On April 13, 2026, Google announced that Looker Studio — the free, self-service reporting tool you've been using to build Facebook Ads dashboards — is reverting to its original name: Data Studio. If that name sounds familiar, it should. Data Studio is what the product was called from 2016 until 2022, when Google rebranded it to Looker Studio as part of a broader Looker acquisition narrative. Now that name is coming back, and for good reason.

For agencies, freelancers, and performance marketers who rely on it daily, this is a naming change — not a product change. Your reports still work. Your connectors still work. Your clients still see the same dashboards. Here's everything you need to know.

Why Google Is Bringing Back the Data Studio Name

When Google acquired Looker in 2020, the plan was to build a unified BI brand under the "Looker" umbrella. The self-service reporting tool (Google Data Studio) was renamed Looker Studio in 2022 to signal that it was part of the same family as Looker, the enterprise analytics platform used by large organizations with engineering teams and dedicated data infrastructure.

The problem: the two products are nothing alike. Looker (the enterprise product) requires SQL knowledge, a data model called LookML, and often a full implementation team. Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) is a drag-and-drop reporting tool that anyone can use in an afternoon. Calling them both "Looker" created real confusion — both for users trying to understand which product they needed, and for Google's sales teams trying to position them separately.

Google acknowledged this directly. The name "Data Studio" is simpler, more descriptive, and less likely to be confused with an enterprise product that has a completely different buyer profile. The rename is a cleanup move, not a pivot.

What Changes (and What Doesn't)

The short answer: almost nothing changes for you.

What stays exactly the same:

  • All existing reports carry over automatically — no rebuilding required
  • All data sources remain connected and active
  • All community connectors (including third-party connectors like MetricWiz) continue to work without modification
  • The product URL (lookerstudio.google.com) will redirect to the new destination during the transition
  • Sharing settings, report permissions, and scheduled email deliveries are unaffected
  • The Connector Gallery remains in place — all listed connectors stay listed

What changes:

  • The product name in Google's UI and documentation shifts from "Looker Studio" to "Data Studio"
  • Branding in the interface updates gradually over "coming weeks" (per Google's announcement)
  • External content — tutorials, blog posts, agency processes that reference "Looker Studio" — will start to look dated, though the underlying instructions remain accurate

Think of it the same way you handled the 2022 rename from Google Data Studio to Looker Studio: update your client-facing documentation when convenient, and move on. There is no technical migration to perform.

What's New in Data Studio

The rename isn't happening in a vacuum. Google used the announcement to signal a broader expansion of what Data Studio is becoming.

Beyond the name change, Google is integrating Data Studio more tightly with the rest of Google Cloud's data and AI stack:

  • BigQuery conversational agents: users will be able to query their BigQuery data using natural language directly within the Data Studio interface, without writing SQL
  • Colab data apps: notebooks and Python-based analyses built in Google Colab can now surface as interactive apps inside Data Studio reports
  • Expanded data source browsing: the interface for discovering and connecting data sources is being redesigned to surface more of Google's data ecosystem

For most agencies doing Facebook Ads reporting, these additions won't change your day-to-day workflow immediately. They're aimed at more advanced use cases involving data engineering and warehouse-level analytics. But they signal that Google is investing in the platform, which is good news for its long-term viability.

What This Means for Your Facebook Ads Reporting

If you're using MetricWiz — or any other community connector — to pull Facebook Ads data into Data Studio (formerly Looker Studio), nothing breaks. The connector continues to work exactly as before.

MetricWiz is listed in the official Data Studio Connector Gallery and connects the Facebook Marketing API directly to your Data Studio reports. The rename doesn't affect the connector's authorization, the data fields it exposes, or the dashboards built on top of it. When you open your reports next week, they'll look identical to how they look today.

A few practical notes for agencies and freelancers:

  • If you have client-facing documentation or SOPs that reference "Looker Studio," plan a lightweight update pass — not urgent, but worth doing in the next quarter
  • If you deliver reports via scheduled email, those continue without interruption
  • If you've shared report links with clients, those links will continue to work through the URL redirect
  • If clients ask what happened to their "Looker Studio" dashboard, the answer is simple: Google renamed the tool, nothing changed about their data or access

For new connectors or new reports, you'll start the setup process in Data Studio rather than Looker Studio — but the workflow is identical. Search "MetricWiz" in the Connector Gallery, authorize your Facebook account, select your ad account, and connect. Under five minutes, same as before.

Timeline: When Does the Change Happen?

Google announced the change on April 13, 2026, and described the rollout as happening "in the coming weeks." More specific timing and additional details about the expanded features are expected at Google Cloud Next '26.

In practice, Google product renames tend to roll out gradually across the UI, documentation, and help center — not as a hard cutover on a single day. You'll likely notice the name changing in the interface over several weeks, with some pages updating before others.

For planning purposes:

  • Now through Google Cloud Next '26: UI begins transitioning, product continues to function identically under either name
  • Post-Google Cloud Next '26: expect clearer timelines, full documentation updates, and any additional feature announcements
  • Practical action for you: nothing immediate. Monitor Google's official announcement for updates

FAQ

Is "Data Studio" the same product as "Google Data Studio"?

Yes. Data Studio was originally called Google Data Studio from its launch in 2016 through 2022, when it was renamed Looker Studio. Now it's reverting to Data Studio — same product, same features, simplified name. The "Google" prefix has been dropped from the product name, consistent with how Google handles many of its tools.

Do I need to reconnect my Facebook Ads data source?

No. All existing data sources carry over automatically. Your Facebook Ads connection, authorization, and field configuration remain intact. You don't need to reauthorize, reconfigure, or rebuild anything.

Will the Looker Studio URL still work?

Yes. Google will redirect the existing URL to the new destination. Any bookmarks or shared links pointing to lookerstudio.google.com will continue to work through the redirect. You don't need to update report links.

Does the name change affect connector pricing or the Connector Gallery?

No. The Connector Gallery remains part of the product, and all existing connectors — including paid connectors like MetricWiz at $48/year — stay listed and functional. Connector pricing is set by the connector developers, not by Google, so there's no impact there either.

Should I update my client reports to say "Data Studio" instead of "Looker Studio"?

Eventually, yes — but it's not urgent. Once the transition is complete, client-facing materials that say "Looker Studio" will look slightly outdated, similar to materials that still say "Google Data Studio" today. A terminology update pass in Q2 or Q3 2026 is reasonable. There's no functional or technical reason to rush it.