Why do my ad names look wrong or duplicated?

If an ad name comes out looking off — a gap where a value should be, a 9x16 you thought you'd removed, or the same name on two ads — it almost always traces back to the naming schema or a token that didn't resolve. Here's how to read each case in the Review step and fix it fast.

"Possible duplicate ads" warning before launch

When you reach Review, uplads checks each target ad set for ads that already use a name your launch would produce. If it finds any, it shows an amber Possible duplicate ads banner listing the ad sets and the colliding names.

This is a heads-up, not a blocker — you can still launch. It usually means you launched the same creative into that ad set before. To resolve it:

• If it's an intentional re-launch, ignore the warning and continue.
• If you want distinct names, add a token that varies per ad (a Date token, or the Auto-id token, which numbers each ad unit in order), or edit the clashing names inline.

The Auto-id sequence runs across the whole launch (carousel, then groups, then singles), so two different creatives normally get different numbers — identical names usually mean two creatives are resolving every token to the same value.

A token that didn't resolve (empty or auto-detected field)

Field tokens (Style, Hook, Audience, Dimensions, …) are slots that you fill per launch. If a field has no value, it resolves to an empty string and is dropped from the name — so the separators close up and the name just looks short, never with a dangling _.

Two common reasons a field comes out empty:

1. No value was picked. Open the per-launch field editor in Review and set the value (or run auto-detect). See how naming field values are auto-detected.
2. The field doesn't apply to that asset type. A field can be scoped to images or videos only — for example, Length applies to videos, so it correctly resolves to empty (and is stripped) on an image. That's expected behavior, not a bug.

If a field set to "applies to all" is still empty, it had no value and no default. Set a default on the field in your naming convention, or fill it for this launch.

Dimensions weren't stripped from the name

The Filename token can carry leftover bits from the file name, including aspect ratios like 9x16 or 4x5. Whether those get removed depends on a toggle, not magic.

Open Naming schema from the Review step and check Strip dimensions from filename token (9x16, 4x5, …). The live Preview updates instantly so you can confirm the dimension is gone before applying.

Notes on stripping:

• Only standalone aspect-ratio tokens (a 1–2 digit NxN pattern) are removed. A dimension fused into one word won't be detected — separate it with _, -, a space, or a dot in the file name.
• There's a sibling Strip brand name from filename token toggle that removes the first real word (skipping any leading dimension). Turn it off if your brand name is vanishing unexpectedly.

The fastest fix: a manual override

Any name in Review is click-to-edit. Click the name, type the exact text you want, and press Enter. A pencil hint appears on hover; an overridden name is flagged as custom.

Manual overrides always win over the convention-built name and ship to Meta byte-for-byte as shown — so when something's off and you just need it right for this one ad, this is the escape hatch. Clearing the field reverts to the auto-generated name. For more on reviewing names before you ship, see review and edit ad names before launch.

Make it stick across launches

Inline edits and the schema dialog only affect the current launch (override the schema per launch). If a pattern is wrong every time, fix the source: update your custom ad naming convention in Settings so every future launch starts clean.