Optimization Goal✅ YesMust be compatible with all selected ad sets
Status✅ YesPause, activate, or archive all at once
Schedule✅ YesSet same start/end dates for all

​
Ad Level

FieldCan Bulk EditNotes
Ad Name✅ YesCan append or prepend text to all names
Primary Text✅ YesReplaces text on all selected ads
Headline✅ YesReplaces headline on all selected ads
Description✅ YesReplaces description on all selected ads
Call-to-Action✅ YesSets same CTA for all ads
Destination URL✅ YesSets same URL for all ads
Status✅ YesPause, activate, or archive all at once
Creative⚠️ LimitedCan replace if all ads use same format
When bulk editing existing campaigns, only changed fields are updated. Unchanged fields are skipped, preserving their current values.

​
Common Bulk Actions

​
Bulk Status Changes

Quickly pause, activate, or archive multiple entities:
1

Select Entities

Select all campaigns, ad sets, or ads you want to change status for.
2

Open Bulk Editor

Click Bulk Edit and navigate to the Status field.
3

Choose Status

Select Active, Paused, or Archived from the dropdown.
4

Publish

Click Publish to apply the status change to all selected entities.
Use bulk status changes to quickly pause underperforming campaigns or activate seasonal campaigns all at once.

​
Bulk Budget Updates

Update budgets across multiple campaigns or ad sets:
1

Select Entities

Select all campaigns or ad sets you want to update budgets for.
2

Open Bulk Editor

Click Bulk Edit and navigate to the Budget field.
3

Choose Update Method

  • Set Same Budget: All entities get the same budget amount
  • Increase by %: Increase all budgets by a percentage (e.g., +20%)
  • Decrease by %: Decrease all budgets by a percentage (e.g., -10%)
4

Publish

Click Publish to apply the budget changes to Meta.
When scaling campaigns, increase budgets gradually (20-30% at a time) to avoid disrupting Meta’s learning phase.

​
Bulk Schedule Updates

Set start and end dates for multiple campaigns or ad sets:
1

Select Entities

Select all campaigns or ad sets you want to schedule.
2

Open Bulk Editor

Click Bulk Edit and navigate to the Schedule section.
3

Set Dates

Choose start date, end date, or both. All selected entities will use the same schedule.
4

Publish

Click Publish to apply the schedule to all selected entities.

​
Bulk Copy Updates

Update ad copy across multiple ads:
1

Select Ads

Select all ads you want to update copy for.
2

Open Bulk Editor

Click Bulk Edit and navigate to the copy fields.
3

Update Text

Enter new primary text, headline, or description. This will replace the text on all selected ads.
4

Publish

Click Publish to update all ads with the new copy.
Bulk copy updates replace the entire text field on all selected ads. If you need different copy for each ad, edit them individually instead.

​
Bulk Publishing

When you publish multiple campaigns at once, Whathead handles them efficiently:

​
Publishing Behavior

  • Parallel processing: Multiple campaigns are published simultaneously
  • Partial success: If some campaigns succeed and others fail, successful ones are published
  • Error reporting: Failed campaigns are clearly marked with error messages
  • Retry capability: You can retry failed campaigns without republishing successful ones

​
Validation During Bulk Publish

Before publishing, Whathead validates all selected entities:
  • Budget minimums: All budgets must meet Meta’s $1/day minimum
  • Required fields: All required fields must be filled
  • Hierarchy rules: All entities must have proper parent-child relationships
  • Platform constraints: All entities must comply with Meta’s rules
If any entity fails validation, Whathead shows which entities have errors and what needs to be fixed. You can fix errors and retry, or publish only the valid entities.

​
Bulk Actions vs Individual Edits

​
When to Use Bulk Actions

  • Updating budgets across multiple campaigns for seasonal changes
  • Pausing all campaigns in a specific category
  • Updating ad copy for a promotion across multiple ads
  • Setting schedules for a campaign launch
  • Changing status on multiple ad sets at once

​
When to Edit Individually

  • Making unique changes to each entity
  • Updating creative that differs between ads
  • Changing targeting that varies by ad set
  • Making complex changes that require different values per entity

​
Limitations and Constraints

​
Same-Type Requirement

You can only bulk edit entities of the same type. Selecting campaigns and ad sets together will not enable bulk edit.

​
Field Compatibility

Some fields can only be bulk edited if all selected entities are compatible:
  • Optimization Goal: All ad sets must support the new optimization goal
  • Bid Strategy: All campaigns must support the new bid strategy
  • Creative Format: All ads must use the same format (single image, video, carousel)

​
Existing Campaign Restrictions

When bulk editing existing campaigns:
  • Locked fields cannot be changed (e.g., objective, conversion location)
  • Learning phase may reset on ad sets with significant changes
  • Performance history is preserved for all entities

​
Best Practices

Test before bulk editing: Make changes on one entity first to verify the result, then apply to the rest.
  • Group similar entities: Bulk edit works best on entities with similar configurations
  • Use filters: Filter entities by status, performance, or other criteria before bulk selecting
  • Review before publishing: Always review the preview to ensure changes are correct
  • Monitor after publishing: Check that all entities updated successfully and are performing as expected
  • Keep backups: Note original values before bulk editing in case you need to revert

​
Troubleshooting Bulk Actions

Cause: You’ve selected entities of different types, or only one entity is selected.Resolution: Select multiple entities of the same type (all campaigns, all ad sets, or all ads).
Cause: Some entities have validation errors or don’t meet Meta’s requirements.Resolution:
  1. Check the error messages for failed entities
  2. Fix the validation errors
  3. Retry publishing only the failed entities
Cause: Some entities may not support the field you’re trying to change.Resolution: Check which entities support the field you’re editing. You may need to edit incompatible entities separately.
Cause: Large budget changes (>20%) can reset Meta’s learning phase.Resolution: Increase budgets gradually (20-30% at a time) to minimize learning phase resets.

​
Next Steps

Publishing Workflow

Learn about the publishing process

Existing Campaign Editing

Understand editable vs locked fields

Troubleshooting

Resolve common issues

Campaign Structure

Understand Meta’s hierarchy