# Why a Facebook lead ads download misses older leads | Illia BizTech

> Meta keeps leads from instant forms downloadable for 90 days only. Why the lifetime count exceeds the export and how to stop losing enquiries.

Source: https://illia-biztech.de/en/forum/facebook-zeigt-140-leads-im-download-sind-aber-viel-weniger-wo-sind-die-ubrigen

1. [Home](/en)
2. [Forum](/en/forum)
3. Facebook shows 140 leads, but the download has far fewer. Where did the rest go?

# Facebook shows 140 leads, but the download has far fewer. Where did the rest go?

Our cleaning company has collected enquiries through a Facebook form for months.

* ##### Asked by  
SuddenHarbor271
* ##### Asked on  
October 8, 2026

We're a commercial cleaning company and have been running lead ads on Facebook and Instagram since spring. Ads Manager shows 140 leads over the lifetime of the campaign.

When I tried to download the list to follow up on quotes, the file had far fewer contacts in it. Does Facebook delete old enquiries?

#### Answers

![Portrait of Illia Belichenko, technical specialist at Illia BizTech](/_ipx/f_webp,q_75/https://cms.illia-biztech.de/uploads/small_Illia_Belichenko_author_81f88864f0.png)

##### Illia Belichenko · Founder & Technical Lead

✓ Accepted answer November 9, 2026 

The older leads can no longer be downloaded. Meta only makes leads from instant form ads available for 90 days from the moment someone submits the form. The results column keeps counting older leads, so once a campaign is older than 90 days, its lifetime figure will be higher than any export.

Meta's own advice is to download often or connect a CRM. A connected CRM receives each new lead automatically and in real time, and the 90-day limit doesn't affect it. Google Ads lead forms are even tighter. Their CSV download only covers the last 30 days, and Google stores leads for 60.

Save everything from the last 90 days today. After that, send every new contact straight into your own spreadsheet or CRM. The ad account is a poor place to keep customer data. A proper CRM handoff is part of what Illia BizTech builds under [enquiry and workflow automation](https://illia-biztech.de/en/services/workflows).

##### 

#### [The booking button on our Google profile disappeared overnight, without us changing anything](/en/forum/der-buchen-button-an-unserem-google-profil-ist-uber-nacht-verschwunden-ohne-dass-wir-etwas-geandert-haben)

November 13, 2026

[](/en/forum/der-buchen-button-an-unserem-google-profil-ist-uber-nacht-verschwunden-ohne-dass-wir-etwas-geandert-haben)

#### [A second listing with a competitor's phone number shows up under our practice's name on Google](/en/forum/unter-dem-namen-unserer-praxis-taucht-bei-google-ein-zweiter-eintrag-mit-einer-fremden-telefonnummer-auf)

November 13, 2026

[](/en/forum/unter-dem-namen-unserer-praxis-taucht-bei-google-ein-zweiter-eintrag-mit-einer-fremden-telefonnummer-auf)

#### [We put real effort into replies on TripAdvisor and Booking.com, but our Google review count in Markkleeberg doesn't budge](/en/forum/wir-pflegen-unsere-antworten-flei-ig-auf-tripadvisor-und-booking-com-unsere-google-bewertungszahl-bei-markkleeberg-bewegt-sich-trotzdem-nicht)

November 12, 2026

[](/en/forum/wir-pflegen-unsere-antworten-flei-ig-auf-tripadvisor-und-booking-com-unsere-google-bewertungszahl-bei-markkleeberg-bewegt-sich-trotzdem-nicht)

#### [ChatGPT and Perplexity show different information about our business in Ingolstadt, Gemini gets it all right, why?](/en/forum/bei-chatgpt-und-perplexity-stehen-unterschiedliche-angaben-zu-unserem-betrieb-in-ingolstadt-bei-gemini-stimmt-alles-warum)

November 12, 2026

[](/en/forum/bei-chatgpt-und-perplexity-stehen-unterschiedliche-angaben-zu-unserem-betrieb-in-ingolstadt-bei-gemini-stimmt-alles-warum)

#### [Our ad shows a phone number we never entered anywhere](/en/forum/in-unserer-anzeige-steht-eine-telefonnummer-die-wir-nirgends-eingegeben-haben)

November 11, 2026

[](/en/forum/in-unserer-anzeige-steht-eine-telefonnummer-die-wir-nirgends-eingegeben-haben)

**Share** 

**Topics** 
* Leads
* Advertising

According to Meta, leads from Facebook and Instagram instant form ads can be downloaded for 90 days after submission. The results column keeps counting older leads, so once a campaign runs past 90 days, exports contain fewer contacts than the lifetime figure shows.

Meta recommends frequent downloads or a CRM integration that receives every new lead immediately. For Google Ads lead forms, the CSV export covers only 30 days and leads are stored for 60\. Lead management therefore works best when enquiries go outside the ad platform from the first day, into a spreadsheet or CRM.