How to Change an Ad Account on Instagram

Trying to run an Instagram ad only to find it’s billing the wrong credit card or linked to an old, inactive ad account is a common frustration. Getting it fixed isn't done in the Instagram app itself, but within Meta’s backend business tools. This guide will show you exactly how to change the ad account connected to your Instagram, step-by-step, so you can get your campaigns running smoothly.

Understanding the Connection: Instagram, Facebook, and Meta Business Manager

Before we jump into the solution, it’s helpful to understand why this process can feel so confusing. The setup is a bit like a set of nesting dolls, and the Instagram app is just the outer layer. Everything is interconnected within Meta's ecosystem:

• Your Instagram Professional Account is the profile you want to advertise from.
• It must be connected to a Facebook Page to access business features, including ads.
• That Facebook Page (along with the linked Instagram) "lives" inside a Meta Business Account (also called Business Suite or formerly Business Manager). Think of this as the main office for all your business assets.
• Ads are paid for and run through a Meta Ad Account, which also lives inside that same Meta Business Account.

So, when you "change an ad account for Instagram," you're not actually changing a setting on Instagram. You’re changing which Meta Ad Account is associated with the Facebook Page that’s linked to your Instagram profile. The whole process takes place inside the Meta Business Suite, the central dashboard for managing your Facebook and Instagram business assets.

Before You Start: A Quick Pre-Flight Check

To avoid hitting error messages and dead ends, make sure you have these three things sorted out first. Taking two minutes now will save you a half-hour of frustration later.

1. Confirm You Have Admin Access

You need to be an admin on the Meta Business Account where the correct ad account is located. "Employee" access won't be enough to make these kinds of changes. To check your access:

1. Go to business.facebook.com and select the correct Business Account.
2. Click the Settings gear icon on the bottom left menu.
3. Under "Users," click on People. Find your name in the list.
4. Your access level will be listed next to your name. It should say "Admin access." If it says "Employee access," you’ll need to ask someone who is an admin to either grant you admin permissions or make the change for you.

2. Check Your Instagram and Facebook Page Connection

Make sure your Instagram account is still properly connected to its corresponding Facebook Page. Sometimes these connections can break without notice.

• On the Instagram App: Go to your profile, tap Edit Profile, and look under "Public business information." The connected "Page" should be listed there. If it’s not, you can reconnect it from here.
• In Meta Business Suite: Go to Settings > Business Assets, and look for your Instagram account and Facebook Page. Confirm they are both listed and properly connected.

3. Know the Ad Account ID You Want to Use

You probably have more than one ad account in your Business Manager, especially if you manage multiple clients or have run tests in the past. Having the specific Ad Account ID for the one you want to switch to makes things much easier. You can find it by going to Ads Manager and looking in the drop-down menu in the top left. The ID is the long string of numbers underneath the account name.

How to Change Your Ad Account: A Step-by-Step Guide

Since your assets might be arranged in a couple of different ways, there are two primary scenarios you'll run into. Find the one that matches your situation and follow the steps.

Scenario 1: All Your Assets are in the Same Business Manager

This is the most common and straightforward situation. Your Instagram account, Facebook Page, and both the old and new ad accounts are all located within a single Meta Business Account. You just need to re-assign the connection.

Step 1: Go to Business Settings

Navigate to business.facebook.com/settings. Make sure you’ve selected the correct Business Account from the drop-down menu on the left.

Step 2: Navigate to Your Facebook Page

In the left-hand navigation menu, under "Accounts," click on Pages. A list of all the Facebook Pages in your Business Account will appear. Select the Page that is connected to your Instagram account.

Step 3: Check Connected Assets

With the correct Page selected, a new panel of options will appear to the right. Click on the Connected Assets tab. This will show you everything linked to that Page, including your Instagram account and - you guessed it - the ad account.

Step 4: Add the New Ad Account

You should see the currently assigned ad account listed here. To change it, first, you need to grant the Page access to the new ad account. Click the Add Assets button. A pop-up will appear. Select Ad Accounts from the list of asset types, pick the ad account you want to use from the list, toggle on "Full Control," and click Save.

Important Note: An asset like a Facebook Page can be connected to multiple ad accounts. This step adds the new one, it doesn't automatically remove the old one.

Step 5: Change the Ad Account in Ads Manager

Now that your Page (and by extension, your Instagram) has permission to use the new ad account, you need to select it when creating your ad. When you open Ads Manager to create a new campaign, you'll see a drop-down menu for "Ad Account" at the very top of your screen. You can now select the correct ad account from this list before you start building your campaign.

For boosting posts directly from the Instagram app ("Promote"), Instagram anecdotally tends to use the ad account that was most recently added or used. To have complete control, it’s always better to run ads through Ads Manager.

Scenario 2: The Ad Account is in a Different Business Manager

This is common for freelancers, agencies, or businesses with complex structures. For instance, your company's Instagram and Facebook Page might be in a "Social Media" Business Account, but the "Marketing Department" Business Account holds the ad account with the primary billing info.

You can't directly "move" an ad account between Business Managers. Instead, one Business Manager must grant advertising access to the other as a partner.

Step 1: The Requesting Business Manager Requests Access

The Business Account that has the ad account needs to request access to the Page and Instagram account.

1. The admin of the ad account's Business Manager should go to Business Settings > Partners.
2. Click the Add button, and then select "Ask a partner to share their assets."
3. You’ll need the other company's Business ID number. They can find this under Business Settings > Business Info.
4. Select "Pages" and "Instagram Accounts" as the asset types. Enter the specific asset names or IDs.
5. Request the level of access needed - typically "Create Ads" permission is sufficient. Send the request.

Step 2: The Asset Owner Approves the Request

The admin of the Business Manager that owns the Page and Instagram account will now see a notification. They need to go to Business Settings > Requests, find the incoming partner request, and approve it.

Step 3: Assign the Ad Account

Once approved, the agency or second Business Manager will see the Facebook Page and Instagram Account appear under their Business Settings > Accounts section. Now, they can assign their own ad account to these newly accessible partner assets and run ads on behalf of the original page using their own billing methods.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

Sometimes things don't go as planned. Here are solutions to the most common roadblocks.

"The Ad Account I Want isn't Showing Up in the List"

This is almost always a permissions issue. For an ad account to be usable for a Page, your specific user profile needs to have admin control over both the Page and the Ad Account within the same Business Manager. Go to Business Settings > People, click your name, and a list of all your assigned assets will appear. Confirm that both the Facebook Page and the desired Ad Account are listed with "Manage" or "Full Control" access.

"My Instagram Account Keeps Disconnecting"

Meta's connections can be fragile. If your Instagram disconnects from your Page during this process, the best way to fix it is to go into the Instagram app itself (Edit Profile > Page) and re-establish the link there. This often creates a more stable connection than trying to do it from the Business Suite side.

"Why Is My Boosted Post Still Using the Old Account?"

Promoting a post directly from the Instagram feed ("boosting") offers very little configuration. It often defaults to the first ad account ever connected to the Page. Creating your ad through the Meta Ads Manager gives you full control. For every single campaign, you are prompted to select which ad account to use right at the start, which bypasses any default settings. As a best practice, always use Ads Manager for any campaign that matters.

Final Thoughts

Navigating Meta's business suite to change your Instagram ad account is purely a backend task. The key is understanding that the connection is made via your Facebook Page, and nine times out of ten, solving any issue comes down to verifying you have full admin permissions for every asset involved.

Keeping track of all these backend settings and permissions can feel like a chore when all you want to do is focus on your creative work. That’s why we built Postbase to be as clear and reliable as possible for your day-to-day social media management. Once your ad accounts are sorted, our platform lets you plan and schedule your organic content with a simple visual calendar. We prioritize stable account connections, so you spend less time re-authenticating profiles and more time creating great work that builds your brand.