Why is my Meta ad stuck 'In review' for days, and what can I do?
Meta says most ads are reviewed within 24 hours but some take longer, with no stated maximum, and editing the creative or targeting starts a new review. Meta doesn't say why some reviews drag on, but review can include human reviewers and checks of your landing page, special ad categories and account history. First check the Delivery column at every level and Business Support Home for account problems. Then leave the ad alone. If it's still in review after a few days, contact support through Business Support Home.
As of October 2026.
How long does Meta ad review take?
Usually less than a day. Meta's help center says "Most ads are reviewed within 24 hours, although in some cases it may take longer," and its Transparency Center says the same. Neither gives a maximum. Reviews of ads Meta has already rejected work differently: when you ask for another review, Meta aims to decide within 48 hours.
Why is my ad still in review after 24 hours?
Meta doesn't give reasons for slow reviews, but it does say what review can involve, and each step can add time:
- What gets checked: images, video and text, targeting, the ad's destination (your landing page), special ad categories, and advertiser permissions.
- Who checks: mostly automated systems, with human reviewers "in some cases."
- Your history: Meta says it may consider "an advertiser's historical compliance with our Advertising Standards" when deciding whether an ad needs more review.
- New policies: Meta says it takes time for its systems to learn to enforce a new standard consistently.
Two B2B checks: if your ad is about credit, financial products, employment, housing or social issues, see whether it needs a special ad category. And make sure your landing page works. Meta's policy checklist says the site should be "functioning properly" and "clearly accessible and relevant to your ad."
Is it really stuck in review, or is something else wrong?
Check the Delivery column on the campaign, ad set and ad tabs. Meta notes that a campaign can look active while the ad set or ad shows In review after recent changes.
| Status | What Meta says it means |
|---|---|
| In review | The ad is being checked against the Advertising Standards. After review it goes active and runs as scheduled |
| Processing | Your changes are being applied. Usually a few minutes, but up to 8 hours |
| Preparing | It passed review, and delivery is matching it to the right bid and audience until it gets its first impression |
| Scheduled | The ad set starts on a future date |
| Rejected | It doesn't comply with the Advertising Standards |
Then open Meta Business Support Home, which shows whether your ad account, Page or business portfolio has advertising restrictions. If an ad account is restricted, Meta says "its ads and some of its advertising assets are disabled." If the ad cleared review but still isn't spending, see why a Meta campaign is active but not spending.
Will editing the ad make review go faster?
No, and it can restart the review. Meta says review "starts automatically after you create or edit an ad." For scheduled or running ads, changes to targeting, creative (images, text, links or videos), optimization or billing event start a new review, while changes to bid, budget or ad set schedule don't. So leave the ad alone while it's in review, and save other changes for one batch later.
Should I duplicate the ad or create a new one?
Meta doesn't say a copy gets reviewed any faster. Its Transparency Center says new or edited ads "will be treated as new ads and reviewed." Adding a new ad to the same ad set also counts as a significant edit, which sends the ad set back into the learning phase. And if the original breaks a policy, each copy can be rejected too, while Meta can restrict accounts for severe or repeated violations. If you make a copy anyway, make one, not several.
How do I contact Meta about an ad stuck in review?
Use Meta Business Support Home, which lists Contact support among its tools, and include the ad IDs. Meta's ad rejection guidance page also offers to "Connect with a Meta Support Pro for troubleshooting rejected ads, account restrictions and more." Before you write, check Meta's status page (metastatus.com), which reports outages in Ads Manager and other business products.
Two things that won't help: Request review in Business Support Home is for ads Meta has rejected, not ads still in review. And older guides link to a special contact form for ads stuck in review; when we checked it on October 31, 2026, that link returned "not found."
How do I get review done before launch day?
Submit the ad early with a start date. Meta says that once a scheduled ad is submitted, "it will go through ad review but won't begin delivering until your start date." Set the schedule on the ad set when you create it, and give review at least a few days before a launch that matters. Finish your edits before you publish, since each creative or targeting change starts a new review.
Can an ad be approved and then rejected later?
Yes. Meta says ads "may be reviewed again, including after they are live," and an ad "may not be reviewed against all policies before delivering impressions." It picks running ads for another review at random, after unexpectedly high engagement, or when people hide, block or report them, and you only hear about it if the ad is rejected. More in why Meta is rejecting ads that ran fine.
What if the ad is rejected after review?
You'll get an email, and Business Support Home shows the reason. You can edit the ad (it goes back to review on its own), create a new one, or request another review if you think Meta got it wrong: in Business Support Home, select the account, select the ad, click Request review and then Submit. Meta says asking for another review won't hurt your standing. Don't delete the rejected ad first, or you may lose the chance to ask.
Sources
- About ads in review (Meta Business Help Center), checked October 31, 2026
- View campaign, ad set or ad delivery status in Meta Ads Manager (Meta Business Help Center), checked October 31, 2026
- About scheduling ads (Meta Business Help Center), checked October 31, 2026
- Why some ads are approved, then rejected (Meta Business Help Center), checked October 31, 2026
- How to troubleshoot a rejected ad (Meta Business Help Center), checked October 31, 2026
- About Meta Business Support Home (Meta Business Help Center), checked October 31, 2026
- About advertising restrictions (Meta Business Help Center), checked October 31, 2026
- Significant edits and learning phase (Meta Business Help Center), checked October 31, 2026
- Advertising policy basics checklist (Meta Business Help Center), checked October 31, 2026
- Introduction to the Advertising Standards (Meta Transparency Center), checked October 31, 2026
- Resolve your ad rejection and get tips for successful campaigns (Meta for Business), checked October 31, 2026
- Status and outages of Meta business products (Meta Status), checked October 31, 2026
