How to preview ads during ad creation in TikTok Ads Manager

Last updated: October 2025

Previewing your ad allows you to envision what your ad will look like once it's been published. One method of ad preview lives right in the flow of ad creation within TikTok Ads Manager.


How to preview ads during ad creation in TikTok Ads Manager

  1. Create an ad in TikTok Ads Manager or edit an existing ad from your campaign list.

  2. Once you've uploaded your media, an ad preview box will show your ad on the right-hand side.

  3. Click the app icon to change app previews.

  4. Click the arrows at the top of the preview to change ad format previews.

  5. Use the progress bar at the bottom of the preview to find specific video frames you want to preview.

  6. To the right of the progress bar, click the full-screen icon for an expanded view.



Ad preview differences

There might be slight differences between the preview and the live version in certain situations:

  • The ad preview is not specific to a device, so there might be slight differences in appearance when it comes to different devices.

  • For Smart+ campaigns where different creative and text combinations are generated for the asset, you may preview a specific creative but the ad preview will select a sample combination of creative and text out of the possible combinations. There is no way to specify a specific creative and text combination to preview.