Guide · Updated
Why was my Facebook ad rejected, and how do I fix it?
Short answer
Meta rejects an ad that breaks its Advertising Standards, and the rejection notice links to Business Support Home, which shows the reason. Edit the ad to fix that part and it goes back into review, which usually finishes within 24 hours. If you think the rejection is wrong, request another review there; Meta aims to decide within 48 hours.
Meta's Advertising Standards set out the ad content it allows and prohibits. Ads are checked automatically before they run and can be reviewed again after they go live. Editing an ad's targeting, creative or optimization sends it back into review; changing the bid, budget or schedule does not. Severe or repeated violations can restrict your ability to advertise, so fix the cause rather than resubmitting the same ad. Start with the three posts below, then find the rules for your product category.
Start here
- Why was my Facebook ad rejected for unacceptable business practices?
What usually triggers an Unacceptable Business Practices rejection, and the order to work the appeal.
- Why was my Facebook ad rejected for personal attributes?
The sentence patterns that trigger a personal attributes rejection, and how to rewrite them.
- Why is my Facebook ad stuck in review?
How long review takes, which edits restart it, and what to do when an ad is stuck in review.
Why was my ad limited or my account disabled?
- What does Meta count as a low-quality ad?
The ad and landing-page signals Meta counts as low quality, whether a flag rejects the ad, and how to recover.
- What should I do first when Meta disables my ad account?
What to gather and do first when Meta disables an ad account for suspicious activity.
- Why am I restricted from advertising on Facebook?
Why a profile gets restricted from advertising, and how to request a review.
- How do I recover a hacked Facebook ad account?
The steps to take back a hacked ad account and lock it down again.
- What does circumventing systems mean on a Facebook ad rejection?
What a circumventing-systems rejection refers to and how to respond to it.
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- Why was my Facebook ad rejected for its landing page?
The landing-page problems behind a rejection and how to fix each one.
- Why was my Facebook ad rejected after it ran for weeks?
Why an ad can be rejected after it has already run, and what to check.
- Why was my product ad flagged as a social issue ad?
Why a product ad gets classed as a social issue ad, and the wording and review route.
What are the rules for my product category?
- What are Meta's ad rules for financial services?
Meta's rules for financial services ads, what gets them rejected, and who you can target.
- What are Meta's ad rules for wellness products?
How to keep wellness ads clear of personal-attribute and health-claim problems.
- How do I get supplement ads approved on Facebook?
An approval checklist for food and supplement ads, from claims to the landing page.
- What health claims can food ads make on Facebook?
Which health claims food ads can make, the evidence to keep for each, and who you can target.
- How do I advertise hair loss products on Facebook?
How to advertise hair-loss products without personal-attribute or before-and-after problems.
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- How do I advertise prescription eyewear on Facebook?
How to keep frame-style creative separate from prescription claims in eyewear ads.
- How do I advertise children's products on Facebook?
How to advertise children's products to adult buyers with the right age and audience settings.
- Can you advertise alcohol on Facebook?
Meta's rules for alcohol ads, including age and location targeting.
- Can you advertise weight loss products on Facebook?
Meta's rules for weight-loss ads: age targeting, imagery and claims.
- Can you advertise vapes or e-cigarettes on Facebook?
What Meta's tobacco and vaping rules allow and prohibit in ads.
- Can you advertise sexual wellness products on Facebook?
Meta's rules for sexual wellness and adult product ads.
- Can I advertise a free trial or subscription offer on Facebook?
The disclosure rules for advertising a free trial or subscription.
- Do special ad categories apply to ecommerce ads?
When an ordinary store offer falls under a special ad category, such as financing.
- Why can't my health brand optimize for purchases on Meta?
Why some health and wellness advertisers lose purchase optimisation, and what remains available.
- Can I run Facebook ads for a dropshipping store?
What Meta's policies ask of a dropshipping store that runs ads.
Which claims, reviews, AI content and customer data can my ads use?
- How do I substantiate claims in Facebook ads?
How to keep an evidence record for every number, comparison and testimonial in an ad.
- Can I use customer reviews in Facebook ads?
How to check that reviews in an ad are genuine, permitted, unaltered and disclosed.
- What usage rights do I need in a UGC creator contract?
The usage-rights clauses a creator contract needs before you run the creator's content as ads.
- Do I have to disclose AI-generated content in Meta ads?
When AI-generated content in an ad needs a label, and a workflow for complying.
- Does Google penalise AI-generated ad copy?
Whether Google or Meta penalise ad copy for being written by AI.
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- Is uploading a customer list to Meta compliant?
The consent, suppression, retention and access controls to have in place before uploading a customer list.
- Why was my Facebook ad rejected for misleading claims?
How to rewrite claims that get an ad rejected as misleading.
- Can I mention a competitor or another brand in Facebook ads?
When an ad can name a competitor or another brand, and the intellectual property limits.
- Can I use copyrighted music in my Facebook ads?
Which music an ad can use, where licensed tracks come from, and what happens otherwise.
- Can you run giveaway ads on Facebook?
The rules for promoting a giveaway or contest in an ad.
- Does the Facebook 20% text rule still exist?
What happened to the 20% image text rule and what Meta advises now.
Sources: Introduction to the Advertising Standards, About ads in review, How to troubleshoot a rejected ad (checked 1 October 2026).
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