// Tracking and data
What Is the Meta Pixel and How to Check Your Install
The Meta Pixel sends events from the browser to a Meta dataset. Read the standard event list, the install order, and how to find events sent wrongly.
The Meta Pixel is a code snippet that sends events from the visitor browser to a Meta dataset. Those events feed ad reports, retargetingRetargetingShowing ads to people who already interacted with you, for example opened a page or sent a chat.Open the glossary audiences, and campaign optimisation.
Meta uses the word dataset for the container that receives pixelPixelA piece of code on a web page that tells the ad platform somebody opened the page or took an action.What is the Meta Pixel? events and server events from the same source.
Standard events and custom events
Standard events use names Meta recognises, so reports and optimisation work without extra setup. Custom events use your own names and need extra rules before they can be read.
| Standard event | When to send it | Key parameters |
|---|---|---|
ViewContent | A product or service page opens | content_ids, value |
Lead | A prospect form is sent | content_name |
AddToCart | A product enters the cart | content_ids, value |
Purchase | Payment completes | value, currency |
Send value and currency on the Purchase event. Without those two fields, value reports and value-based bidding cannot work.
Install order
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The errors we find most often
- Purchase sits on the cart page, so the purchase count inflates.
- The pixel code is installed twice, so every event counts double.
- The purchase value carries thousand separators, so Meta reads a wrong number.
- A custom event replaces an action that already has a standard name.
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How to check the install
- Open Events Manager, then select your dataset.
- Run Test Events, then make one test purchase.
- Check the event name, value, and currency on the row that appears.
- Read the Diagnostics warnings, then fix every item marked as an error.
- Repeat the check after each theme or checkout change.
Questions and answers
Is the pixel still useful after the Conversions API? Yes. The pixel carries browser signals such as fbp and fbc that tie an event to the ad click. Meta asks you to run both paths together.
Why is the pixel event count lower than my order count? Script blockers, cookie refusals, and network failures cut browser sends. Add the Conversions API to close part of that gap.
How many pixels does one site need? One dataset per site is enough in most cases. Two datasets split the campaign learning data into two small pieces.
// references
Official sources
We checked every claim on this page against the documents below on 11 September 2026. Open the source before you change a live system.
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