Try this if you struggle with restricted ad accounts: learn the flags and their severity level that got you banned and remove them from your funnel. If you’re looking to find out how to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account – I worked in ads at Facebook and will use my expertise there to guide you to a solution without guesswork, but answers from the source even when Facebook goes silent.
Free eBook: Top 5 Reasons Agencies Fail at Facebook
An underrated trick to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account is to understand just how Facebook flags your funnel which I’ll be revealing further in this article.
You may feel like you’d have better luck uncovering the mystery of The Great Pyramid of Giza or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon than getting a straight answer from Facebook, if you’re trying to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account.
There are so many flags your ad account can get hit with that it’s challenging to quickly determine the reason for Facebook bans. Also, take a look at my blog, How to Recover A Facebook Ad Account That’s Been Disabled.
How to Remove a Restriction on a Facebook Ad Account Tips
A lot of ad agencies are asking, “How do I recover Facebook ad accounts?” Or “How can I reactivate my disabled Business Manager?” And “Why is my Facebook ad rejected?”
The wall of silence from Facebook, the parent company now called Meta, frustrates business owners and advertisers alike. Money coming in from Facebook ads is suddenly stopped, and clients won’t stop screaming because their products aren’t selling.
Looking to start your own business, work from home, and not be micromanaged by a toxic boss? Learn more here.
You’re left holding the bag, without answers and just a nasty deadline before your clients drop you and hire another marketing firm who knows how to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account. Or your deadline for a product launch is making you sweat bullets while Facebook keeps you in limbo.
You’re waiting on Facebook to reply as you’re waiting on an ad asset that’s permanently restricted to get fully appealed. Fortunately, you’ve found this blog – I’ve worked at Facebook for years and can help you sort things out.
Whether you’re using Facebook ad expert Tim Burd’s Surfing Method of Scaling Ads or another tactic, Facebook ad policies will still need to be top of mind, or you’ll lose money with Facebook bans.
Just like I provided solutions for Boomerang, a marketing research firm, you’ll learn how to avoid the land mines that shut down millions of businesses a year on Facebook. Click here for a free discovery call.
If I decide you’re a good fit, we can work together and I’ll reveal why FB shut you down and how to get compliant again. (In a rush? Skip the line with prepaid funnel audits with VIP Access). You won’t have to guess again at learning how to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account.
Remove a Restriction on a Facebook Ad Account Guide
The ugly truth of Facebook ad account restrictions is very few have relevant experience to guide you to a solution. Here’s my 5 Step System to master Facebook bans and tips to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account:
how to remove restriction on facebook ad account guide
Now, clearly the devil is in the details – while this 5 Step System is great, you’ll want to get more in the weeds for exactly How to apply these concepts to your funnel if you’re serious about learning how to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account.
You can start by getting your funnel bulletproof from the Facebook ban bots I can protect you from and prevent them from taking your money when ad accounts get disabled. Simply schedule a free discovery call if you’re looking to get Facebook ads live again, my calendar is here
Your Facebook Advertising Got Restricted…Now What?
If you’ve been restricted from advertising on Facebook all your active ads will be paused and you won’t be able to create new ads. Often you’ll see “ad error” next to the ads that used to be live.
After reading my Facebook Ad Policies Checklist you may have started to see which ad policy applied to your Campaigns.
Now, the reason why you got shut down will be one of many. Each scenario is different.
Remove a Restriction on a Facebook Ad Account Pro Tip
You may be asking why each scenario is different. Well, there are many types of Facebook ads and Facebook’s ad policies apply differently to each industry which is important to know before you try to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account.
And I’m not even talking about Special Ad Categories (real estate, social issues, employment, loans etc).
How Facebook’s machines apply their striking automation really does depend on a number of factors which I’ll get into next.
You may not know this, but, being more or less compliant affects your CPC, CPL (cost-per-lead), and Cost of Acquisition. The less compliant you are – even if you’re not banned…yet – the more Facebook will charge you for distributing your ads, because they’ll feel it’s content Facebook users won’t want to see, if it isn’t fully compliant.
And, ad costs have been going up. On average, 91% of industries saw increases in CPL in 2023.
But, you don’t have to guess on compliance anymore, as I can help you diagnose and recover from Facebook ad account restrictions.
As Liana Lang, CEO of Power Up Strategy Inc. said, “Please meet Trevor, my ‘secret weapon’ for all things Facebook compliance. I highly recommend hiring him to help you out especially if you plan to be running ads.”
Want the same white glove treatment navigating Facebook shutdowns?
Click here, to schedule a discovery call.
How did I get myself restricted from advertising on Facebook?
You’d be surprised how many businesses are running ads based on what worked 5 years ago. Just like advances in technology rapidly change the social landscape, so do changes in Facebook’s ad policies.
Even if you went to the Social Media Strategies Summit, David Velez, Head of Social at Amazon, wouldn’t be able to explain to you how you got banned – none of the experts could, because they haven’t worked side-by-side with the software engineers who operate the automations that ban you. I happened to have this experience, from my work at Meta, and one common theme was how fast facebook ad policies change, the and effect this has on businesses like yours.
What was allowed last year may not be compliant this year. And if you’re still running ads that used to be compliant, Facebook will show no mercy in shutting you down ASAP. And even retroactively punishing your ad account by flagging old ads that aren’t even active, if they violate new current ad policies. This is what leads to ad bans marketers get, who then try to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account.
Also a good roadmap: What to Do After Violating Facebook’s Ad Policies
Remove a Restriction on a Facebook Ad Account Flag Type
You can get your ads rejected for violating the spam flags, the Personal Attributes policies, or Facebook could have flagged you as an MLM.
Your eyes would pop out if you knew the list of banned words Facebook has that associate you with a pyramid scheme. If you accidentally used one of these words, even 1 word would be enough to get you shut down.
Ideally, you’d have your ads prescreened for Facebook ad policy compliance before going live. Then, you’d never have to try to learn how to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account.
This can be problematic for many advertisers because you can read all the books on Facebook ads, read all of facebook ad policies and still not get answers.
You can study the top Facebook experts like Mari Smith (one of my clients), or events like Social Media Marketing World but even then, you won’t find anyone there who has worked with thousands of businesses recovering from ad account restrictions or who has worked at Meta with the engineers maintaining these ban bot automations like I have.
That being said, if you want to skip the rest of the article, and get a solution today just book a free discovery call, and if you’re eligible, I’ll guide you every step of the way to get Facebook ads live again and money coming into your bank account from ads safe from the automations.
Just click my calendar link here and book your call now.
How can I tell if my account was restricted?
While Facebook is supposed to send you an email, you may not always get an email telling you that your account is restricted. But, going to Ads Manager, or Business Manager you’ll see this warning when your account is restricted:
And obviously, not being able to run ads and having all your live ads shut down is a pretty clear indicator your account is restricted on Facebook. Part of the ninja skill involved when successfully trying to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account comes down to accurately diagnosing what got you in Facebook jail – before FB bots have a chance to permanently restrict your ad account or Page.
If you haven’t read it, check out: How to Recover a Permanently Disabled Ad Account
What does having my account restricted mean?
If you have a restricted Facebook account, you are banned from using Facebook Ads, Facebook Pixel, Facebook Business Manager, and more. BUT…
The severity of your account restriction depends on:
• Your vertical | Type of Business
• The ad account history
• The type of ban
• The number of bans in the past 3 months
• The amount of approved ads
And a few other factors. Not all bans are the same, and not all Facebook restricted accounts have the same recovery process – or relaunching method when learning how to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account.
Remove a Restriction on a Facebook Ad Account WARNING
Are people from Bangladesh promising you they can recover your restricted ad account? Don’t fall for it! Read How to Recover Facebook Ad Accounts now
If you’ve been shutdown a lot but never got answers, you’re like one of my clients, Steve Martinez, Vice President of Apollidon Learning.
“Trevor took us through the process of getting one of our University of Texas ad accounts reinstated (within minutes). He offered some critical insights to why our Facebook Ad Account was disabled and shared options to reduce our chances of future issues. We have a better understand of how the algorithm works and know exactly what to do and say if our account gets disabled again.”
Want to see how I can help you? Schedule a free discovery call here. Or, if you’re in a rush, prepay for your consulting call and skip the line.
What do I do if my Facebook account is restricted from advertising?
STOP!!! The 1st thing you need to do is STOP taking further actions on Business Manager and Ads Manager.
So many of my clients before they were clients dug themselves into a much deeper hole scrambling around with last ditch efforts to save their ad accounts. Which in reality, only made things worse. Yeah – you need to stop and assess your funnel FIRST.
Also – do not believe Facebook ad support, they can get you in worse shape because their advice is ignorant. None of them have recovered from a Facebook ban or even run ads with skin in the game.
They never made real profit from Facebook ads and only read textbook replies – I wrote some of these replies authoring internal documents for process flows at Facebook when I worked there in ads.
Free eBook: Top 5 Reasons Agencies Fail at Facebook
New Fees for Boosted Posts on FB & Instagram on Apple IOS
Meta said Thursday that it will start charging a 30 percent fee when advertisers pay to boost the visibility of their posts in Facebook’s and Instagram’s iOS apps.
The change, which goes into effect later this month, stems from a 2022 App Store update where Apple extended its typical 30 percent cut of digital purchases to boosted posts, which are essentially ads.
The change particularly targeted Meta and other social apps that let people pay in app to increase the reach of their content. Meta notes in a statement shared with The Verge that small business owners and influencers who want to purchase a boost on iOS will now be billed through Apple, “which retains a 30% service charge on the total ad payment, before any applicable taxes.”
It’s like when gas prices went up, and every food delivery restaurant just charged you more, same as Uber & Lyft. Given that Facebook ad policy violations DO drive up your ad costs, that’s why now, more than ever you need to be compliant, because it’s more expensive when you’re not.
ALSO: Be careful whose advice you take when reading articles online. I’ve seen many marketing blogs online, giving the wrong advice from hacks just GUESSING on what to do. Or worse, regurgitating bad advice they read on Reddit or in YouTube comments.
If you google “How to Remove Restriction on Facebook Ad Account,” more than one social media magazine is posting inaccurate advice that will jeopardize your brand even more. For example:
What the @#$%&! is this?! You are googling “how to remove restriction on Facebook ad account,” and the result tells you to publish a damn Facebook Page????!!!! Soooo irrelevant. This is irritating af to businesses because it isn’t the correct answer. At all.
Another prime example, SocialSurge Marketing gives bad advice about how to remove restriction on facebook ad account:
This is bad advice. SocialSurge Marketing says that if you lost your rights to advertise unnecessarily they will reinstate you. Incorrect. Banning is done 99% of the time by machines – they have no moral base or conscience about what is fair or unfair.
SocialSurge Marketing also says above to “just try…to wait it out and see if your restriction is only temporary.” Incorrect. Talk to some people who have been banned – some wait over 6 months with any reply. Waiting doesn’t solve shit when you’re trying to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account.
It’s dumb trust – Facebook makes money in the billions they have little to no investment in caring if you speedily get back up advertising or never run ads again. Meta has got money to burn.
Also SocialSurge Marketing saying you should Request Review is a big mistake. Because if you click on “Request Review” you’ll get ONE machine to review ANOTHER machine’s decision. That’s like asking the fox to guard the hen house.
You think a Facebook bot is going to side with a human over another Facebook bot and remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account? WRONG. I’ll tell you what to do next that is a much better option.
Or you can also watch my YouTube video that went semi-viral organically on the BS of suggesting Request Review here:
Remove a Restriction on a Facebook Ad Account Troubleshoot
To troubleshoot your restricted account:
The first step is to audit your funnel and identify the biggest risks when it comes to Facebook ad policy compliance. If you don’t know why you got flagged you won’t have very much to go on when attempting to appeal or remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account.
Review the Facebook ad policies that apply to your business specifically and determine which one the automations caught and flagged you for.
Still a little lost? I’ve created many Ad Guides on Facebook ad policy you can check out.
When you appeal, you gotta know WHY you were shut down FIRST. Most ad agencies have it BACKWARDS. They go in angry, demanding to be told why their accounts were restricted. And asking that their accounts get restored.
You really have to find out for yourself FIRST before appealing, because that will be the heart of your appeal: “I know what I may have done wrong and I’ve learned from it.” This will help when trying to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account.
On Appealing: Chat in with Facebook Ad Support and get the agent you contact to submit the appeal for you instead of clicking Request Review. This will up your chances by a factor of 100.
Already completely banned?
If you are running ads and spending $100K a year or more on ads, I can help with that.
Confirm your identity
I have one word for you: DON’T. Well at least, not before taken certain steps first.
You may be one of the lucky 2% that actually start confirming your identity and slip through the cracks. But most people?
Once you hit that button it’s game over. Facebook will never confirm your identity because their form is broken and doesn’t transfer the data (like your driver’s license) to Facebook itself. And that definitely isn’t a reliable method to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account.
There are other ways to get your ads live – all white hat – which are much better than trying to Confirm Your Identity. Well, at least, don’t try to confirm your identity without help from someone who knows how this system works, or you’ll end up in the endless loop.
Are you hacked or recovering from a cybersecurity hack from one of those bastards in Pakistan, Vietnam, Indonesia, or the Philippines? Sadly, it is a HUGE epidemic right now from those specific locations, including Malaysia. Read my full guide on what to do if your Facebook account is restricted from being hacked here.
Complete verification
Facebook’s ad policies will tell you to complete verification but like I said above, and admiral Ackbar reiterates:
Simply verifying a Facebook Business Manager will not remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account.
Remove a Restriction on a Facebook Ad Account Security
Secure your account
This is a new thing: If you’re a user of a Business Manager account that’s over 90 days old, you may need to enable two-factor authentication to meet Facebook’s security requirements. If you don’t, Meta may restrict your access to Business Manager tools for security purposes.
To reinstate your account, you’ll need to enable two-factor authentication.
If you haven’t submitted your IDs for the verify identity trap, enabling 2FA can sometimes restore your account. I’ve seen it happen – it isn’t reliable as the only solution, but it can help. As long as you don’t put a device, or email that you no longer have access to on your account! !
That’s another trap. Advertisers try to enable 2FA to get their ad accounts back but don’t realize they have an old email associated with their Personal Profile that they don’t have access to. Or an old phone number from a smartphone they no longer have.
You are royally @#$%&! if you do this because Facebook will show no mercy if you tell them, “I don’t have access to this email/device anymore.” Definitely not a solution to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account.
It’s another good reason for you to make sure that your info is up to date before advertising, before appealing and before enabling 2FA.
Remove a Restriction on a Facebook Ad Account Content
Violating content
Facebook’s Violating Content Policies are a joke. You have no guidance here, it just says:
Advertisers can’t:
- Severely violate our advertising policies
- Repeatedly violate our advertising policies
You will have a lot more guidance from the articles I’ve written on specific steps to follow Facebook ad policy rather than these generic-ass statements. I love Jon Loomer’s content – and he’s great for learning Facebook tips – well John’s expert advice on why Facebook restricts your ad spending is also relevant to ad policies. If you’re on the radar, Facebook ups CPC costs and limits ad spend too.
So, what specific policies apply to your business? You better find out if you want to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account.
When it comes to account authenticity Facebook wants to make sure the government name on your ID or Driver’s License is the same as the Facebook profile. Matching this does help, as a small step towards trying to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account.
Ever had someone on your Business Manager get shut down elsewhere, on another Business Manager, and have the Facebook bots follow that one person back to your Business Manager and shut it down?
Even if your Business Manager WAS compliant?
Ouch. Facebook started tracking / stalking advertisers who got shut down on 1 Business Manager and then assuming guilt by association.
Violating networks or associations is Facebook’s policy to automatically assume if someone has a Facebook ban, anyone they are connected to on Facebook is by default, also a bad actor. It’s BS, I know, but that’s their policy and it affects how easy it is to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account or not.
Free eBook: Top 5 Reasons Agencies Fail at Facebook
Remove a Restriction on a Facebook Ad Account Unusual Activity
Almost 100% of the time this is because you logged into Facebook, either your personal Profile or Business Manager or the Facebook Business Page from a location different from your regular house and local haunts.
And if you have a credit card number banned.
Solution: get a new credit card that’s fresh and clean, and also only login to Facebook from one location (or 1 city rather).
If you haven’t had a chance yet, read my break down of Common Facebook Ad Policy Violations [Explained]
But, beyond that, let me just say, don’t lose hope in Facebook ads. Yes, the Apple I0S update was a fiasco for Facebook advertisers, and the removal of 3rd party cookies from Chrome in the near future will require some pivots to continue to be successful.
Even so, in 2023, the potential total audience that could be reached by Facebook ads was 1.98 billion and is only increasing this year.
So, it really becomes a matter of just fine tuning your Facebook compliance skills to continue raking in that dough from ad profits without having to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account. If you do have a restricted ad account, you’ll want to look into appeals – which can be hit or miss without my guidance – so here are some tips.
How to appeal advertising restrictions
So, the dumbasses like SocialSurge Marketing that just copy and paste Facebook’s verbatim copy on their policies page are copying this text from Meta:
“If you believe your Business Account, ad account, Page or user account was incorrectly restricted, you may be able to request a review of the decision in Account Quality.”
Your best bet to appeal advertising restrictions if your ad account is restricted, is to audit your funnel first. Identify why you were shut down, which part of your funnel triggered it, then appeal to a person on Facebook ad support chat, not request review.
Speaking of which:
Remove a Restriction on a Facebook Ad Account Request a review
Request a review
More idiotic advice from Facebook:
“If your account is restricted due to a policy violation, you may be able to request a review.”
That’s like asking the original evil Terminator to review John Connor as he is hunting Connor.
Now – I’m not saying that it won’t ever work. About 1 percent of people who request review, DO get their accounts back. But, I’ve worked with 10s of 1000s of advertisers and the stats show requesting review just locks you into a permanently restricted status unless you know how to do it strategically in a way that gets real results.
Learn more
Are you ready to stop second guessing Facebook bans and stop sitting on the edge of your seat worrying about shut downs? You definitely won’t find those answers from Facebook or taking a Coursera marketing course.
Even if you spent a week reading Facebook’s Ad Policies you’d still be at risk of a shut down simply because there are a 1000 more flags than you are actually told about.
Yet the machines still scan your ads according to these invisible Facebook ad policies.
BUT – don’t miss out on an opportunity to never have to get flagged again. I’ve worked in ads, tech and project management at Facebook and can help.
What if you had a guarantee that your ads were compliant before they went live on Facebook? What if you knew 100% without guessing why your ad account was disabled? What if you knew why your Facebook ads were blocked and had a path to get ads live again?
Keep reading for these answers and more:
Remove a Restriction on a Facebook Ad Account Solution
Ad agencies: tired of getting the silent treatment from Facebook when all you want to do is get your Facebook ads live and revenue in the door?
I’m a Facebook ad policy specialist who worked at Facebook and I’m trusted by high level brands that take accuracy and results seriously.
I can show you how to resolve FB bans even if Facebook ad support is useless to resolve ad account restrictions.
Don’t lose any more money from Facebook bans and schedule your call with me now.
Don’t take my word for it, let my clients tell you what it was like working with me:
It shouldn’t be a mystery on what to do to recover from a ban. I strive for customer satisfaction, being a business owner myself.
My clients have included the social media marketing agencies of Tony Robbins, Harv Eker, and Dean Graziosi. How much is it costing you to have a disabled Facebook ad account? Talk today.
I’m featured on the Queen of Facebook Mari Smith’s Marketing Essentials Course.
If you want to skip the line before this offer ends, immediately secure expert-level Facebook consulting. Book a call with me now!
If you’re ok with waiting a bit longer, and entering the waitlist to see if you’re eligible – Schedule a call or contact me via email.
Free eBook: Top 5 Reasons Agencies Fail at Facebook
My ads account is disabled
Sorry to hear that, if you are running a marketing agency or a business spending money on Facebook ads, I may be able to assist, just schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/trevorwgoodchild/facebookexpert
I am not allowed to advertise from my facebook page unity furniture please solve the problem
Sorry to hear that, if you are running a marketing agency or a business spending money on Facebook ads, I may be able to assist, just schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/trevorwgoodchild/facebookexpert
I’m not able to run ads because of restriction. My facebook was hacked. I was able to recover it but someone else was apparently using it for something and their name is still on the ads account. They are in the Philippines and im in the US. I dont know this person. Inbred it back
Hi Glenn!
The exact situation happened to me.
Were you able to recover your account and resume advertising with Meta / Facebook?
Sorry to hear that, if you are running a marketing agency or a business spending money on Facebook ads, I may be able to assist, just schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/trevorwgoodchild/facebookexpert
My facebook account has been restricted. I cant advertise. I made an but it was rejected. what do I do. Kindly help.
I posted on Facebook saying let’s go cowboys and a couple transfers I put on my shirts and they restricted my account. But my other friends post selling shirts with texans and cowboys and they have not been restricted…why?
This is on my personnel Facebook page
Facebook’s automations are like any machine – the enforcement of policies is not perfect, sometimes they miss things they should ban, and give you the false impression that you can run ads for a product or service that you can’t or shouldn’t without risking a ban. If you are spending money on Facebook ads, and need help getting ads live again, I can assist, just use my calendar link to book a call, if you are running Facebook ads for your business.
my fecebook was restricted ineed review it
Facebook will not allow me to run ads. It says I’m restricted from being able to do that. But it didn’t tell me the reason.
I can help with this, just set up a discovery call, here’s my calendar:
https://calendly.com/trevorwgoodchild/facebookexpert
My account was restricted and I can’t post my business again
Find a good time on my calendar and we’ll discuss if you’re eligible for any of my services that can help resolve issues like this:
https://calendly.com/trevorwgoodchild/facebookexpert
I cant boost my posts because the page acount is restricted
Hello Trevor,
I know you said you only take clients running marketing agencies or a business spending money on ads, but I am an employee at a nonprofit whose had my account restricted, with Meta asking me to authorize my account. So I submitted the requested info and never head back. Would it be possible to get your help with this?
My ads account has been restricted. I close it permanently or any way to go further, please suggest to me. I did not continue due to my problem.