How to Remove Restriction on Facebook Ad Account

Nothing sinks your stomach faster than seeing that red notification: "Your ad account has been disabled." All your campaigns come to a screeching halt, your momentum is gone, and a wave of panic sets in. The good news is that very often, this isn't a permanent shutdown. This guide will walk you through exactly what to do, from understanding why it happened to the step-by-step process of requesting a review and getting your ads back online.

First, Calm Down and Understand Why You Were Flagged

Before you do anything, take a deep breath. Facebook's and Instagram's review process relies heavily on automated systems, and these algorithms can, and do, make mistakes. Many legitimate advertisers have their accounts restricted incorrectly. Your first task is to play detective and figure out the likely cause so you can address it in your appeal.

You can usually find the official reason listed in your Account Quality dashboard. It will often cite a specific ad policy. Let’s look at some of the most common red flags Meta’s system looks for.

Common Reasons for Ad Account Restrictions

Sometimes the reason is obvious, and sometimes it's more subtle. Here are the usual suspects:

• Payment Issues: This is one of the most frequent and easily fixable culprits. A failed payment due to an expired card, insufficient funds, or a bank declining the charge can trigger an automatic account suspension. Repeatedly trying different payment methods in a short period can also look suspicious.
• Violating Ad Policies: This is a broad category, but it's central to most restrictions. You are responsible not just for your ad creative but for your landing page content, too. Common violations include:
• "Circumventing Systems" Policy: This sounds ominous, but it often refers to trying to trick the review system. This could mean intentionally misspelling forbidden words, using special characters to obscure text, or using "cloaking" techniques where you show the Facebook reviewer a different landing page than a regular user would see.
• Text in Images: While Meta relaxed the "20% text rule" a few years ago, having images completely covered in text can still be flagged as a low-quality attribute and may contribute to rejections or, in extreme cases, an account restriction.
• Unusual Account Activity: Automation flags behavior that seems out of the ordinary for your account. This could be a sudden, massive increase in your daily budget (going from $50/day to $5,000/day overnight), or logging in from various IP addresses in different countries in a short timespan.
• Operating Multiple Accounts After a Ban: If one of your ad accounts or business managers was permanently banned, creating a new one to run the same types of ads is a direct violation that will lead to another swift ban.
• Low Quality or Disruptive Content: This is a catch-all for ads that contain clickbait, use sensationalized headlines, or feature imagery that is shocking or provokes a strong negative reaction from users.

Your Action Plan: The Step-by-Step Guide to Requesting a Review

Once you have a good idea of what might have gone wrong, it’s time to start the appeal process. Follow these steps carefully and methodically. How you approach this can make all the difference between a quick reinstatement and a permanent ban.

Step 1: Go to the Account Quality Dashboard

Your one-stop shop for dealing with this is the Account Quality dashboard. This is command central for any and all issues related to your ads, pages, and business managers. Don't bother looking for a support phone number - this online portal is the only official way to start.

Step 2: Identify the Restriction and Request a Review

In the Account Quality dashboard, you'll see a summary of any restrictions on your assets. On the right side of the screen, under “What you can do,” find the specific ad account that has been restricted. You should see a blue button that says "Request Review." Click it.

Step 3: Confirm Your Identity (If Prompted)

In some cases, especially if Meta suspects your account was hacked or is tied to a fake profile, you may be asked to verify your identity. This typically involves uploading a clear photo of a government-issued ID (like a driver’s license or passport). Don't panic, this is a standard security measure. Ensure the photo is well-lit and all the details are clearly visible.

Step 4: Write a Clear and Professional Appeal

This is the most critical step. You'll be presented with a text box to explain your case. Avoid angry, frantic, or demanding language. You are talking to a human reviewer who deals with hundreds of these cases a day. A polite, direct, and respectful tone goes a long way.

Here’s how to structure your appeal:

• Be Respectful and Apologetic: Start professionally. Even if you are 100% sure it’s their mistake, a bit of humility helps. Example: "Hello, I am writing to request a review of the restriction on my ad account [Account ID]. I was surprised to see it was disabled and I am committed to following all platform policies."
• Address the Specific Issue: Reference the policy they cited. It shows you’ve done your research.
• Keep it Brief: The reviewer is busy. Get to the point in 2-4 short, clear paragraphs. Provide your account ID and any relevant ad IDs to help them investigate quickly.

Step 5: Submit and Be Patient

After you submit your review, the waiting game begins. The official response time is around 48 hours, but it can be shorter or significantly longer depending on case volume. Resist the urge to submit multiple appeal tickets for the same issue, as this can confuse the system and potentially push you to the back of the queue.

What to Do If Your First Appeal is Rejected?

Getting a rejection notice on your first appeal is disheartening. In many cases, you may get an automated response that offers no new information. Don't give up just yet - you might have another option.

Find the Live Chat Support

Some ad accounts have access to live chat support. You can check your eligibility by visiting the Facebook Business Help Center. If you're eligible, you'll see a "Contact advertising support" link or button on the page.

Note that this option is not available to everyone, Meta seems to prioritize access for accounts that spend more. If you can get through, be prepared with your account ID and a concise summary of your issue. A live agent can sometimes escalate your case or provide more specific insight than the automated system.

How to Prevent Your Ad Account from Being Restricted Again

Once you get your account back, the priority is to keep it in good standing. Prevention is always better than cure.

• Know the Policies: Don't just skim the Facebook Advertising Policies. Read them. Then read them again. Pay special attention to the policies that apply to your industry.
• "Warm Up" New Ad Accounts: If you're starting a new ad account, don't immediately launch a campaign with a massive budget. Start small ($25-$50 per day) and run a simple campaign for a few days to build trust with the system before scaling up.
• Keep Your Landing Pages Compliant: Ensure your landing page delivers exactly what your ad promises. A deceptive landing page is a fast track to getting shut down. It should also have clear links to your privacy policy, terms of service, and contact information.
• Maintain a Healthy Payment History: Use a reliable credit card with a sufficiently high limit. Ensure your payment information is always up to date to prevent any billing failures.

Final Thoughts

Dealing with a restricted Facebook ad account is a stressful but common hurdle for digital marketers. By methodically identifying the likely problem, filing a clear and professional appeal, and adhering strictly to the ad policies moving forward, you give yourself the best possible chance of a successful resolution.

When your advertising is paused, it creates a disruptive gap in your performance data, making it hard to maintain a clear picture of your marketing funnels. We built Graphed to unify all your marketing and sales data, so once you're back running ads, you can instantly see real-time comeback performance by connecting your sources in seconds. This allows you to quickly analyze what's driving results and make decisions without ever having to manually pull reports again.