What Is Attribution Window?
The attribution window is the period during which an ad platform will credit a conversion back to an ad interaction. A '7-day-click, 1-day-view' window (Meta's default) means any purchase within 7 days of clicking the ad, or within 1 day of only seeing it, gets counted. Change the window and every reported number (ROAS, CPA, conversions) changes with it, even though nothing about the business changed.
Same account, three windows, three ROAS
A Shopify brand runs the same $50,000 Meta spend for one month. Reported: 1-day-click ROAS 2.1x, 7-day-click ROAS 3.4x, 7-day-click + 1-day-view ROAS 4.1x. Shopify's own last-click ROAS: 2.3x. None of these are 'wrong', they answer different questions. The mistake is comparing them as if they were the same number.
Benchmarks
- Meta default (2026): 7-day-click, 1-day-view for most objectives.
- Google Ads default: 30-day-click for standard conversions; 90-day for View-Through on YouTube.
- TikTok default: 7-day-click, 1-day-view.
- LinkedIn default: 30-day post-click, 7-day post-view.
Why it matters
Attribution windows are the single most common source of 'why do my numbers not match' arguments between marketing, finance and platforms. Locking the window per platform, documenting it, and comparing only like-for-like is the fastest way to stop attribution debates and start making decisions. When windows change (Meta shortened its default in 2021), reported ROAS shifts by 20 to 40 percent overnight with no real change to the business.
Common mistakes
- 1.Comparing 7-day-click Meta ROAS to 30-day-click Google ROAS as if they were the same.
- 2.Changing the attribution window mid-quarter and treating the trend line as real. It is not.
- 3.Adding view-through into a shortened attribution window for retargeting. It double-counts users who would have converted anyway.
- 4.Not documenting the window in your reporting. Six months later nobody remembers which setting produced which number.
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FAQs about Attribution Window
What is the default Meta attribution window?
7-day-click, 1-day-view for most objectives as of 2026. You can compare 1-day-click, 7-day-click and 28-day-click in Ads Manager by adding attribution setting columns.
Should I use view-through attribution?
For prospecting on Meta and YouTube, yes, as a directional signal. For retargeting, be cautious; view-through on people who would have bought anyway inflates ROAS.
Why does my Meta ROAS not match Shopify?
Different windows and different attribution logic. Meta counts view-through and cross-device on a 7-day window; Shopify is last-click, session-scoped. Use MER for the honest number.
Can I change the attribution window?
Yes, per campaign at creation. Existing campaigns keep their original window unless you rebuild them. Changing it retroactively is not possible.
Go deeper
Long-form reads that show Attribution Window applied end to end.
Related terms
How credit for a conversion is assigned across ad touchpoints.
Conversion from a user who saw but didn't click an ad.
Google's ML model that distributes credit based on observed conversion paths.
Server-side event stream from your site/CRM to Meta or Google.
Revenue attributed to ads ÷ ad spend, the fastest efficiency read.
Total revenue ÷ total ad spend, the blended, attribution-free ROAS.
URL tags that pass source/medium/campaign into your analytics.
Server-side event stream that sends conversions to Meta directly, bypassing browser-side cookie loss.