Imagine this: you’re ready to launch a campaign that could significantly boost your client’s brand visibility, but there’s one small problem – you don’t have access to their Facebook Ad account. You’ve sent emails, exchanged calls, and even walked them through the steps, but something always seems to go wrong. Sound familiar? 😩

Many marketers face this hurdle, wasting valuable time on what should be a straightforward task. But what if there was an easier way to request access, one that minimizes back-and-forth and gets you connected faster?

In this article, we’ll explore the 3 most efficient methods to gain access to your clients' Facebook Ad account, so you can focus on what you do best—growing their business and generating more leads. 📈

Want to jump straight to the tutorial? Click here.

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Ways to get access to a Facebook Ad account

There are three ways to request access to your client’s ad accounts:

1) Via Partner access: This method requires your clients to log into their Ads Manager beforehand to check what their ID is (provided, of course, that they’ve previously set up an ads account for themselves). Once they give you their ID, you go to your Business settings and manually tap in their ID to add an account. Before you can start working on your clients’ accounts though, they’ll need to approve your request.

2) Via Ad accounts in Business Suite: You can request for access to a specific ad account with this method. Similarly to Partner access, in order to access your client’s account, you must know their Business Portfolio ID for the request access process. 

Quick note: Facebook Business Manager is being phased out, so if you’re not yet on the new experience, i.e., Meta Business Suite, here is how to switch to it.

3) Automate it with Leadsie: Instead of trying to walk your clients through the steps, you can send them a secure link and all it takes is 2-clicks for them to grant you access to Facebook ads! Get instant access without extra emails and calls 🤝

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Can't I just log in to my client’s Facebook Account?

No, this is highly discouraged as you will be using someone’s personal Facebook account and have full access to their posts, timeline, and friends. And if you have multiple people on your team who need access too, there’s no way to manage permissions or roles.

Working from a client’s private account has other risks, too. Whether you’re an agency or freelancer, you need access to clear ad spend invoicing and a history of all the actions you took on the account. An ad spend document is proof of the work you’ve done, and it protects your interest when you want to bill the client for the campaigns you’ve run. 

Beyond the privacy and security concerns, two-factor authentication (2FA) is necessary for carrying out many business functions, making sharing accounts an unscalable option.

💡 Instead, we will show you what you need to do to get added to an ad account to manage ads for your clients.

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Roles and permissions

Before we get started, take a quick look at the roles that you can either request for or grant (while adding someone) to a Facebook ad account: 

• Admin: Can create, edit, and view ads, access reports, manage payment methods, and control admin permissions.
• Advertiser: Can edit and create ads using the account’s payment method and view payment details.
• Analyst: Can view ads and access reports but can’t make changes.

Note: Only people with a Facebook account can be added to an ad account. 

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Method 1: Request Partner access to an ad account

Requesting Partner access is the usual method for agencies, freelancers, and marketers as it allows you to assign permissions to your own team (instead of having your client give access to 4 of your teammates individually!). However, if you’re looking to automate access requests (yes, Partner access), scroll down to method 3!

Step 1. Go to Partners (using this link) under Settings in Meta Business Suite

Step 2. At the top, check that you’re in the correct business portfolio to get access to your client's ad account

‍Step 3. Now click ‘Add’, and select ‘Ask a partner to share their assets’

Step 4. A popup will appear. Click ‘Get started’ and follow the prompts to add a contact name, email address, and the Business Portfolio ID of the ad account (not ad account ID!)

Related article: How to find your Meta Business ID (Facebook)

Step 5. Under Permissions, click ‘Ad accounts’, and choose the level of access you require. Then click ‘Next’

Step 6. Review the request and once it’s all good, click ‘Send request’

Step 7. Your client will receive your request and can take one of the following actions:

• Approve: Grant access to all requested assets with the specified permission levels.
• Modify: Provide access to only some of the requested assets.
• Deny: Reject the request for access.

You'll be notified once your partner responds. You can track your request's status anytime in “Business settings → Partners”, selecting the partner, and checking the status.

💡 If needed, you can cancel your request. Simply go to the “Partners” tab, choose the partner associated with the request, and click “Cancel request.”

Want to learn how to get Facebook Ad access in just 2-clicks, without having to know your client's business manager ID? 😎

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Method 2: Request to share an ad account

With this method, you’ll request access to a Facebook ad account with your business portfolio. If you need access to other business assets at the same time, use method 1 (manual) or method 3 (automated with Leadsie). 

Step 1. Go to Ad accounts (using this link) under Settings in Meta Business Suite

Step 2. Click on the ‘+ Add’ button in the top right corner. A popup will appear

Step 3. Select ‘Request to share an ad account’. Doing so does not move the ad account away from its original business portfolio

⚠️ Can’t select this method? Your business portfolio needs to have a primary Page set first, before you can use it to request access to ad accounts and other business assets. Learn how to set a primary Page for your Meta Business Portfolio.

Step 4. Type in your client’s Ad account ID (you will need to ask them for this), select the level of access you need—partial access or full control

Step 5. Choose the access you require (partial or full), then click ‘Confirm’

Step 6. Your request has been sent and an admin of the Ad account has to confirm it. Then, it will show as an asset in your Business Portfolio.

⚠️ If you do not have enough permissions to complete the request, go to the Troubleshooting section below for solutions.

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Need a quicker way to get access?

The first two methods are what we consider 'manual' ways of getting access. Time spent on communication, waiting, follow-ups, action from both parties (it gets tricky for non-tech savvy clients!) can stretch out over days. The manual methods require:

• You must know your clients’ Meta Business Portfolio ID
• Your client must have Meta Business Portfolio set up (some clients don’t)
• You'll need your contact's name and email address (that should be fine), and they need to confirm your request via that email (more effort!)
• You won’t know if you have access until you check your Meta Business Portfolio

Spoiler Alert: We built the tool Leadsie to get rid of all the hassle of getting access to Meta and Facebook. 

With Leadsie, whenever you get a new client or run a marketing audit for a new prospect, you will no longer need to go through the above process.

All you need to do is share a secure access link with your client. They log in with their Facebook account and confirm access. You’ll save time for your team and client in just a few clicks! It’s as simple as that 👌

Prefer a video about how Leadsie makes life simpler?

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‍‍Can’t get access? Troubleshooting common issues

In the process of requesting access to Facebook Ad accounts, you may get stuck in some situations. Here are some common error messages and how to resolve them!

• “Only people with full control of the page can claim it into this business account” or “You cannot claim this page. You are not an admin on this page or you only have access via an agency.”
• "You do not have sufficient permissions to import this asset into the given business."

If you’re getting either of these two messages, you don’t have sufficient permissions and need to ask your client to give you more or full access. Don’t know who owns the page or can’t get hold of them? Use our Access Detective feature to find out who’s the person to ask for more permissions!

⚠️ Unable to find or contact the right person to give you access? Use our guide on how to recover lost access for Meta assets you own here.

• "To gain access to more business accounts, you must consistently comply with our policies when running ads."

It looks like your business account is not in perfect standing —you have previously violated some of Facebook’s policies. To see what the issues were and what you can do about them, visit Meta business support home and check if your account has run into any issues.

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Method 3: Automate access request with Leadsie

Ready for the revolution? 😎

We don’t know why people need a PhD in Facebook Ads to give you access, but we were fed up with it. So we built a tool that makes requesting and giving access easy as pie 🥧.

Here's how the whole process works with Leadsie: It’s as simple as copying a link and sending it to your client to get all the Facebook/Meta access you need in one go 🤯

And on the clients’ part? It’s just 2-clicks, and it’s done ✅. No more fussing around multiple screens and getting hold of account IDs.

See for yourself how many hours Leadsie saves you, pop in your email below and get a free 14-day trial. No credit card needed!