How to Request Access to Meta Business Account

Stuck trying to get access to a company or client’s Meta Business Account? You’re not alone. Navigating the layers of pages, ad accounts, and user permissions can feel like a maze, but getting it right is essential for running successful campaigns. This guide will walk you through exactly how to request and grant access, explain the different permission levels, and solve the most common issues you'll encounter along the way.

First, What Is a Meta Business Account (and Why Do You Need Access)?

Think of a Meta Business Account (you might still know it as a Facebook Business Manager or use the new name, Meta Business Suite) as a central control room. It allows a business to manage all its Meta assets - like Facebook Pages, Instagram accounts, ad accounts, pixels, and product catalogs - in one place. It also securely lets them share access to these assets with employees, contractors, or agency partners without handing over personal login credentials.

Properly managing access is about more than just convenience, it’s about security and control. You want to give team members and partners just enough access to do their jobs without giving away the keys to the entire kingdom.

Employee vs. Partner Access: The Key Difference

Before we dive into the steps, it’s important to understand the two main ways you can add people to a Meta Business Account:

• Adding People: This method is used for individuals who are part of your team, like direct employees. You invite them using their work email address. They gain "Employee" access by default, which you can later upgrade to "Admin" access if needed.
• Adding Partners: This is the correct method for granting access to outside companies, such as marketing agencies, freelancers, or technology partners. Instead of inviting a person, you grant access to another business's own Meta Business Account using their Business ID. This keeps both businesses separate and secure, allowing the partner agency to assign assets to their own team members.

Knowing which one to use is the first step to preventing a lot of future headaches. For agencies, always request access as a Partner.

How to Grant Access to an Individual (Employee)

If you're an admin trying to add a team member directly to your Meta Business Account, this is the process you'll follow.

Step-by-Step Guide to Adding a Person:

1. Go to Business Settings: Log in to Meta Business Suite. In the bottom-left menu, click the gear icon for Settings. In the settings menu, click on Business settings. If prompted, you may need to re-enter your password.
2. Navigate to "People": In the left-hand navigation column under "Users," click on People. You'll see a list of everyone who currently has access to the business account.
3. Add New User: Click the blue "Add people" button.
4. Enter Their Email: Type in the email address of the person you want to invite. It's best practice to use their professional work email.
5. Assign a Role: Now you’ll choose their initial access level.
6. Send the Invitation: After setting the role, click "Next." You will then be prompted to assign this new user to specific asset groups or individual assets. You can select Pages, Ad Accounts, Catalogs, Pixels, and more from the list and choose the level of access they should have for each one. Once finished, click "Invite." The user will receive an email invitation to join the Business Account.

Important Tip: Their invitation will show as "Pending" until they accept it. If they can’t find the email, you can easily resend the invitation from the "People" section.

How to Request Access For Your Agency (Partner)

If you're an agency or freelancer, you shouldn't ask a client to add you as a "person." Instead, you should request access to their assets (like their Page and Ad Account) as a partner. This allows you to manage their assets from your own Meta Business Account.

Here’s how to do it:

Step-by-Step Guide to Requesting Partner Access:

1. Go to Your Own Business Settings: In your own Meta Business Suite, navigate to Business Settings.
2. Navigate to "Partners": In the left-hand navigation under "Users," click on Partners.
3. Request Access from a Partner: In the "Partner to request assets from" section, click the "Add" button and select "Ask a partner to share their assets."
4. Fill Out the Request Information:
5. Request Assets: Now, click the "Request assets" button. Select the asset types you need access to (e.g., Pages, Ad accounts, Instagram accounts, Pixels).
6. Send Request: Once you've added all the necessary assets and permission levels, review your request and click "Send."

Your client will receive a notification and an email with your request. All they have to do is find the request in their own Business Settings under "Requests" and approve it.

How to Grant Access to an Agency (Partner)

Conversely, if you're the client and an agency has asked you to grant them partner access, the process is simple. You either approve their incoming request or add them manually.

To Add a Partner Manually:

1. Go to your Business Settings > Partners.
2. In the "Partner to share assets with" section, click the "Add" button and choose "Give a partner access to your assets."
3. Enter your Partner's Business ID: Your agency will provide you with their Meta Business ID. Paste it in and click "Next."
4. Assign Assets: You’ll see a menu where you can choose which of your assets (Pages, Ad Accounts, etc.) you want to share with this partner. Select an asset on the left, then toggle the desired permissions on the right. For an agency running ads, you will typically need to grant "Manage Page" access on your Facebook Page and "Manage Campaigns" access on your Ad Account.
5. Save Changes: Once you've assigned all the necessary assets and permissions, click "Save Changes." The partner will now see your assets in their own Business Account.

Troubleshooting: Common Problems and Quick Fixes

Getting stuck is common. Here are some of the most frequent hangups and how to resolve them.

1. "I accepted the invite but still can't see the Page or Ad Account."

The problem: This almost always means the Admin invited you but forgot to assign you to any assets. Accepting an invite just gets you into the "house", you still need to be given the keys to specific "rooms."

The fix: Ask the Admin to go to Business Settings > Users > People, click your name, and then click "Assign Assets." A window will pop up where they can grant you access to the specific Page, Ad Account, Pixel, etc. you need to work on.

2. "The invitation link expired or they can't find the email."

The problem: The email got lost in spam or the link expired (it’s valid for 30 days).

The fix: The Admin can navigate to Business Settings > Users > People. They will see your name listed with a "Pending" status. They can click "Resend" to send you a fresh invitation link.

3. "My Ad Account is greyed out and can't be assigned."

The problem: You are likely trying to assign an ad account that is owned by another Meta Business Account. An ad account can only have one owner but can be shared with many partners.

The fix: You need to identify which Business Manager owns the ad account. An Admin of that account can then share it with your Business Manager as a partner. If you need to move ownership entirely, that is a more complex process that can sometimes be assisted by Meta support.

Final Thoughts

Mastering Meta Business Account access is all about understanding a few key concepts: the difference between People and Partners, the specific assets you need, and the level of permissions required. Following these steps helps keep your business assets secure and ensures everyone on your team has exactly what they need to get their work done.

Once you’ve got access, the real work of analyzing and optimizing your campaigns begins. We built Graphed to remove that step. We connect directly to your marketing and sales sources - like your Meta Ads account - in minutes. With Graphed, you can build real-time, shareable dashboards with simple natural language, getting your entire team the answers they need without ever needing to export another CSV file.