What a Lookback Window Is
A lookback window is the time limit on credit. When a new install arrives, the attribution platform looks backwards from the install for ad interactions it could credit: a click on a tracked link, an impression reported by a partner. The lookback window sets how far back it searches. A click two days before install inside a 7-day window can win credit. A click ten days before falls outside it and is ignored.
If no interaction falls inside the window, the install is recorded as organic. That makes the lookback window one of the most important settings in attribution: change it, and installs move between campaigns and organic.
The term is often used interchangeably with attribution window, which is the broader name for any time limit in attribution.
Click and View Windows
There are usually two kinds of lookback window:
- Click lookback for click-through attribution. Commonly 7 days, and up to 30 days for networks where users often install well after clicking.
- View lookback for view-through attribution, where a user saw an ad but did not tap it. Much shorter, usually 1 to 24 hours, because an unclicked impression is weaker evidence.
Clicks take priority. An impression is only credited when no click from any source can be credited inside its own window.
How Windows Change Results
A longer click window credits more installs to paid campaigns. It captures users who clicked, thought about it for a week and then installed, which is common for higher-consideration apps. It also gives fraud more room: click spamming depends on old, meaningless clicks being eligible when organic installs happen.
A shorter window credits only installs that clearly followed the ad. Campaign numbers fall, organic rises, and the remaining paid installs are easier to trust.
Neither is right for every app. The best check is your own data: look at the distribution of click-to-install times for reliable sources. If almost every real install happens within three days, a 30-day window mostly adds noise.
Lookback Windows and Ad Networks
Every network has its own windows for its own reporting. Meta's default for app installs is a 7-day click and 1-day view window; Google App campaigns and Apple Ads use their own settings. When your MMP's window differs from a network's, their install counts will differ too, even with perfect data.
For example, with a 30-day click window in the MMP and a 7-day click window in Meta, an install 8 to 30 days after the click counts for Meta in the MMP but not in Meta's dashboard. Aligning windows, or at least knowing where they differ, removes a large part of most attribution discrepancies.
Lookback Windows in Linkrunner
Linkrunner applies click windows per ad network. The defaults are 30 days for Google Ads and Meta, because installs on those networks often report well after the click, and 7 days for every other network. You can change any channel from 1 to 30 days in Settings, and the change usually takes effect within a minute. The 30-day ceiling matches how long Linkrunner retains clicks.
View-through attribution for affiliate partners is off by default. When you turn it on for a partner, the window starts at 24 hours and can be shortened to 1 hour. A partner can send a shorter window on each impression but can never extend yours. See mobile attribution.
The click window only governs new installs. Returning users are handled by the inactivity window and re-attribution window.
Setting Your Windows
- Start from network defaults so your numbers reconcile.
- Check click-to-install time by source and shorten windows that mostly add late, low-quality matches.
- Keep view-through windows short and turn them on only for partners whose impressions you trust.
- Note every window change, because installs move between campaigns and organic from that date.