What you can do about Snapchat ads right now

Snapchat does not offer a built-in way to turn off ads completely. The platform makes money from advertising, so blocking all ads is not possible within the app settings. However, you can reduce the number of ads you see, control what kinds of ads appear, and limit how much of your data Snapchat uses to target ads toward you. The steps below show you how to do each of these things.

The most direct control you have is over ad preferences — you can tell Snapchat which topics you do not want to see ads about, and you can opt out of letting the app use your location, browsing history, and other data to decide which ads to show you. These changes take effect when ready, though Snapchat may still show you some ads in those categories while it updates its system.

Key Takeaways

  • You cannot turn off all ads on Snapchat, but you can hide ads about specific topics and prevent Snapchat from using your location and web browsing history to target them.
  • Open Settings, tap Ads, and select "Manage Ad Preferences" to tell Snapchat which ad categories you want to see less of.
  • In the same Ads section, turn off "Personalized Ads" to stop Snapchat from using your data to decide which ads to show you.
  • Opting out of personalized ads does not stop ads from appearing, but it makes them less targeted to your interests and habits.
  • If you see a specific ad you dislike, you can report it or hide it directly from the ad itself without going into settings.

How to hide ads about specific topics

Open Snapchat and tap your profile icon in the top left corner. Then tap the gear icon to open Settings. Scroll down and tap "Ads," then select "Manage Ad Preferences."

You will see a list of ad categories — things like "Entertainment," "Fashion," "Health & Fitness," and many others. Tap the toggle next to any category you want to see fewer ads about. The toggle will turn gray, meaning that category is now hidden. Snapchat will try to show you fewer ads in those categories, though you may still see some while the system updates.

You can hide as many categories as you want. If you change your mind later, come back to this same screen and turn the toggle back on. There is no limit to how many times you can change these settings.

How to turn off personalized ads

Personalized ads are ads that Snapchat targets to you based on your behavior — what you search for, where you go, what you click on, and what you watch. Turning off personalized ads means Snapchat will show you ads based only on general information like your age and location, not on your specific habits.

Go back to Settings > Ads and look for "Personalized Ads." Tap the toggle to turn it off. The toggle will turn gray. This change takes effect right away, though it may take a few hours for Snapchat's system to stop using your data to target new ads.

Turning off personalized ads does not mean you will see fewer ads overall — you will still see the same number of ads, but they will be less relevant to your interests. Some people find this annoying because the ads become more random. If you prefer to see ads that match what you actually care about, you can turn personalized ads back on at any time.

How to hide or report a single ad

If you see an ad you dislike, you do not have to go into settings. You can hide it or report it directly from the ad itself. Tap and hold on the ad — do not tap the ad itself, but press and hold on the image or text. A menu will pop up with options.

Select "Hide Ad" to tell Snapchat you do not want to see ads from that advertiser anymore. Select "Report Ad" if the ad is offensive, misleading, or breaks Snapchat's rules. Reporting sends a message to Snapchat's team, and they will review it. Hiding an ad is when ready — that advertiser's ads will stop appearing in your feed.

You can hide ads one at a time this way, but if you want to block entire categories at once, the "Manage Ad Preferences" method described above is faster.

What limiting ad data actually does and does not do

When you turn off personalized ads or hide ad categories, you are telling Snapchat to use less of your data to decide which ads to show you. This does not mean Snapchat stops collecting that data — the app still tracks your location, your searches, and your activity. It just means the company will not use that information to target ads toward you specifically.

Snapchat still knows where you are, what you search for, and what you click on. That data is used for other purposes — to improve the app, to sell to other companies, and to create reports for advertisers about how many people saw their ads. Changing your ad settings only affects which ads appear in your feed, not what information Snapchat collects about you overall.

If you want to limit what data Snapchat collects in the first place, you can adjust your privacy settings in the main Settings menu. Look for sections like "Who Can Contact Me," "Who Can See My Story," and "Location Services" to control what information you share with the app and with other users.

Why Snapchat shows ads and why you cannot turn them all off

Snapchat is a free app, which means the company makes money by showing you ads. Advertisers pay Snapchat to reach users, and that money is how Snapchat pays for servers, engineers, and the cost of running the service. If Snapchat let you turn off all ads, the company would have no way to make money and would have to shut down or charge you a monthly fee to use it.

Some apps offer a paid version without ads — for example, you can pay to remove ads from many mobile games. Snapchat does not currently offer this option. The only way to see no ads on Snapchat is to not use Snapchat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a VPN or ad blocker to stop Snapchat ads?

Ad blockers and VPNs do not work well with Snapchat because the ads are built into the app itself, not loaded from external websites. A VPN will not block them, and most ad blockers cannot affect apps — they only work in web browsers. Even if you could block the ads technically, Snapchat's terms of service forbid it, and the app may stop working if it detects you are using one.

If I hide an ad, will that advertiser never show me ads again?

Hiding an ad tells Snapchat not to show you ads from that specific advertiser anymore. However, if that advertiser creates a new account or changes their advertiser ID, you may see their ads again. In practice, most advertisers stay consistent, so hiding usually works for a long time.

Does turning off personalized ads save my battery or data?

No. Snapchat collects the same amount of data whether personalized ads are on or off — turning off personalized ads only changes how that data is used. The app will use the same amount of battery and data either way. If you want to save battery or data, you would need to use Snapchat less or close the app when you are not using it.

Why do I still see ads in categories I hid?

Snapchat's system takes time to update after you hide a category — usually a few hours to a day. You may also see ads in hidden categories if Snapchat thinks they fit multiple categories at once. For example, an ad for a sports drink might appear in both "Health & Fitness" and "Beverages," so hiding one category might not hide it completely.

Can I see what data Snapchat is using to target ads?

Snapchat does not show you a detailed list of what data it has collected about you or how it is using that data. You can see your general ad preferences and the categories you have hidden, but you cannot see the specific interests, locations, or behaviors Snapchat has recorded. Some other platforms offer this level of transparency, but Snapchat does not currently.