How to create a Meta ad account
This guide walks you through creating a business portfolio, adding an ad account inside it, connecting payment, and giving the right people access. When you finish, you will have an account that is ready for your first campaign.
Meta ads run from three connected pieces. A business portfolio (the tool Meta used to call Business Manager) is the container that owns your Pages, ad accounts, pixels, and people. An ad account holds your campaigns, billing, currency, and time zone. Ads Manager is where you build and run the ads.
You manage the portfolio and its settings in Meta Business Suite at business.facebook.com. Setting things up inside a portfolio, rather than running ads from a personal profile, keeps ownership with the business and makes it safer to add employees or an agency later.
Secure your personal profile first
Every business portfolio is tied to real people, so the security of your own Facebook profile matters. Turn on two-factor authentication in your profile’s security settings before you create anything. If a teammate will help run ads, ask them to do the same on their own profile, because you will add them by their own login, never by sharing yours.
Watch outNever share one login between several people, because you lose the ability to control or remove one person's access.
Create a business portfolio
Go to business.facebook.com and log in. Click the dropdown menu below Home in the top left, then click Create a business portfolio. Enter a name that matches your business’s public name, since it is visible across Meta and can’t contain special characters, then add your name and business email. Meta emails you to confirm that address, so confirm it before you continue.
TipCheck whether a portfolio already exists for your business before creating a new one, since duplicates cause confusion later.
Add your Facebook Page and Instagram account
Open the portfolio settings and find the accounts section. Add the Facebook Page your ads will run from, then connect your Instagram account if you plan to advertise there. If someone else created the Page, they may need to accept a request or move it into your portfolio. Ads need a Page identity, so do this before creating the ad account.
Create the ad account
In the portfolio settings, open the ad accounts section, choose to add an account, and select the option to create a new ad account. Give it a clear name, then choose the time zone and currency. Select your own business as the owner, unless you are setting it up for a client, and accept the terms.
Watch outTreat currency and time zone as permanent; changing them generally means creating a new ad account.
Add a payment method
You can add payment details while creating the account or later in the billing and payments section of settings. The payment methods offered depend on your country and currency. Meta’s documentation notes that ads in an account without a payment method get no delivery, so complete this step before you build a campaign.
Give the right people access
Add people to the portfolio by their email, then assign them to the ad account, Page, and other assets they need. People with full control can manage everything, including other people’s access. Partial access limits someone to the assets or tasks they are assigned. Give full control to a small number of trusted owners and partial access to everyone else.
TipIf you work with an agency, add their business portfolio as a partner instead of adding individual staff as people.
Turn on portfolio security settings
A person with full control can require two-factor authentication for everyone in the portfolio. Turn this on. You can also verify your business in the portfolio’s business information settings. Verification is not required for every advertiser, but Meta uses it to grant access to certain features and says it may let some advertisers raise their daily spending limit faster.
Check your account status before you build
Open Meta Business Support Home to see whether the portfolio or ad account has any restrictions or actions waiting for you. Meta notes that new portfolios and ad accounts may not have access to every advertising feature until certain requirements are met. Fix anything flagged there now, because issues are harder to sort out once campaigns are live.
Before you move on
- Two-factor authentication is on for your profile and required in the portfolio
- Your Facebook Page and Instagram account are in the portfolio
- The ad account shows the correct currency and time zone
- A payment method is attached to the ad account
- At least two trusted people have full control
Official resources
- Meta: Create a business portfolio
- Meta: About business portfolios
- Meta: Add people to a business portfolio
- Meta for Developers: Ad account reference
Ad platforms update their tools often. This guide was last reviewed against the official documentation above in October 2026. If your screen looks different, the official help pages have the latest steps.
At a glance
- Level
- Beginner
- Time
- About 30 minutes
- What you need
- A personal Facebook profile (or a managed Meta account) with two-factor authentication on
- A Facebook Page for your business, and your Instagram business account if you have one
- A business email address you check
- A payment method accepted in your country
- Your website address
Rather have it done for you?
Active Digital Marketing builds and manages Meta ad accounts for businesses doing $25,000+ a month in revenue.
Apply to work with usOr get an ad account auditWhere DIY setups go wrong
The most common problems with self-built Meta Ads setups, and what they cost.
Running ads from a personal ad account
Boosting from a profile creates an ad account that belongs to that person rather than the business. It gets messy when that person leaves or when you want an agency to help.
Picking the wrong currency or time zone
It takes a few seconds to choose and is hard to undo. A mismatch with your store or bookkeeping makes reporting and reconciliation harder for as long as the account runs.
Only one person with full control
If that person loses access to their profile, the business can lose access to its own ad account, Page, and data. Keep at least two trusted owners.
Creating extra portfolios or accounts to get around a restriction
This breaks Meta's policies and usually makes things worse. If an account is restricted, use the review or appeal path Meta shows you.
What this guide doesn't cover
A clean account structure is the starting line. Results on Meta depend on what sits on top of it: accurate conversion data, a campaign structure that suits Meta’s automation, creative that keeps up with fatigue, and budgets set against your actual margins.
This is the work ADM does every day for eCommerce and lead generation brands. If you would rather have the account built and managed around your numbers, that is where we come in.
- Pixel and Conversions API setup with deduplication
- Campaign structure that works with Advantage+ automation
- Ongoing creative testing and refresh
- Budgeting against contribution margin, not platform ROAS
- Attribution and reporting you can trust
- Account health monitoring and policy compliance
Common questions
Is a business portfolio the same as Business Manager?
Yes. Business portfolio is Meta's current name for what used to be called Business Manager. You manage it through Meta Business Suite.
Do I need a Facebook Page to run Meta ads?
Yes. Ads on Facebook and Instagram run under a business identity, and the Facebook Page is the core of that identity.
Can I change my ad account currency later?
Plan as if you cannot. Currency and time zone are set when the account is created, and changing them usually means creating a new ad account.
How many ad accounts can I create?
New portfolios start with a small limit that grows as you spend and pay successfully. Closed ad accounts still count toward it, so avoid creating accounts you do not need.
How many business portfolios can I create?
Meta lets each person create up to 2 business portfolios, with no limit on how many they can belong to. Each asset, such as a Page or ad account, can belong to only one portfolio.
Keep learning
How to Create a Meta Ads Campaign
Build your first Facebook and Instagram campaign in Ads Manager: objective, Advantage+ settings, audience, placements, the ad itself, and launch.
Read the guideHow to Set a Meta Ads Budget
Learn how Meta ads budgets work: campaign vs ad set budgets, daily vs lifetime, bid strategies, spending limits, pacing, and safe budget changes.
Read the guideHow to Install the Meta Pixel and Conversions API
Install the Meta Pixel, add the Conversions API, set up conversion events, and confirm everything works with Test Events in Events Manager.
Read the guideHow to Create a Google Ads Account
Step-by-step: sign up for Google Ads without a forced campaign, set billing and time zone, add users, and complete advertiser verification.
Read the guideHow to Create a TikTok Ads Manager Account
Set up TikTok Ads Manager step by step: sign-up, business details, payment method, account approval, Business Center, and team access.
Read the guideHow to Create a LinkedIn Ads Account
Set up a LinkedIn Campaign Manager ad account the right way: LinkedIn Page, account details, payment, user roles, and when to use Business Manager.
Read the guideRather have it built right the first time?
If your business does $25,000+ a month in revenue, apply and Mitch will review your accounts personally. Earlier than that? An ad account audit gives you a senior-level fix list you can work through yourself.