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

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What You Can Bulk Edit

You can perform bulk actions on:
  • Multiple campaigns: Update budgets, statuses, schedules, or names
  • Multiple ad groups: 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 groups together — select only campaigns, only ad groups, or only ads.

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Bulk Editing Workflow

1

Select Multiple Entities

On the Campaign Builder canvas, hold Shift or Cmd/Ctrl and click to select multiple campaigns, ad groups, 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 TikTok.

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Bulk Editable Fields

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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
Budget Optimization✅ YesEnable or disable Campaign Budget Optimization
Status✅ YesPause, activate, or archive all at once
Objective❌ NoCannot change objective on existing campaigns
Special Industries⚠️ LimitedCan only remove, not add new ones
TikTok does not allow changing campaign objectives after publishing. If you need a different objective, you must create new campaigns.

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Ad Group Level

FieldCan Bulk EditNotes
Ad Group Name✅ YesCan append or prepend text to all names
Budget✅ YesCan set same budget or increase/decrease by percentage
Targeting⚠️ LimitedCan expand targeting, but not replace entirely
Bid Price✅ YesCan set same bid or adjust by percentage
Schedule✅ YesSet same start/end dates for all
Status✅ YesPause, activate, or archive all at once
Placements❌ NoCannot change placements on existing ad groups
Optimization Goal❌ NoCannot change optimization goal on existing ad groups
Pixel ID❌ NoCannot change pixel on existing ad groups
TikTok locks placements and optimization goals after ad group creation. These fields cannot be bulk edited on existing ad groups.

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Ad Level

FieldCan Bulk EditNotes
Ad Name✅ YesCan append or prepend text to all names
Primary Text✅ YesReplaces text on all selected ads
Ad Text✅ YesReplaces ad copy on all selected ads
Call-to-Action✅ YesSets same CTA for all ads
Destination URL✅ YesSets same URL for all ads
UTM Parameters✅ YesSets same tracking parameters for all ads
Status✅ YesPause, activate, or archive all at once
Creative⚠️ LimitedCan replace if all ads use same format
Identity✅ YesCan change display name and identity
TikTok allows creative updates on existing ads, making it easy to refresh multiple ads with new videos or images through bulk editing.

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Common Bulk Actions

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Bulk Status Changes

Quickly pause, activate, or archive multiple entities:
1

Select Entities

Select all campaigns, ad groups, 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.

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Bulk Budget Updates

Update budgets across multiple campaigns or ad groups:
1

Select Entities

Select all campaigns or ad groups 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 TikTok.
TikTok requires a minimum daily budget of $20. If bulk editing reduces budgets below this threshold, validation will fail. Ensure all budgets meet the minimum requirement.

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Bulk Schedule Updates

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

Select Entities

Select all campaigns or ad groups 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.
You can only edit start times for ad groups that are scheduled for the future. Once an ad group has started running, the start time is locked.

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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 ad text, primary text, or call-to-action. 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.

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Bulk Creative Updates

Replace creative content across multiple ads:
1

Select Ads

Select all ads you want to update creative for. All ads must use the same format (e.g., all single video).
2

Open Bulk Editor

Click Bulk Edit and navigate to the Creative section.
3

Select New Creative

Choose a new video or image from your media library. This will replace the creative on all selected ads.
4

Publish

Click Publish to update all ads with the new creative.
Bulk creative updates are great for refreshing seasonal campaigns or testing new creative across multiple ad groups simultaneously.

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Bulk Publishing

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

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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

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Validation During Bulk Publish

Before publishing, Whathead validates all selected entities:
  • Budget minimums: All budgets must meet TikTok’s $20/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 TikTok’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.

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TikTok-Specific Bulk Limitations

TikTok has stricter editing policies than other platforms, which affects bulk editing:

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Cannot Bulk Edit After Publishing

These fields are locked after publishing and cannot be bulk edited:
  • Campaign objective: Cannot be changed on existing campaigns
  • Ad group optimization goal: Cannot be changed on existing ad groups
  • Ad group placements: Cannot be changed on existing ad groups
  • Pixel ID or App ID: Cannot be changed on existing ad groups
  • Ad format: Cannot be changed on carousel or catalog carousel ads
If you need to change locked fields, you must create new campaigns or ad groups. Use Whathead’s copy/paste feature to duplicate your existing structure with new settings.

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Learning Phase Resets

Significant bulk changes may reset TikTok’s learning phase: Changes that reset learning:
  • Major targeting changes (e.g., changing from US to Asia-Pacific)
  • Changing bid strategy significantly
  • Changing creative significantly
  • Pausing for extended periods
Changes that don’t reset learning:
  • Minor budget adjustments (less than 20% change)
  • Small targeting expansions
  • Text edits without creative changes
  • Brief pauses (less than 24 hours)
When bulk editing performing campaigns, make gradual changes to avoid resetting the learning phase and disrupting performance.

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Bulk Actions vs Individual Edits

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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 groups at once
  • Refreshing creative across multiple ads

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When to Edit Individually

  • Making unique changes to each entity
  • Updating creative that differs between ads
  • Changing targeting that varies by ad group
  • Making complex changes that require different values per entity
  • Editing locked fields that require creating new entities

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Limitations and Constraints

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Same-Type Requirement

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

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Field Compatibility

Some fields can only be bulk edited if all selected entities are compatible:
  • Bid Strategy: All ad groups must support the new bid strategy
  • Creative Format: All ads must use the same format (single image, video, carousel)
  • Budget Type: All entities must use the same budget type (daily or lifetime)

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Existing Campaign Restrictions

When bulk editing existing campaigns:
  • Locked fields cannot be changed (e.g., objective, optimization goal, placements)
  • Learning phase may reset on ad groups with significant changes
  • Performance history is preserved for all entities
TikTok’s stricter editing policies mean you need to plan your campaign structure carefully before publishing. Consider testing with small budgets first to validate your settings before scaling.

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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
  • Make gradual changes: Increase budgets by 20-30% at a time to avoid disrupting performance
  • Avoid frequent changes: Let campaigns run for at least 3-7 days before making significant changes

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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 groups, or all ads).
Cause: Some entities have validation errors or don’t meet TikTok’s requirements.Resolution:
  1. Check the error messages for failed entities
  2. Fix the validation errors (e.g., budgets below $20 minimum)
  3. Retry publishing only the failed entities
Cause: Optimization goal is locked after ad group creation on TikTok.Resolution: You cannot change optimization goals on existing ad groups. Create new ad groups with the correct optimization goal and copy your ads to them.
Cause: Placements are locked after ad group creation on TikTok.Resolution: You cannot change placements on existing ad groups. Create new ad groups with the correct placements and copy your ads to them.
Cause: Large budget changes (>20%) can reset TikTok’s learning phase.Resolution: Increase budgets gradually (20-30% at a time) to minimize learning phase resets.
Cause: TikTok requires a minimum daily budget of $20 per ad group.Resolution: Ensure all budgets meet the $20 minimum. When bulk editing, verify that percentage decreases don’t drop budgets below this threshold.

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Next Steps

Publishing Workflow

Learn about the publishing process

Existing Campaign Editing

Understand editable vs locked fields

Troubleshooting

Resolve common issues

Campaign Structure

Understand TikTok’s hierarchy