How to preview your video ad

After you create your video ad in Google Ads, you can preview what the ad will look like to viewers on YouTube. You can also send a preview of the ad to people before publishing the ad.

You can preview your YouTube in-stream video ads on desktop, mobile, and Connected TV (CTV).

On this page

How to preview your video ad

You can preview your video ad within your existing campaigns in the "Ads" table and during campaign creation.

Preview your video ad within your existing campaigns

  1. Go to Ads within the Campaigns menu Campaigns Icon .
  2. On the filter bar at the top, select Video campaigns in the dropdown.
  3. In the statistics table under the "Ad" column, hover over the video ad you want to preview and select the pencil icon Edit, then select Preview.
    This animation shows you how to open the preview window for an ad in Google Ads
  4. In the "Preview ad" pop-up window, you can select the mobile, desktop, and Connected TV icons at the top right to preview your video ad on those respective platforms.
  5. Select Preview ad on YouTube to watch a preview of your video ad on YouTube on a desktop computer.

In the preview window, you can see a preview of the video ad, with additional preview options available

If you want to preview the ad on a mobile device, select Copy link and then share the link using any method that you prefer. For example, you can copy the link in Google Ads, email the link to yourself, and then open the link on your mobile device.

Preview your video ad during campaign creation

You can preview your video ad in the "Create your video ads" section. There, you’ll be able to select the mobile, desktop, and Connected TV icons at the top right to preview your video ad on those respective platforms. You can also select Preview ad on YouTube to watch a preview of your video ad on YouTube on a desktop computer.

Keep in mind

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you preview your video ad on Connected TV:

  • Make sure that you’re on a desktop device, as it's unsupported on mobile devices.
  • You can interact with your preview video ad. Use your spacebar to pause or unpause the video ad.
  • Some functionality of TV ads, like the "Send to phone" action, isn't available in previews.

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