Why Does My Facebook Ad Say Account Error?
Seeing the red "Account Error" message on your Facebook Ad campaign can be incredibly frustrating. You’ve done the hard work of crafting the perfect ad, and now a vague error is stopping you from reaching your customers. This article will walk you through the most common reasons this error appears and show you exactly how to fix each one, step-by-step.
What "Account Error" on Facebook Actually Means
The "Account Error" warning in your Facebook Ads Manager is a catch-all notification. It’s Facebook's way of saying something is wrong, but it’s not always specific about what that “something” is. While alarms might go off in your head, the root cause is usually one of a few common, fixable problems related to your payment method, the ad itself, or your ad account's status.
Think of it as a generic check-engine light for your ad account. The issue could be minor, like an expired credit card, or more significant, like a policy violation that needs your attention. The key is to troubleshoot it methodically instead of panicking. Once you identify the culprit, you can usually resolve it and get your ads back up and running.
The Most Common Causes of the Facebook Account Error (And How to Fix Them)
Let's break down the primary reasons you're seeing this error. We'll start with the most frequent cause and work our way down the list, providing clear steps for how to identify and solve each problem.
1. Your Payment Method Failed
By far, the most common trigger for the "Account Error" is a problem with your payment method. If Facebook can't successfully charge you, it will pause all your ads and flag the account. This can happen for several reasons:
Your credit or debit card has expired.
The card was declined by your bank for insufficient funds.
Your bank flagged the transaction as suspicious and blocked it.
You've reached the credit limit on the card.
The billing information (like CVC or zip code) on file is incorrect.
How to Fix It:
Your first stop should be the Billing section of your Ads Manager. This is where you can see the status of your payment method and any failed transactions.
Navigate to your Facebook Ads Manager.
Click on the hamburger menu (All Tools) in the top-left corner and select Billing & Payments.
In the "Payment Settings" tab, look at your payment methods. You'll likely see a notice here if a card has failed or needs updating.
Review Transaction History: Check your list of recent transactions. A failed payment will be clearly marked, often with a reason like "Payment Declined."
Update Your Card: If your card has expired or the details are wrong, click "Edit" and enter the correct information. If the card is maxed out or has been blocked, your best bet is to add a new payment method.
Add a Backup Card: This is a powerful preventative measure. By adding a backup payment method, you authorize Facebook to charge it if the primary method fails, preventing your ads from being paused in the first place. You can do this from the "Payment Settings" screen.
Contact Your Bank: If everything looks correct in Ads Manager but payments still fail, call your bank. Sometimes a fraud alert is placed on your account after a charge from a company like Meta. Simply telling them the charges are legitimate is often enough to resolve the issue.
2. An Ad Violated Facebook's Advertising Policies
Facebook’s AI automatically scans every ad for potential policy violations. If it flags something in your ad copy, image, video, or even your landing page, it can put a stop to your ad delivery and sometimes display the "Account Error" message.
Often, these violations are unintentional. You might have used a word that triggered the algorithm or shown a "before and after" image that Facebook considers a misleading claim. Common policy traps include:
Prohibited Content: Ads promoting weapons, tobacco, illegal drugs, or unsafe supplements.
Misleading Claims: Making unrealistic promises (e.g., "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!") or using "before and after" pictures for health and wellness products.
Personal Attributes: Directly addressing or assuming characteristics of the audience, such as their race, religion, age, or medical condition (e.g., "Are you struggling with debt?").
Low-Quality Landing Pages: Linking to pages with pop-up ads, malware, or content that doesn’t match what the ad promised.
How to Fix It:
To check for policy violations, you need to visit your Account Quality dashboard. This is the central hub for all compliance-related issues.
Navigate to the Facebook Account Quality page.
On the left-hand menu, check under "Ad accounts" and "Ads" for any rejected campaigns or flagged issues. Facebook will show you which specific ad was rejected and provide a general reason for the violation.
Review and Edit: Carefully read the policy that was referenced. Go back to your ad and edit the copy, creative, or landing page URL to bring it into compliance. For example, if your copy made an overly bold claim, rephrase it to focus on benefits without making specific guarantees.
Request a Review: If you've read the policy and genuinely believe your ad was flagged by mistake, you can request a manual review. In the Account Quality dashboard, you'll see an option to "Request Review." When you submit your request, briefly and politely explain why you believe your ad complies with the policies. A human will then review it.
3. Your Ad Account or Personal Profile Has Been Restricted
Sometimes the problem isn't a single ad, but your entire ad account or even the personal Facebook profile used to manage it. This is more serious but still often reversible.
Restrictions can happen for a variety of reasons:
Repeated Policy Violations: Accumulating too many rejected ads in a short period can trigger an account-level restriction.
Suspicious Activity: Logging in from an unusual location or having multiple failed payments can make Facebook think your account has been compromised.
Circumventing Policies: Trying to run ads that were previously rejected without making changes.
Identity Verification: Facebook may require you to verify your identity to prove you are a real person, especially if your profile is new or has been inactive.
How to Fix It:
Your Account Quality dashboard is again the place to diagnose and address these restrictions.
Go to the Account Quality page.
The dashboard overview will immediately tell you if there are restrictions on any of your assets, including your personal profile's advertising access or specific ad accounts.
Follow the Instructions: If your account has been restricted, Facebook will provide a set of steps you need to take. This usually involves clicking a "Request Review" button.
Verify Your Identity: In many cases, you'll be asked to upload a photo of your government-issued ID (like a driver's license or passport) to confirm your identity. Make sure the photo is clear and all details are visible. Once submitted, it typically takes 24-48 hours for a decision.
4. You’ve Hit Your Account Spending Limit
The account spending limit is a control you can set to ensure you don't spend more on ads than you intend. While it’s a helpful budgetary tool, it’s easy to forget about. If your campaigns reach this limit, Facebook will stop all your ads and may show an "Account Error" warning.
How to Fix It:
This is another simple fix located in your Billing settings.
Go to Billing & Payments in your Ads Manager.
In the "Payment Settings" tab, scroll down to the Account Spending Limit section.
Here you can see if you've reached your limit. You have three options:
Change the limit: Increase it to a higher amount.
Remove the limit: Delete it entirely if you don't need a hard cap on your spending.
Reset the limit: This will restart your spending back at $0.
Once you make one of these changes, your ads should be eligible to start running again almost immediately.
A Proactive Checklist to Avoid Future Account Errors
Solving a current "Account Error" is one thing, but preventing it from happening again saves you time and stress. Here’s a simple checklist to keep your ad account healthy:
Set Up a Backup Payment Method: This is the single best way to prevent payment-related pauses.
Monitor Your Primary Card: Regularly check that your card on file is up-to-date and has not expired.
Bookmark the Account Quality Dashboard: Check it once a week, even if you don't have active issues. This helps you stay informed about the health of your account.
Read Facebook's Ad Policies: You don't need to memorize them, but spending 30 minutes familiarizing yourself with the common problem areas can save you countless headaches.
Use the Account Spending Limit Wisely: If you use an account spending limit, set a calendar reminder to check it before it's reached, especially during periods of high ad spend.
Final Thoughts
Facing the "Account Error" in Facebook Ads Manager is a common hurdle, but it's rarely a dead end. By systematically checking your payment settings, ad policies, account status, and spending limits, you can quickly diagnose the root cause and apply the right fix to get your campaigns back on track.
We know how frustrating it is when technical errors slow you down. The last thing you need after resolving an account error is to spend hours manually pulling and combining data just to see how your campaigns are performing. We designed Graphed to remove this friction by connecting with all your marketing sources - like Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and Shopify - and then letting you build real-time dashboards using simple, natural language. It frees you up to work on strategy instead of getting lost in manual reporting.