Facebook ad rejected or ad account restricted: common causes and how to request a review

Your campaign is running and an ad gets rejected, or worse, the whole ad account is restricted. Almost everyone who advertises on Facebook for long enough runs into this. The key is to understand why before editing or appealing, rather than resubmitting over and over.

How ad review works

According to Meta's Advertising Standards, review starts automatically before an ad runs and is typically completed within 24 hours, though it can take longer. It looks at images, video, text, targeting and the landing page.

Common policy issues

1. Personal attributes. Ads can't assert or imply that you know someone's personal attributes such as health, finances, religion or age. From Meta's policy: "Do you have diabetes?" is prohibited, while "Depression counseling" is allowed. Openers like "Are you in debt?" or "Losing your hair?" trip this rule constantly.

2. Restricted goods and services. Alcohol, financial services, health products, supplements and dating often have extra requirements or need prior approval.

3. Health claims and before/after imagery. Beauty and weight-loss ads are often rejected for exaggerated results or negative body image. Meta revises this area fairly often, so check the latest version in the Transparency Center before producing creative.

4. Misleading commercial practices. Fake "shock" prices, income promises, clickbait, or a landing page that doesn't match the ad.

5. Intellectual property. Using another brand's logo, images or music without rights, or selling counterfeits.

6. Business asset policies. Suspicious or compromised accounts, payment problems, or attempts to circumvent systems.

When a single ad is rejected

1. Read the reason in Ads Manager. Meta usually names the policy involved.
2. Edit the ad if there really is a problem: text, image or landing page. Edited ads go back into review.
3. If you believe the decision is a mistake, request a review in Ads Manager or in Account Quality. Meta's guide to troubleshooting a rejected ad covers the details.

Don't delete and recreate the identical ad to "get around" review. Repeated rejections can hurt the quality of the whole account.

When the ad account is restricted

A restricted account can't advertise, or only in a limited way. Causes Meta commonly cites include Advertising Standards violations, business or payment verification problems, unusual activity and attempts to circumvent systems.

What to do:

1. Open Account Quality at business.facebook.com/accountquality to see which assets are restricted and why.
2. If a Request review option is offered, follow it and give accurate, complete information.
3. Check the security of every admin account: many restrictions start with a hacked personal admin profile.
4. Wait for the outcome and don't submit duplicate requests.

Meta also has a page on troubleshooting disabled or restricted accounts for specific cases.

Prevention beats cure

• Read the Advertising Standards before creating ads for sensitive industries.
• Describe your product or service; avoid "you" phrasing that implies personal traits.
• Make sure the landing page matches the ad and shows clear contact details.
• Turn on two-factor authentication for all admins.
• Never buy, sell or rent ad accounts.

How AT Media can help

AT Media runs Facebook ads for Pages and can review your copy, landing page and account setup with you to reduce rejection risk, and help prepare review requests through official channels. We work only with account owners, quote our fee up front and never guarantee review outcomes, because the decision is Meta's.