How Do You Import Offline Conversions Into TikTok Ads?

You import offline conversions into TikTok Ads through one of three paths: TikTok's Offline Events API for automated, ongoing data feeds; an approved integration partner that handles the connection for you; or a manual upload directly inside Events Manager. Whichever method is used, the offline event has to have happened within the previous 28 days, or TikTok won't be able to match it back to an ad interaction.

The Three Upload Paths

TikTok's Business Help Center describes offline conversions as a way to measure how TikTok ads lead to actions that happen away from a website or app — an in-store purchase, an offline subscription, a sale closed after the initial click. The Offline Events API is the path TikTok describes as the most robust, sending first-party conversion data directly from an advertiser's own systems back into TikTok on an ongoing basis. Advertisers without the engineering resources to build that integration can go through an approved third-party partner instead, or upload data manually.

Manual Upload, Step by Step

• Open Ads Manager and go to Tools, then Events
• Select Connect Data Source, then choose Offline as the data source type
• Name the offline event set so it's identifiable alongside any other data sources connected to the account
• Select Create, then Upload Events to push the file in

This manual path works for a business uploading data in occasional batches — a monthly CRM export, for instance — without needing to maintain an API connection.

The 28-Day Matching Window Is the Constraint That Matters

TikTok will only match an offline event to a prior ad interaction if that event occurred within the previous 28 days. This mirrors TikTok's standard 28-day click attribution window, and it means offline data has a real shelf life for attribution purposes — a sale that closes 40 days after the ad click that started it can still be recorded as revenue in a CRM, but TikTok has no mechanism to credit that ad interaction once the 28-day window has passed. View-through matching is even tighter, following TikTok's standard 1-day view-through window rather than the 28-day click window.

Why the API Is the Recommended Default

Manual uploads work, but they depend on someone remembering to export and upload data on a schedule — and a missed upload cycle can quietly push conversions outside the 28-day matching window before they're ever sent. An API integration removes that dependency by sending data automatically as offline events happen, which keeps conversions comfortably inside the matching window rather than racing against it.

Bottom Line

If your sales cycle regularly closes more than a few weeks after the ad click — common for higher-consideration purchases — prioritize getting the Offline Events API or an integration partner in place over relying on manual uploads, since a delayed manual upload risks pushing real conversions outside TikTok's 28-day matching window before they're ever counted.

Sources: TikTok for Business Help Center, "About Events API for Offline" and "About Offline Conversions" (ads.tiktok.com/help).