How to Fix a Disabled Ad Account on Facebook

If your ad account on Facebook is disabled, open Meta Business Support Home, select Account status overview and click the disabled account to see the reason. Fix what Meta flagged, such as an unpaid balance, missing two-factor authentication or a verification request, and if you believe the decision is wrong, select Request review. Meta says a review is typically completed in 48 hours, although some take longer.

Do not open a new ad account to keep advertising while you wait. Meta treats new accounts created to repeat violations as evading enforcement, and that can get your business portfolio, Page or profile restricted too.

Why Meta disables ad accounts

Meta's help article About advertising restrictions lists the situations in which it limits or stops an advertiser:

• Policy violations. Ads or behavior that break the Community Standards, the Meta Advertising Standards, the Commerce Policies or other terms. Meta may restrict accounts whose ads severely or repeatedly violate its policies.
• A compromised account. Meta suspects the business portfolio or its assets were hacked.
• Missing two-factor authentication. An advertiser doesn't meet Meta's security requirements.
• Payment problems. Unusual payment or account activity, a high rate of failed payments, or disputed payments.
• Evading enforcement or violating networks. Creating new ad accounts or other business assets to repeat violations after an account was disabled, or a close connection to a network of accounts that violates or evades Meta's policies. Meta describes both in its common examples of policy violations.

The restriction can sit on different levels, and the level decides what stops working:

Not every restriction is a verdict. When Meta notices unusual activity, it may temporarily limit spending, payment features, adding people or creating new ad accounts while it investigates.

Find the reason in Business Support Home

Start by reading what Meta actually flagged. Business Support Home shows the status of your business portfolios, ad accounts, commerce accounts, catalogs and Pages in one place (About Meta Business Support Home).

1. Open Business Support Home.
2. Pick a date range with the calendar icon at the top right: the last 14, 30 or 90 days.
3. In Account status overview, open the Outstanding tab under Recent account issues to see current issues and the actions you can take.
4. Click an account for more detail.

The same overview is where you confirm whether an email, text or call about your account really came from Meta.

How to request a review of a disabled ad account

If you believe your business portfolio, ad account, Page or profile was restricted by mistake, request a review. You need to be an admin on the account (Request a review if you are restricted from advertising).

1. In Business Support Home, select Account status overview in the left menu.
2. Select the restricted account.
3. In the What you can do section, select Request review.
4. Complete the on-screen steps.

Meta says the review is typically completed in 48 hours, but it can take longer. If Meta decides the restriction should stay, the account remains blocked. If not, Meta removes the restriction and reinstates the account.

Two details matter before you click. First, you can request an advertising restriction review only a limited number of times, and once a review is done the decision is final. Meta also says that requesting a review won't hurt your standing. Second, ads that were running before the restriction don't restart on their own after a reinstatement. You turn them back on in Ads Manager, and our Ads Manager walkthrough shows where campaigns live.

Because reviews are limited, fix everything you can first: turn on two-factor authentication, finish any verification Meta asks for and pay any balance that is due. The next sections cover each one.

Secure and verify your account

Some disabled accounts are security holds rather than policy decisions. Meta's guide to troubleshooting a disabled or restricted account covers these cases.

Turn on two-factor authentication

If you are a user of a business portfolio that is more than 90 days old, Meta may require two-factor authentication and restrict your access to Meta Business Suite tools until it is on. People set it up on their personal Facebook profile (About two-factor authentication for your business portfolio).

1. In Business Support Home, click Account status overview.
2. Click the restricted account.
3. In What you can do, click Secure your account.
4. Complete the on-screen steps.

Meta says it reinstates an account restricted for this reason once two-factor authentication is on.

Complete verification when Meta asks

If Meta notices unusual behavior, it may ask you to prove the account is really yours. You will see either Start verification or Request review in the What you can do section.

• Start verification: follow the steps. Meta may ask for the email linked to your account, a photo of your ID such as a passport or driver's license, and the payment method linked to your account.
• Request review: click Secure your account and follow the steps. Meta may ask you to turn on two-factor authentication, click a link sent to the email in your business portfolio and ask someone with full control of the business account to approve your access.

In most cases Meta also asks you to confirm your identity, for example with the email address on the account or a text message to your phone. Some of these steps may have a time limit once you start, so finish them in one sitting.

Verify your business if a feature requires it

Business verification is a separate process. Meta requires it for certain advertising, developer, billing and spending features, and only someone with full control of the business portfolio can start it (Verify your business in Meta Business Suite).

1. Go to Security Center in Meta Business Suite and click Start verification.
2. Enter your legal business name, address, phone number and website exactly as they appear for your legal entity. The website must load over HTTPS.
3. Confirm the details. If Meta finds no matching record, you may need to upload official documents such as a business license or articles of incorporation.
4. Choose how to confirm your connection: email, phone, text message, WhatsApp message or domain verification.

A decision can take up to 14 business days. Meta warns that false or misleading information, or trying to verify a business you are not authorized to represent, can block verification and lead to further action on the account.

If your ad account was disabled for a failed payment

A failed payment works differently from a policy restriction. When the payment method for your ads fails, Meta pauses your ads and disables the ad account until you pay the amount due (Fix a failed payment issue on Meta). You don't need a review here. You need to pay the balance.

1. Go to Billing & payments.
2. Select the ad account.
3. Click Payment methods.
4. Click Pay now.
5. Choose an existing payment method or add a new one.

Before you add a payment method, check that it is supported in your country, enabled for online transactions, has a security code (CVV), won't expire soon and has enough funds. Meta also limits how many ad accounts can use the same payment method, typically up to 10. If the payment still fails, Meta suggests trying again later with a different card or contacting your bank.

Once the balance is paid, Meta resumes active and scheduled ads and tries to make up for the lost time. If your ads stay paused after you pay, you may have reached a daily spending limit set by Meta.

What to do while you wait

• Leave your account setup as it is. Don't create new ad accounts, Pages or business portfolios to run the same ads. Meta lists that as evading enforcement, along with networks of accounts that run the same violating ads.
• Review your rejected ads. Check each one against the Advertising Standards so you know what broke a rule. Editing or deleting a rejected ad doesn't remove the violation, and deleting it can cost you the chance to request a review of that ad (How to troubleshoot a rejected ad).
• Track the status in Business Support Home. Review decisions and account notices show up there.
• Be careful with anyone who offers to get your account back. Meta says its representatives never ask for your password, payment details or other sensitive information by chat, text, email or phone. Real Meta email comes only from Meta domains such as fb.com, facebook.com, facebookmail.com, meta.com and support.facebook.com, and you can report phishing to [email protected] (how to verify a Meta representative). For third parties who promise guaranteed results, see our guide to spotting Facebook ads scams.

If Meta upholds the decision

After a review, the decision is final. If an ad account disabled for a policy violation stays ineligible for reinstatement for 6 months, Meta says unused prepaid services may be forfeited where the law allows, and after that the account can't be reinstated. In some cases Meta may disable an account permanently before the 6 months are up.

What you do next matters as much as the appeal. Opening new ad accounts or other business assets to keep running the same ads, or spreading them across a network of accounts, is evading enforcement. Meta can then restrict the business portfolio, ad account, Page or user account involved, and assets closely connected to a violating network can be restricted as well.

What you can do is fix what caused the restriction, keep your accounts secure and follow the next steps Meta shows in Business Support Home.

How to prevent a disabled ad account

• Turn on two-factor authentication for everyone in your business portfolio. Without it, Meta may restrict or remove people's access to advertising.
• Keep payments clean. Use a supported payment method that won't expire and has funds. A high rate of failed or disputed payments is one of the reasons Meta lists for restrictions.
• Check ads against the Advertising Standards before you publish. Meta reviews ads mostly with automated systems, usually within 24 hours, and can review them again after they go live. Edits to targeting, creative, optimization or the billing event start a new review, while changes to budget, bid or schedule don't (About ads in review). Automation doesn't change this: ads created by tools, Crush included, go through the same Meta review as ads you build by hand.
• Fix rejected ads properly. Edit a rejected ad to comply, or request a review if you think Meta got it wrong. Severe or repeated violations can lead to restrictions on the business account, ad account, Page or user account.
• Secure every admin profile. Meta can restrict assets it believes were hacked. Turn on login alerts and two-factor authentication, and run Security Checkup (How do I secure a hacked account?).
• Check Business Support Home regularly. The 14-, 30- and 90-day views show new issues early, and a tidy ad account structure makes it easier to see which ads caused a problem.

Get back to running ads

Once your account is in good standing, the next job is running ads that sell. Crush creates Meta campaigns for your store, scales the winners and turns off the losers automatically. Paid plans start with a trial, and you can see current pricing here.