How to Request Access to a Facebook Ad Account

Gaining access to a client or colleague's Facebook Ad Account is a critical first step for any digital marketer, but navigating Meta's busy interface can feel overwhelming. If you’ve ever felt lost trying to find the right button, you're not alone. This guide provides a straightforward, step-by-step walkthrough on exactly how to request the access you need, what to do if things go wrong, and how to get your campaigns running without any unnecessary administrative headaches.

Why You Need Proper Ad Account Access

Before jumping into the "how," it's helpful to understand the "why." Simply getting a client's Facebook login is not the way to go. It’s insecure, messy, and goes against Facebook's terms of service. Using the official process through Meta Business Manager (or Business Suite) is the professional standard. It keeps everyone's information secure, provides clear accountability, and allows account owners to grant specific permissions without handing over the keys to their entire profile.

You'll typically need to request access in a few common scenarios:

• You're an agency or freelancer: This is the most common use case. You need access to run, manage, and report on campaigns for your clients.
• You're a new employee: You're joining a marketing team and need to be added to your company's existing ad account to do your job.
• You're collaborating with another business: A partner brand might need access to your ad account for a joint campaign, or vice versa.

Using the Business Manager ensures that your access is tied to your business entity, not your personal profile. If you leave the company or the contract ends, access can be revoked cleanly, without any awkward password changes.

Understanding Ad Account Roles: Don't Ask for More Than You Need

When you request access, Facebook will ask what level of permission you need. Asking for the right role from the start saves time and shows your client you know what you’re doing. Over-requesting permissions can raise unnecessary red flags, while under-requesting means you’ll have to go back and ask again later.

Here’s a simple breakdown of the most common roles inside an ad account:

• View performance (Analyst): This is read-only access. You can see all the campaigns, ad sets, and ads, and you can view performance data and reports. You cannot make any changes. This is perfect for someone who only needs to pull reports or analyze results.
• Manage campaigns (Advertiser): This is the most common role for marketers. It includes everything in the Analyst role, plus the ability to create, edit, and manage campaigns, ad sets, ads, and audiences. You can set up new campaigns from scratch and make changes to existing ones. However, you can't manage billing information or user permissions.
• Manage ad account (Admin): This role has full control. It grants all the abilities of an Analyst and Advertiser, plus the power to manage billing details, payment methods, and user permissions for the ad account itself. This level of access should be reserved for trusted senior team members, agency leads, or the business owner.

In most client relationships, the "Manage campaigns" role is sufficient for day-to-day work. You only need Admin access if your responsibilities include managing the client’s payment methods or adding other team members from your agency to the account.

How to Request Access to a Facebook Ad Account: A Step-by-Step Guide

Ready to make the request? The entire process happens inside your own Meta Business Manager. If you don't have one set up yet, you'll need to create one at business.facebook.com before proceeding. It's a non-negotiable prerequisite for managing any business assets professionally.

Follow these steps exactly:

Step 1: Navigate to Business Settings

Log in to your Meta Business Manager. In the left-hand navigation menu, look for the gear icon labeled "Business Settings." This is the control panel for your entire Business Manager, where you manage all your assets and people.

Step 2: Go to the 'Ad Accounts' Section

Once inside Business Settings, look at the menu on the left side of the screen. Under the "Accounts" dropdown, click on "Ad Accounts." This will show you a list of all the ad accounts your Business Manager currently owns or has access to.

Step 3: Click 'Add' and Select 'Request Access'

In the Ad Accounts panel, you'll see a prominent blue "Add" button right above the list. Click it. A dropdown menu will appear with three options:

• Add an ad account: This is for claiming ownership of an ad account that doesn't belong to another Business Manager. You probably won't use this for a client.
• Request access to an ad account: This is the one you want. It lets you ask for permission to work in another business's account.
• Create a new ad account: This is for creating a brand new ad account owned by your Business Manager.

Select "Request access to an ad account."

Step 4: Enter the Ad Account ID

A new window will pop up asking for the Ad Account ID. This is a unique string of numbers that identifies the specific account you need access to. You cannot find this ID yourself, you must get it from the client or account owner.

How to Help Your Client Find Their Ad Account ID

If your client isn't sure where to find it, you can send them these simple instructions:

1. Log into Meta Ads Manager.
2. Look at the top left corner of the screen in the navigation bar. There should be a dropdown menu showing the name of their ad account.
3. The numerical ID is located directly below the account name.
4. Alternatively, they can look at the URL in their browser's address bar. The ID is the long string of numbers after act=.

Once they send you the ID, copy and paste it into the dialog box.

Step 5: Choose Your Required Permission Level

After you enter the ID, Facebook will ask you to select the roles you need. A toggle switch will appear for each permission level (e.g., Manage Campaigns, View Performance). Select the appropriate role based on the scope of your work - typically, "Manage Campaigns" is a safe bet.

Click "Confirm" to send the request.

Step 6: Tell Your Client to Approve the Request

Your part is done, but the access isn't granted yet. The admin of the ad account will receive a notification. To approve your request, they need to:

1. Go to their Business Settings.
2. Look in the "Requests" section in the left-hand menu.
3. They will see your request in the "Received" tab and can click "Approve."

Once they approve it, the ad account will immediately appear in your Business Manager, ready for you to work on.

The Alternative: Getting Invited Directly

Requesting access is the standard way to initiate the process as a marketer. However, some clients may prefer to grant you access directly, which is an equally valid (and sometimes faster) workflow.

In this scenario, the steps are reversed:

1. You provide your details: Send the client the email address associated with your personal Facebook profile, as well as your own Business Manager ID (found in Business Settings > Business Info).
2. They add you as a Partner: The client will go to Business Settings > Partners > Add, and choose "Give a partner access to your assets." They will enter your Business Manager ID.
3. They assign assets: From there, they can select their Facebook Page, Ad Account, Pixel, and other assets, and assign your business the specific roles you need.

This "Partner" method is often cleaner for ongoing, multi-asset agency relationships and prevents you from being added as an individual "Person" to their Business Manager.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Sometimes, things don't go as planned. Here are some of the most common hiccups you might encounter and how to solve them.

Problem: "The client can't find my request!"

This is extremely common. The notification can get buried. Ask them to navigate directly to the "Requests" tab within their Business Settings. If it's still not there, double-check that you entered the correct Ad Account ID. A single wrong digit will send the request into the void.

Problem: "I get an error saying the account is owned by another business."

This error typically appears if you accidentally clicked "Add an Ad Account" (to claim ownership) instead of "Request Access." An ad account can only be owned by one Business Manager at a time. Be sure you are always using the request access option for clients. There is rarely a good reason for an agency to take ownership of a client's ad account.

Problem: "The permission level I need is grayed out."

If you're asking for Admin access and the toggle is disabled, it often means that you are not an Admin in your own Business Manager. Facebook requires you to have admin permissions in your own business to request admin permissions for another's assets. Ask an admin on your team to make the request, or have them elevate your permissions first.

Final Thoughts

Requesting access to a Facebook Ad Account is a straightforward, secure process once you demystify the steps within Meta Business Manager. By understanding the different roles, communicating clearly with your client about what you need, and following the correct procedure, you can avoid common frustrations and get straight to the work that matters: running great campaigns.

We know that managing social media for multiple clients can feel like orchestrating chaos - from getting ad account access to planning, approving, and scheduling organic content. After you've streamlined your ad access, if you're still wrestling with clunky spreadsheets or unreliable schedulers for your organic posts, you might find Postbase to be a breath of fresh air. We built it to be clean, intuitive, and focused on today's content formats like Reels and Shorts, so you can spend less time fighting with your tools and more time creating.