Short answer: Meta rejects an ad when it breaks the law where the advertiser is, discriminates, uses deceptive practices or doesn’t follow its Community Standards, Advertising Standards or Commerce Policies. You get an email with a link to Meta Business Support Home, where the reason is. From there you edit the ad, create a new one or request another review.
What Meta’s Advertising Standards cover
Meta says its Advertising Standards set out the types of ad content it allows and the types it prohibits, and every ad is reviewed against them. Advertisers have to follow both the Community Standards and the Advertising Standards.
The standards ask advertisers to comply with the laws where they are, avoid discriminatory practices and not sell illegal or unsafe substances. Meta also prohibits shocking or sensational content, certain adult content, profanity and ads that try to create negative self-perception to sell diet or weight loss products.
Advertisers in the United States must mark ads for financial products and services, housing or employment as a Special Ad Category. The same applies when they target the United States, Canada or parts of Europe. Our guide to running Facebook ads shows where that setting is.
Why an ad gets rejected
Meta rejects an ad that doesn’t comply with the laws in the advertiser’s jurisdiction or that is discriminatory toward a group. It also rejects ads that use deceptive or misleading practices to scam people out of money or personal information, and ads from advertisers who don’t follow its standards and policies.
The review looks at more than the picture. Meta says it can cover the images, video and text, the targeting, the ad’s destination, the Special Ad Categories and the advertiser’s permissions. It relies mostly on automated technology, with human reviewers who train it and sometimes check ads by hand.
Your options after a rejection
| Your option | What happens | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Edit the ad | It goes back to review as soon as you save the edit | The violation stays on your account |
| Create a new ad | The new ad is reviewed from scratch | Deleting the rejected ad can cost you the review request |
| Request another review | Meta aims to decide within 48 hours | Each ad gets one more review, not two |
Our summary of the Meta Business Help Center, read November 6, 2026.
Meta recommends checking the parts that could break a policy, like the image, video, text, targeting or landing page, before you edit. Not every ad type can be edited, and in that case you create a new ad.
Why an approved ad can be rejected later
Meta can select a previously approved ad for another review. That happens when people hide, block or report it, at random to check accuracy, or when an ad gets unexpectedly high engagement.
You aren’t told about that second look unless the ad breaks the standards. If it does, Meta rejects it and stops delivering it.
How to request another review
- Open Meta’s email about the rejection and follow the link to Meta Business Support Home.
- Read the reason Meta gives for the rejection.
- Decide whether you edit the ad, create a new one or ask for another review.
- To ask for a review, select the account or catalog with the rejected ads.
- Select the ads, ad sets or campaigns you believe were rejected by mistake.
- Click Request review and select Submit.
- Track the status in Business Support Home until Meta answers.
Before you request another review
- You read the reason in Business Support Home.
- You checked the image, video, text, targeting and landing page.
- The rejected ad is still there, not deleted.
- You believe the ad follows the standards as it is.
- You know each ad gets only one more review.
- You know the request won’t hurt your standing with Meta.
RememberRead the reason first, then choose: fix the ad if Meta has a point, or request another review if it doesn’t. Keep the rejected ad until the review is over.
What repeated rejections can lead to
Editing or deleting a rejected ad doesn’t remove the violation from your account. Meta says severe or repeated violations can lead it to restrict the business account, the ad account, the Page or the user account from advertising.
A rejection that is overturned after another review doesn’t count as a violation. If the account itself is restricted, our guide to a disabled or restricted ad account covers the next steps.
Each ad’s review status shows in the Delivery column of Ads Manager, which our guide to Meta Ads Manager walks through. If you’d rather leave the ads to a team, our Meta Ads service plans, makes and runs them on Facebook and Instagram, in English and Spanish. The ad account stays in your name. Reach us on WhatsApp or through the form.
Quick answers about rejected Facebook ads
How long does Facebook ad review take?
Meta says most ads are reviewed within 24 hours, although some take longer. Ads can also be reviewed again after they go live, so an approved ad can still be rejected later.
How long does Meta take to answer a review request?
Meta says it aims to review and decide within 48 hours. Re-review requests rely more heavily on teams of human reviewers than the first review does.
Will requesting another review hurt my ad account?
No. Meta says requesting another review of an ad will not hurt your standing with Meta in any way. If the rejection is overturned, it doesn’t count as an ad violation.
Can I request another review more than once?
Not for the same ad. Meta says that if an ad is rejected again after another review, it stays rejected and you can’t submit another review request for it.
Why was my ad rejected after it had been running?
Previously approved ads can be selected for another review, for example when people hide, block or report them, at random, or when an ad gets unexpectedly high engagement. Editing a running ad also sends it to review.
Sources
All read on November 6, 2026. Meta Business Help Center: How to troubleshoot a rejected ad. About Ads In Review. Why some ads are approved, then rejected. Meta Transparency Center: Introduction to the Advertising Standards.