How to Grant Access to Facebook Business Manager

Granting someone access to your brand's Facebook Page or Ad Account can feel a bit nerve-wracking, especially if you're not sure how to do it without handing over your personal password. Fortunately, there's a secure, professional way to give team members, freelancers, or agencies the keys they need without ever compromising your own account. This guide provides the exact, step-by-step process for adding users and assigning permissions through Meta Business Manager so you can collaborate safely and effectively.

Why You Should Never, Ever Share Your Personal Facebook Login

Before we get into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Sharing your personal Facebook login credentials with an employee or agency is a massive security risk. It gives them unfiltered access to not just your business assets, but your private messages, personal photos, friends list, and any groups you're a part of. Worse, if that working relationship ends, they still have that access until you remember to change your password, creating a logistical and security nightmare.

Meta Business Manager (now often found within Meta Business Suite) is the official solution to this problem. It acts as a central hub where you can manage all your business assets - Pages, Ad Accounts, Instagram profiles, pixels, and more - and securely grant permission to others. It keeps your personal profile completely separate from your business operations, giving you full control over who can do what and a clear record of everyone with access.

Before You Start: A Quick Check

To follow the steps below, you only need a couple of things ready on your "to-do list":

• You must be an Admin of the Meta Business Manager account you want to grant access to.
• You'll need the work email address of the individual you are adding.
• The assets you want to share (your Facebook Page or Ad Account) must already be connected to your Business Manager.

How to Add a New Person to Your Facebook Business Manager

This is the most common method you'll use for bringing on individual team members, like a social media manager or a new marketing hire. Follow these steps to get them set up.

Step 1: Navigate to Business Settings

Your first stop is the backend of your business account. The easiest way to get there is by going directly to business.facebook.com/settings. If you're already in Meta Business Suite, you can find it by clicking the "All tools" (hamburger menu) icon on the left-hand navigation bar, then selecting "Business settings."

Step 2: Head to the "People" Section and Click "Add people"

In the Business Settings menu on the left, under the "Users" category, you'll see a tab labeled "People." Click on that. This will show you a list of everyone who currently has access to your Business Manager. To add someone new, look for the blue button at the top that says, "Add people" and click it.

Step 3: Enter Their Email Address

A popup box will appear asking for the email address of the person you want to invite. It's a best practice to always use their official work email address (like sarah@agency.com) rather than a personal one (like sarahcoolgirl@gmail.com). This keeps communications professional and makes it easier to manage employee access if they leave the company.

Step 4: Assign Their Initial Business Manager Role

Next, you’ll be asked to assign an initial role. This is where you decide their overarching level of access inside Business Manager itself, before even assigning them to specific assets. You have two main options:

• Employee access: This is the default option and the one you should choose 99% of the time. It allows someone to work only on the specific Pages and ad accounts you assign to them. They cannot make changes to the Business Manager settings itself or add/remove other users. It's the safest choice.
• Admin access: Use this with extreme caution. Admins have full control over your Business Manager. They can add and remove people (including other admins), change settings, add or remove assets, and even delete the entire business account. This role should only be given to a co-owner or a deeply trusted partner.

Once you’ve made your choice, click "Next."

Step 5: Assign Access to Specific Assets (The Most Important Step!)

This is where you grant the granular permissions your team member needs to do their job. On the left side of the new screen, you’ll see a list of all the asset types in your Business Manager: Pages, Ad accounts, Catalogs, Pixels, and Instagram accounts.

Assigning Facebook Page Access

Select "Pages" in the left-hand column. You’ll see a list of all Facebook Pages you manage. Select the checkbox next to the Page you want to give them access to. Now, on the right side, you need to set their specific permissions for that Page. Turn on the toggles for the tasks they will need to perform.

• Content: Lets them create, manage, or delete posts, Stories, and more. Essential for content creators and social media managers.
• Messages: Allows them to respond to comments and direct messages. Perfect for community managers.
• Community Activity: The ability to review and remove comments, as well as remove and ban people who cause trouble. Needed for anyone who is in charge of your Facebook group moderation.
• Ads: Lets them create, manage, or delete ads for this page.
• Insights: Gives them access to view Page performance analytics and audience insights.
• Full control: This is basically admin access for that specific Page. They can manage all Page settings, including adding other people to the page directly. Best to reserve this for senior team members.

Assigning Ad Account Access

Next, click on "Ad accounts" in the left-hand column. Select the ad account you want to grant them access to. Just like with Pages, a set of specific task-based permissions will appear on the right.

• Manage campaigns: Allows the person to create and edit ads, access reports, and view ads. This is the most common role for an ad manager or agency specialist.
• View performance: A read-only role that allows them to see ad campaign performance data but not make any changes. Good for stakeholders who just need to see reports.
• Manage ad account: This is full administrative access over the ad account itself, including managing billing details, permissions, and settings. Grant this one carefully.

Assigning Other Assets Like Pixels and Catalogs

If your collaborator needs access to other assets, like your Meta Pixel for tracking website conversions or a Catalog for e-commerce ads, this is where you'd assign those. The process is the same: select the asset type, choose the specific asset, and assign a role (usually "View" or "Manage").

Step 6: Send the Invitation

Once you've assigned all the necessary permissions across all the needed assets, double-check your selections. If everything looks correct, click the "Invite" button at the bottom right. An invitation will be e-mailed to the person, and their status in your "People" list will show as "Pending." Once they accept the invite and log in, they'll have the exact access you configured - and your business assets will remain secure.

How to Add a Partner or Agency to Your Business Manager

If you're working with an agency, a vendor, or another company that has its own Meta Business Manager account, there's a better way to collaborate than adding their individual employees one by one. The "Partner" method lets you grant access to their entire business, and they can then assign their own team members to work on your behalf. This saves you administrative hassle and keeps roles clearly defined.

1. Request Their Business ID: Ask your agency contact for their Meta Business Manager ID. They can find it in their own Business Settings under "Business Info."
2. Go to Business Settings > Partners: In your Business Settings, find the "Partners" section in the left-hand navigation menu (it's right below "People").
3. Add a New Partner: Click the "Add" button and choose "Give a partner access to your assets."
4. Enter Their Business ID: A new window will pop up. Enter the Partner Business ID you received from them and click "Next."
5. Assign Assets: You’ll now see the familiar "Assign Assets" screen. Just like when you added a person, select the Pages, Ad Accounts, Pixels, etc., that you want to share with this partner, and assign them the appropriate level of permissions. It's the exact same process.
6. Save Changes: Once you've assigned access, you can close the window. The partner business will then receive a notification in their Business Manager that's waiting to be approved. This structure helps keep everything clean when multiple teams are working on assets together.

Need to Make Changes? How to Edit or Remove Access

Business needs change. Employees leave, and agency contracts end. Managing permissions is an ongoing process, and thankfully, it's very straightforward.

To edit someone's access, simply go back to Business Settings > People, click on their name, and you can reconfigure their role or use the "Assign Assets" button to change which Pages and Ad Accounts they can access. You have full flexibility to add or remove permissions as their role evolves.

To remove someone completely, go to the same "People" section. To the far right of their name, you'll see a trash can icon. Clicking it and confirming the action will permanently remove them. Their access to all of your business assets through your Business Manager is revoked instantly. It's clean, simple, and gives you complete peace of mind.

Final Thoughts

Mastering permissions in Meta Business Manager is one of the most important things you can do to protect your brand and help your team collaborate effectively. By adding people or partners and meticulously assigning only the permissions they truly need, you maintain full control, eliminate security risks, and create a professional workflow for managing your social presence.

Once you've granted your team access, the goal is to make their collaboration as streamlined as possible. When we designed our social media management tool, Postbase, we were solving for the exact day-to-day chaos that marketers juggling multiple platforms and team members face. With features like our visual content calendar for planning and a unified inbox for responding to all your comments and DMs, your team can work together harmoniously from one spot, keeping everything organized and efficient long after permissions are set.