Bulk Edit
Bulk edit lets you update multiple campaigns, ad sets, or ads simultaneously. Instead of editing entities one by one, you select multiple nodes on the canvas and change their settings together. This saves time when managing campaigns at scale and ensures consistency across your advertising structures.What you’ll learn:
- How to select multiple nodes for bulk editing
- Which fields can be bulk edited for each node type
- How bulk edit works with different entity statuses
- Limitations and constraints of bulk operations
How Bulk Edit Works
Bulk edit applies the same changes to all selected nodes at once. You select multiple nodes on the canvas, open the bulk edit form, and make your changes. When you save, all selected nodes are updated with the new values.Basic Bulk Edit Workflow
Select multiple nodes
Hold Shift and click nodes, or drag a selection box around multiple nodes. All selected nodes must be the same type (all campaigns, all ad sets, or all ads).
Open bulk edit form
Right-click the selection and choose Bulk Edit, or click the Bulk Edit button in the toolbar.
Make your changes
Update the fields you want to change. Only modified fields will be applied to all selected nodes.
Selecting Nodes for Bulk Edit
Proper selection is key to efficient bulk editing.Selection Methods
Shift + Click: Hold Shift and click individual nodes to add them to your selection. This works well when nodes are scattered across the canvas. Drag Selection Box: Click and drag on empty canvas space to create a selection box. All nodes inside the box are selected. This works well for grouped nodes. Select All of Type: Right-click a node and choose Select All [Type] to select all campaigns, all ad sets, or all ads on the canvas. Keyboard Shortcuts:- Ctrl+A (Cmd+A on Mac): Select all nodes
- Ctrl+Click: Add or remove individual nodes from selection
- Escape: Clear selection
Same-Type Requirement
If you select mixed node types and try to bulk edit, Whathead shows an error message. Clear your selection and select only one node type.Visual Selection Indicators
Selected nodes show:- Blue border: Node is selected
- Selection count: Toolbar shows “X nodes selected”
- Bulk edit button: Becomes active when multiple nodes are selected
Bulk Editable Fields by Node Type
Different fields can be bulk edited depending on node type.Campaign Bulk Edit Fields
When bulk editing campaigns, you can change:| Field | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Budget | Budget per day | Must meet platform minimums |
| Lifetime Budget | Total budget for campaign duration | Alternative to daily budget |
| Status | Active, Paused, or Archived | Changes take effect on publish |
| Start Date | When campaign begins delivery | Cannot be in the past |
| End Date | When campaign stops delivery | Optional |
| Campaign Name Prefix | Add text before existing names | Useful for organizing campaigns |
| Campaign Name Suffix | Add text after existing names | Useful for organizing campaigns |
You cannot bulk edit campaign objectives. Objectives are set when campaigns are created and cannot be changed afterward on most platforms.
Ad Set Bulk Edit Fields
When bulk editing ad sets, you can change:| Field | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Targeting | Audience configuration | Applies same targeting to all selected ad sets |
| Placements | Where ads appear | Platform-specific options |
| Schedule | Start and end dates | Cannot set start date in the past |
| Optimization Goal | What platform optimizes for | Must be compatible with campaign objective |
| Bid Strategy | How platform bids | Platform-specific options |
| Status | Active, Paused, or Archived | Changes take effect on publish |
| Ad Set Name Prefix | Add text before existing names | Useful for organizing ad sets |
| Ad Set Name Suffix | Add text after existing names | Useful for organizing ad sets |
Ad Bulk Edit Fields
When bulk editing ads, you can change:| Field | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Active, Paused, or Archived | Changes take effect on publish |
| Call-to-Action | Button text | Platform-specific options |
| Destination URL | Where users go when they click | Must be valid URL |
| UTM Parameters | Tracking parameters | Applied to all selected ads |
| Ad Name Prefix | Add text before existing names | Useful for organizing ads |
| Ad Name Suffix | Add text after existing names | Useful for organizing ads |
You cannot bulk edit creative content (images, videos, ad copy). Creative is unique to each ad and must be edited individually.
Bulk Editing Campaigns with Different Statuses
You can bulk edit campaigns, ad sets, or ads that have different statuses (active, paused, archived). The bulk edit form shows the current status distribution and lets you change all selected entities to the same status.Status Change Scenarios
Pausing Multiple Active Campaigns: Select all active campaigns and change status to Paused. When you publish, all campaigns pause simultaneously. Activating Multiple Paused Campaigns: Select all paused campaigns and change status to Active. When you publish, all campaigns activate simultaneously. Archiving Old Campaigns: Select campaigns you want to archive and change status to Archived. When you publish, all campaigns are archived.Mixed Status Indicator
When you select entities with different statuses, the bulk edit form shows:- “Mixed statuses: 5 Active, 3 Paused, 2 Archived”
- A dropdown to change all to the same status
- Option to leave status unchanged
Bulk Edit and Publishing Behavior
When you bulk edit entities and publish, Whathead determines whether to UPDATE or SKIP each entity based on whether it has changes.Change Detection
After bulk editing:- Entities with changes: Will UPDATE when you publish (if they have existing platform IDs)
- Entities without changes: Will SKIP when you publish (no API call)
Whathead tracks changes at the field level. If you bulk edit a field but set it to the same value it already had, that entity is not marked as changed.
Bulk Edit and CREATE vs UPDATE
- Existing entities (loaded from platform): Bulk edits trigger UPDATE on publish
- Canvas-origin entities (created on canvas): Bulk edits are saved, but entities still CREATE on first publish
- Pasted entities: Bulk edits are saved, but entities CREATE on publish (paste clears existing IDs)
Bulk Edit Limitations
Bulk edit has some constraints to be aware of:Same-Type Nodes Only
You cannot bulk edit different node types together. Select only campaigns, only ad sets, or only ads.Platform Compatibility
When bulk editing entities for different platforms:- Fields must be compatible with all selected platforms
- Platform-specific fields are disabled in bulk edit
- Some platforms have restrictions on bulk operations
Creative Content Cannot Be Bulk Edited
You cannot bulk edit:- Images or videos
- Primary text or headlines
- Ad descriptions
- Creative format (single image, carousel, video, etc.)
Objective and Hierarchy Constraints
You cannot bulk edit:- Campaign objectives (set at creation, cannot change)
- Node connections or parent-child relationships
- Platform selection (campaigns are tied to one platform)
Reverting Bulk Edits
If you make a bulk edit mistake, you can revert changes before publishing.Undo Bulk Edit
Immediately after bulk editing, press Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on Mac) to undo the bulk edit. All selected nodes revert to their previous values.Reset Individual Nodes
For entities loaded from the platform, you can:- Double-click the node to open its configuration
- Click Reset to Original to restore platform values
- Save to revert that node
Revert Before Publishing
Changes are only saved locally until you publish. If you bulk edited entities but haven’t published yet:- Undo the changes using Ctrl+Z
- Or reset individual nodes to their original values
- Or reload the canvas to discard all unsaved changes
Bulk Edit Best Practices
Common Bulk Edit Scenarios
Updating budgets across all campaigns
Updating budgets across all campaigns
Scenario: You need to increase daily budgets by 20% across all campaigns.Steps:
- Select all campaign nodes (Ctrl+A or drag selection box)
- Open bulk edit form
- Update daily budget field with new value
- Save and publish
Pausing campaigns for a holiday
Pausing campaigns for a holiday
Scenario: You want to pause all campaigns during a holiday week.Steps:
- Select all campaign nodes
- Open bulk edit form
- Change status to Paused
- Save and publish
Applying consistent targeting to multiple ad sets
Applying consistent targeting to multiple ad sets
Scenario: You have 10 ad sets with different targeting, but you want them all to target the same audience.Steps:
- Select all 10 ad set nodes
- Open bulk edit form
- Configure targeting settings
- Save and publish
Adding UTM parameters to all ads
Adding UTM parameters to all ads
Scenario: You need to add tracking parameters to all ads in a campaign.Steps:
- Select all ad nodes under the campaign
- Open bulk edit form
- Add UTM parameters (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign)
- Save and publish
Organizing campaigns with name prefixes
Organizing campaigns with name prefixes
Scenario: You want to add “[Test]” prefix to all test campaigns for easy identification.Steps:
- Select all test campaign nodes
- Open bulk edit form
- Enter “[Test]” in the name prefix field
- Save and publish
Next Steps
Now that you understand bulk edit, explore these related topics:Bulk Upload
Create multiple campaigns from spreadsheet data.
Bulk Publish
Publish multiple campaigns simultaneously at scale.
Canvas Operations
Master selection, grouping, and other canvas operations.
Publishing Workflow
Understand how bulk edited entities are published.
Common Questions
Can I bulk edit campaigns from different platforms?
Can I bulk edit campaigns from different platforms?
Yes, but only fields that all platforms support will be available in the bulk edit form. Platform-specific fields are hidden when you select entities from multiple platforms.
What happens if I bulk edit entities with different current values?
What happens if I bulk edit entities with different current values?
Bulk edit overwrites all selected entities with the same new value. If entities had different values before, they’ll all have the same value after bulk edit.
Can I bulk edit some fields and leave others unchanged?
Can I bulk edit some fields and leave others unchanged?
Yes. Only fields you modify in the bulk edit form are applied to selected nodes. Unmodified fields remain unchanged.
Will bulk editing create duplicate campaigns?
Will bulk editing create duplicate campaigns?
No. Bulk edit only modifies existing nodes on the canvas. When you publish, entities with existing platform IDs will UPDATE, not CREATE duplicates.
Can I undo a bulk edit after publishing?
Can I undo a bulk edit after publishing?
You cannot undo a publish operation. However, you can bulk edit the entities again with different values and republish to update them.
Why can't I bulk edit creative content?
Why can't I bulk edit creative content?
Creative content (images, videos, ad copy) is unique to each ad. Bulk editing creative would make all ads identical, which is rarely desired. Edit creative individually for each ad.
Can I bulk edit just the campaigns I filtered?
Can I bulk edit just the campaigns I filtered?
Yes. Use canvas filters to show only specific campaigns, then select and bulk edit the visible nodes. This is useful for editing campaigns by platform, status, or other criteria.
Related Pages
Canvas Operations
Learn how to select and manipulate multiple nodes on the canvas.
Bulk Publish
Publish multiple campaigns simultaneously after bulk editing.
Publishing Scenarios: Bulk Edit
Understand how bulk edits affect publishing behavior.
Existing Campaign Editing
Learn which fields can be edited on existing campaigns.
Bulk Campaign Management Workflow
Follow a complete workflow for managing campaigns at scale.
Platform Bulk Actions
See platform-specific bulk capabilities and limitations.