Why was my Facebook ad account disabled and how do I appeal?

Ad account, business portfolio and profile are different things

Meta enforces its rules on several layers: your personal profile, your business portfolio (formerly called Business Manager), each ad account and your Pages. Meta Business Support Home shows the status of each (About Business Support Home). A restriction on one can affect others, but each has its own review. Appealing the wrong layer is a common reason for delays, so check which asset is restricted before you act.

• Ad account: shows a message in Ads Manager and Business Support Home.
• Business portfolio: a restriction can limit the ad accounts, shops and other assets that it owns.
• Personal profile: a disabled profile that administers the business can block access to everything. Appeal it first with the steps in our disabled account guide.

Why Meta disables ad accounts

• Advertising policy violations: prohibited or restricted content, misleading claims, landing pages that do not match the ad, or products that need approval.
• Payment problems: declined or disputed payments and unpaid balances.
• Unusual activity: a new account with a sudden spend, many logins from different places or rapid changes.
• Circumventing systems: trying to hide content from review, or using accounts that belong to someone else.
• A linked account problem: a restricted profile, Page or Business Manager connected to the ad account.
• Automated mistakes: a compliant ad flagged because it resembles a prohibited pattern.

How to avoid another disablement

• Read the Advertising Standards for your product category before you launch, and keep a record of approvals.
• Make sure the landing page matches the ad and shows clear business information.
• Keep payment methods valid, and pay the balance on time.
• Add at least two admins with two-factor authentication to the Business Manager.
• Increase spend gradually on new accounts, and avoid sudden changes.
• Do not use accounts that belong to someone else, or tools that hide your ads from review.

How to request a review, step by step

1. Log in as an admin of the restricted account, on your usual device and network. Meta says only admins can request a review.
2. Open Business Support Home, select Account status overview and click the restricted account. Under What you can do Meta lists the steps it wants: confirm your identity, complete verification, secure the account or request a review (Troubleshoot a disabled or restricted account).
3. Read the reason and the policy it names. Take screenshots.
4. Fix what you can first. Remove or edit the ad or landing page that does not follow the policy, and update payment details.
5. Select Request review under What you can do and complete the on-screen steps, explaining in a few sentences what you advertised and why it follows the policy (Meta: request a review).
6. Add business proof if asked: a website, a registration document or a tax ID. Meta's business verification can also be required.
7. Submit once and wait. Meta says its review is typically completed in 48 hours, although it may take longer, and that there is a limited number of times you can request an advertising restriction review: once the review is complete the decision is final.

What business evidence to prepare

A business that can be verified is easier to review. Prepare an official registration or tax document that shows the legal name and address, a website with the same business name and contact details, a domain email address, invoices or receipts for earlier advertising and, for regulated products, the licence or approval that the policy requires. Use the same name everywhere. Differences between the name on the Business Manager, the website and the documents are a common reason for a failed verification.

A short review request

If Meta says the decision is final

Meta says that after the review is complete the decision is final. If your ad account was disabled for a policy violation and remains ineligible for reinstatement for six months, Meta says it can no longer be reinstated and unused prepaid services may be forfeited where the law allows. In that case, check whether Meta Business Support chat or email is available for your account, whether the problem is really at the Business Manager or profile level and whether an EU out-of-court dispute settlement body can review the decision. Be realistic: a final decision is rarely reversed. A repeated restriction may also mean that the business model needs changing, for example a product that is not allowed to be advertised.

Understanding the types of restriction

Not every message means that the account is lost. A payment restriction is solved by fixing the billing method. An ad restriction limits specific ads and is solved by editing or removing them. An account restriction pauses the account until a review. A disabled status means that the account cannot run ads, but may be appealed. Read the message in Business Support Home to see which one you have, because each one has a different fix.

Why rental, cloaking and "stealth" services are risky

When an advertiser loses an account, offers appear for rented ad accounts, "warmed" accounts, cloaking tools and "stealth" setups. Meta's rules prohibit circumventing its systems and using accounts that belong to someone else, so the account behind such an offer can be disabled at any time, along with everything connected to it and your payment method. These services also ask for payments and access that put your business at risk. A legitimate path is to fix the cause, appeal through Business Support and, if the product is not allowed, to change the product.

When recovery is not possible

An ad account is unlikely to come back when the violation is severe, when the account was used to evade an earlier restriction, when payment fraud is suspected or when Meta has issued a final decision. Know the limits before you pay anyone.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Facebook Help Center: My personal Facebook account is suspended or disabled
• Meta Business Help Center: Troubleshoot a disabled or restricted account
• Meta Business Help Center: Request a review for a restricted advertising account
• Meta Business Help Center: About Meta Business Support Home
• Meta Advertising Standards