What to Do if Your Facebook Ad is Stuck in Review?

There is nothing more frustrating than launching a new ad campaign only to see the status stuck on "In Review" for hours or even days. The longer it sits in limbo, the more timing-sensitive promotions feel like a missed opportunity. This article will walk you through why your Facebook ad is likely stuck and give you a step-by-step plan to get it reviewed and approved quickly.

Why Are Facebook Ads Stuck in Review?

Before you can fix the problem, it helps to understand what’s happening behind the scenes. When you submit an ad, it enters Meta's ad review system, which primarily relies on automated AI to check your ad’s creative, copy, targeting, and landing page against its advertising policies. Most of the time, this process is seamless and fast. But sometimes, ads get stuck for a few common reasons.

Common Reasons for Delays:

Manual Review is Triggered: If the automated system flags something it's unsure about, it sends the ad to a human for manual review. This can happen if your ad touches on sensitive topics (like health, finance, housing, or politics), uses keywords that could be misinterpreted, or sits in a gray area of the ad policies. Human reviews, by nature, take longer.
History of Rejected Ads: If you've had previous ads rejected for policy violations, Meta's system may flag your account for closer scrutiny. This means future ads, even compliant ones, are more likely to be sent for a manual review.
You Have a New Ad Account: New ad accounts haven’t built up a history of trust. Meta often takes a more cautious approach with the first few campaigns, so expect your initial ads to spend more time in review. The key is to run compliant ads early on to build a positive track record.
High Ad Volume: During peak advertising seasons like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or other major holidays, Meta's review system becomes inundated with submissions. This huge volume can create a backlog, leading to longer wait times even for perfectly normal ads.
Complex Ad or Landing Page: An ad with a long video, a lot of copy, or a landing page that's slow to load or contains a lot of outbound links might require more time for the system to fully analyze.
Technical Glitches: Sometimes, it’s just a bug. Your ad might get caught in a system loop with no clear reason. These are often the most frustrating cases, as there's nothing wrong with your ad itself.

How Long Should the Facebook Ad Review Process Take?

According to Meta, most ads are reviewed within 24 hours. In reality, the majority of ads are often approved in under an hour. However, it’s not unusual for ad review to take longer, especially if any of the factors mentioned above come into play.

As a general rule, here’s a good benchmark:

Under 24 hours: This is normal. Be patient and avoid making changes, as any edit will reset the review clock.
24 to 48 hours: The ad is likely stuck. It's time to start taking action using the steps outlined in the next section.
Over 48 hours: Your ad is definitely stuck. If you haven't already, it's time to escalate the issue by contacting support.

What to Do When Your Ad is Stuck in Review (Step-by-Step)

Don't panic - there is a clear process you can follow to resolve this. Start with Step 1 and move down the list until your ad is approved.

Step 1: Just Wait (at First)

It sounds simple, but this is the most important first step. The urge to get in there and start making changes is strong, but any edits you make to the ad — no matter how small — will remove it from its current place in the review queue and send it to the back of the line. Before doing anything else, give it at least 24 hours. Pour yourself a coffee and work on something else. More often than not, patience is all that's needed.

Step 2: Proactively Check For Ad Policy Violations

While you wait, use the time to give your own ad a thorough review. Look at your ad copy, creative, and landing page through the lens of a Facebook policy reviewer. Are you making any claims that could be seen as misleading? Does your creative contain "before-and-after" images or focus on negative self-perception? Are you referencing personal attributes, like asking "Struggling with debt?"

Also, check your landing page. The user experience on your landing page is part of the review. Make sure it loads quickly, is functional, and the content on it aligns with what you promise in your ad. If you find a potential issue, make a note of it, but don't edit the ad just yet — wait for the 24-hour mark to pass.

Step 3: Try to Shake It Loose with a Small Edit

If a full day has passed and your ad is still in review, it might just be stuck due to a system glitch. A common trick to resolve this is to force the ad back into the queue. And how do you do that? By making a small, insignificant edit.

Go into your ad settings and change something minor. You could:

Add a space at the end of a headline.
Change a word in your ad text.
Slightly adjust the budget at the ad set level.
Change the bid strategy.

After making the small change, republish the ad. This sends it back into the review system for a fresh look and can often dislodge it from whatever queue it was stuck in. Remember, this will completely restart the 24-hour review clock, which is why you wait a day before trying it.

Step 4: Duplicate the Ad

Sometimes, the problem lies with a specific ad "ID" that has become glitched. Instead of editing the original, you can duplicate it. Go to Ads Manager, select the stuck ad, and click "Duplicate."

This creates a brand new ad with a completely new ID, but with the exact same creative and copy. Publish the duplicate and turn off the original stuck ad. Often, the fresh version will get reviewed and approved much faster, sometimes in just minutes, because it bypasses whatever specific glitch was holding up the original.

Step 5: Contact Facebook Ad Support

If it has been over 48 hours and none of the above has worked, it's time to call for backup. Contacting a human at Meta is your most reliable path forward. It can be tricky to find the contact button, but here's how to do it:

Go to the Facebook Business Help Center.
You may see a chat or email option immediately. If not, click on a topic related to ads.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and look for a banner that says, "Still need help? Find answers or contact support."
Follow the prompts to start a chat with a support agent.

When you connect with them, be prepared. Have your Ad Account ID and the specific Ad ID of the stuck ad ready. Politely explain the situation: "Hello, my ad (ID: [insert ad ID]) has been stuck in review for over 48 hours. I have checked it against ad policies and believe it is in compliance. Can you please check the status for me?" The support agent can usually give it a "manual push" or identify the specific reason for the delay.

Proactive Tips to Avoid Getting Stuck in the Future

Solving the current problem is great, but preventing it from happening again is even better. Here are some best practices to keep your campaigns moving smoothly.

Schedule Campaigns in Advance: Don't wait until the last minute. Schedule your ads to go live at least 48 hours before you need them to run, especially before a weekend or holiday. This builds a nice buffer for the review process.
Build a Strong Account History: A consistent history of running compliant ads makes you a trustworthy advertiser in Meta's eyes. This "trust score" can lead to faster approvals in the future. Don't let your ad account sit dormant for months and then expect a time-sensitive ad to be approved instantly.
Warm Up New Accounts Properly: If you are starting a new account, your first ads are critical. Begin with simple campaigns that are undeniably compliant, like promoting a blog post or running a brand awareness campaign. Once you have a few approved ads under your belt, you can move to more conversion-focused campaigns.
Keep Your Landing Page Clean: Ensure your website has a clearly visible privacy policy and terms of service. Keep pop-ups and distracting elements to a minimum and make sure the content accurately reflects what was promised in the ad.

Final Thoughts

Dealing with a Facebook ad stuck in review is a common headache, but it’s rarely a serious problem. By following a logical sequence — waiting 24 hours, checking for policy issues, using quick tricks like editing or duplicating, and finally contacting support — you can solve the issue 99% of the time.

While glitches like a stuck ad review are part of the process, your energy is better spent on optimizing campaigns and analyzing performance. We built Graphed to cut through the noise of day-to-day advertising management. Instead of wrestling with platform interfaces or manually pulling reports, you can connect your data sources like Facebook Ads and ask simple questions in plain English to instantly generate real-time performance dashboards. This gives you back the time to focus on strategy, not troubleshooting.