Where to find and adjust your campaign budget

You change a Facebook campaign budget inside Ads Manager, which is the control panel for all your paid campaigns. Log into your Facebook account, click the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top left, scroll down to "Ads Manager", and click it. You will land on your Campaigns tab.

Find the campaign you want to adjust in the list. Click on it to open its details page. On the right side of the screen, you will see a section labeled "Budget & Schedule". This is where you set how much money the campaign spends per day or over its entire run.

Facebook gives you two budget types to choose from: daily budget or lifetime budget. A daily budget is the maximum the campaign can spend each day. A lifetime budget is the total amount it can spend from the start date to the end date you set. Pick whichever matches how you want to control spending.

Key Takeaways

  • You adjust campaign budgets in Ads Manager under the "Budget & Schedule" section on each campaign's details page.
  • Daily budget sets a maximum spend per day; lifetime budget sets a total spend across the entire campaign period.
  • You can change your budget at any time, even while the campaign is running, and the change takes effect when ready.
  • Facebook will not spend more than your budget allows, but it may spend less if there is not enough audience demand or your ads are not performing well.
  • Lowering your budget mid-campaign may reduce the number of people who see your ads, while raising it can increase reach if your audience is large enough.

Steps to change a daily budget

Click on the number in the "Daily Budget" field. The field will become editable and highlight in blue. Delete the current amount and type in the new daily budget you want. The amount must be at least $1 per day in most countries, though some regions have higher minimums.

After you type the new amount, click outside the field or press Enter. A blue "Review Changes" button will appear at the bottom right of the screen. Click it to save your new budget. Facebook will show you a summary of what changed before you confirm. Click "Confirm" to finalize the adjustment.

The new daily budget takes effect when ready. If your campaign is currently running, it will start using the new daily limit right away. You do not need to pause or restart the campaign.

Steps to change a lifetime budget

Click on the number in the "Lifetime Budget" field. The field will highlight and become editable. Delete the current amount and type in your new total budget. Remember that this is the maximum the campaign will spend from its start date to its end date, not per day.

Click outside the field or press Enter. The blue "Review Changes" button will appear at the bottom right. Click it to see a summary of your changes. Review the new total and the campaign dates to make sure the math makes sense — if you have a $500 lifetime budget and the campaign runs for 10 days, Facebook will average about $50 per day.

Click "Confirm" to save the new lifetime budget. The change takes effect right away. If the campaign is already running and you lower the lifetime budget below what has already been spent, the campaign will pause automatically.

What happens when you lower your budget

Lowering your budget does not hurt your campaign's performance or reset any learning Facebook has done. However, fewer people will see your ads because you are spending less money overall. If you lower a daily budget from $50 to $25, Facebook will show your ads to roughly half as many people each day.

If you lower a lifetime budget and the new total is less than what has already been spent, Facebook will pause the campaign when ready. You will need to either raise the budget again or end the campaign. The money already spent is not refunded.

Lowering your budget is useful if you are testing an ad and want to reduce spending while you gather data, or if you need to cut costs quickly. Just know that your reach and results will shrink along with the budget.

What happens when you raise your budget

Raising your budget allows Facebook to spend more money and show your ads to more people, but only if there is enough audience available. If you are targeting a very small group, raising the budget may not increase spending much because Facebook will run out of people to show the ads to.

When you raise a daily budget, Facebook may take a few hours to ramp up spending to the new level. This is normal — the system is testing different placements and audiences to find the best results. By the next day, spending should reach closer to your new daily limit.

Raising your budget is a good move if your ads are performing well and you want to reach more people, or if you are not hitting your daily budget limit and want to test whether higher spending brings better results. There is no penalty for raising or lowering budgets frequently.

Budget limits and minimums

Facebook sets a minimum daily budget of $1 in most countries, though some regions require $5 or more per day. If you are setting a lifetime budget, the minimum is usually $1 total, but the campaign must run for at least one day. Check your account settings or the budget field itself — Facebook will show an error message if your amount is below the minimum for your location.

There is no hard maximum budget, but your account's overall spending limit (set by you or by Facebook based on your payment history) will cap how much you can spend across all campaigns. If you hit that limit, you will need to raise your account spending limit before you can raise individual campaign budgets.

Currency matters too. Make sure you are entering the budget in the currency your account uses. If your account is set to US dollars, enter the amount in dollars. Facebook will not convert currencies automatically.

Common reasons your budget changes do not take effect

If you change your budget but the change does not appear to save, check that you clicked the "Review Changes" button and then "Confirm". Some users change the number but forget to click outside the field or press Enter, which means the system has not registered the change yet.

If your campaign is paused, you can still change the budget, but the new budget will not take effect until you restart the campaign. If your campaign has ended (the end date has passed), you cannot change the budget — you would need to create a new campaign or duplicate the old one and set a new budget on the copy.

If you see an error message, it usually means the amount is below the minimum for your region, or your account has hit its overall spending limit. Read the error message carefully — it will tell you what the problem is and how to fix it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my budget while my campaign is running?

Yes. You can change your daily or lifetime budget at any time, even while the campaign is actively spending money. The new budget takes effect when ready. There is no waiting period, and you do not need to pause or restart the campaign.

Will changing my budget reset my ad performance or learning?

No. Changing your budget does not reset Facebook's learning about your audience or which placements work best. The system keeps all the data it has gathered. You will see the effects of the budget change (more or fewer impressions) but not a restart of the optimization process.

What is the difference between daily budget and lifetime budget?

Daily budget is the most you spend each day. Lifetime budget is the most you spend from the campaign start date to the end date. Use daily budget if you want consistent daily spending; use lifetime budget if you want to set a total amount and let Facebook spread it across the campaign period however it sees fit.

Why is my campaign not spending the full budget I set?

Facebook will not spend more than your budget allows, but it may spend less if your audience is too small, your ads are not getting clicks, or your targeting is too narrow. If you are consistently underspending, try broadening your audience, raising your bid, or testing different ad creative.

Can I get a refund if I lower my budget?

No. Money already spent on impressions and clicks is not refunded. Lowering your budget only affects future spending. If you lower a lifetime budget below what has already been spent, the campaign will pause.