Why did Microsoft Advertising disapprove my ad or keyword, and how do I request an exception?

TofuAnswer by the Tofu team · checked

Microsoft Advertising disapproves an ad, keyword or asset when its editorial review finds it breaks a policy in one of your targeted locations. Hover over the status in the Delivery column (or Policy status, for assets) to see why. Fix it and save, or, if you think it complies, select it, choose Edit > Request exception and explain why. Most reviews finish within 48 hours. One request can cover up to 5,000 ads, and since August 2026 you can bulk edit disapproved text and image assets. A second disapproval is final.

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As of November 2026.

Before you start

  • Microsoft's own steps. Its help center article "Fix a Disapproved or Approved Limited status" shows AI tools only a "no results" page. This page follows Microsoft's readable copies on Microsoft Learn, updated July 27, 2026.
  • Know what was disapproved, and where. Ads, keywords, assets, extensions, ad customizers, disclaimers, asset groups and feed items each have their own fix. Microsoft reviews each item against each targeted location's policies, so an item can run in the US and be blocked in Canada.
  • Whole account suspended? See Why did Microsoft Advertising suspend my account?

Step 1: Find the exact reason

  1. Hover over Campaigns in the left menu and open Ads & extensions or Keywords.
  2. Hover over the status in the Delivery column to see the details. For an Approved limited item, it shows the reason, the locations where it was disapproved and the part of the submission that triggered it.
  3. For assets in responsive search, multimedia and native ads, go to Ads & extensions > Ads, select View asset details and read the Policy status column. To see only problems, select Add Filter > Policy Status, tick Disapproved and select Apply.
  4. For Performance Max, open the campaign, go to Asset groups, select View asset details and read Policy status.

What "Approved limited" means: the item is approved in at least one targeted location but pending or disapproved in another. If hovering shows "No rejection data is available at this time," it's still under review somewhere.

Step 2: Match the reason to the usual B2B causes

Microsoft's own reason messages most likely to hit B2B ads:

Microsoft's messageWhat to check
"Microsoft Advertising requires that your website be accessible at all times"The landing page was down or wouldn't load when Microsoft checked it
"Landing page content not relevant"The ad promises a demo or a product, but the page is a generic homepage
"Your website does not contain the offer indicated in the ad text""Free trial" or a discount in the ad that the page doesn't show
"Your website or ad text contains a claim that is not supported"Rankings, awards or numbers you can't back up on the page
"Microsoft Advertising prohibits the infringement of trademarks"Competitor or partner brand names in ad text
"If you collect personal data, you must provide a prominent link to your privacy policy on your landing page"Demo and contact forms with no visible privacy link
Excessive capitalization, repeated punctuation, or "Non-specific calls-to-action (e.g. 'click here')"Ad copy style
"It looks like your ad text might contain one or more phone numbers, which we do not allow"Phone numbers typed into headlines or descriptions
"Your ad might contain data reselling content"Ads for B2B contact or data products

Ads must also match the ad group's language and market setting. Reviews continue after launch, so an ad that ran for months can be disapproved later. Imported Google Ads campaigns get the same review: see what to check after a Google Ads import.

Step 3: Fix it, or decide to appeal

If the reason is fair, fix it:

  • Ads: in the Ads table, hover over the ad, select the pencil icon, edit and Save. The ad is reviewed again.
  • Keywords: you can't edit a keyword. Add a new one, then delete the disapproved one.
  • Assets: edit the asset in the ad or asset group, or add a new asset and delete the old one. Since Microsoft moved to asset-level review in November 2025, an ad keeps running while it has enough approved assets, and editing one asset sends only that asset back to review.
  • Ad extensions: tick the extension, then Edit > Edit an extension. Disclaimers: edit them in campaign settings. Feed items: fix the feed and upload it again.

Bulk edit disapproved assets (August 2026). Microsoft's Fix article gives the steps: in the asset grid at the ad group or ad level, add the Policy status column, select the disapproved asset, choose Edit, change it in the side panel and apply it to all associations or one. Check the result under Tools > Bulk edit. Performance Max isn't covered, and campaign and account level support is still to come. Navah Hopkins, Microsoft's Ads Liaison, announced it on LinkedIn in August 2026: it works for text and image assets in all accounts, and images must be replaced with new ones. If you're sure the item complies, she notes an exception request can make more sense than changing the creative.

Step 4: Request an exception

Ads and keywords: in the Ads or Keywords table, tick the item, select Edit > Request exception, fill in Tell us your reason for requesting an exception, and select Request an exception. Or hover over the status and request it for that item or for the whole ad group.

Assets: open the campaign's Assets page. Hover over Policy status and select Request an exception for this asset, or tick assets and choose Edit > Request exception > Selected asset(s) or All assets in this ad. From View asset details on an ad, or from Ad groups, you can appeal all disapproved assets in that ad or ad group. Hopkins says appeals must cover all disapproved assets in an ad, though Microsoft's steps above still offer single assets. She adds that approved assets keep serving during the appeal if the final URL is still approved.

Extensions and disclaimers: hover over Disapproved extension (under Ads & extensions > Extensions) or Disapproved disclaimer and select the request option.

Ad customizers and asset groups: Microsoft says to contact Microsoft Advertising Support to appeal these.

Say why the item meets the policy, or why the policy doesn't apply. Be specific: "The ad offers a free demo. The demo form is on the landing page, and it links to our privacy policy."

Step 5: Appeal many ads at once

  1. Hover over Campaigns and open Ads & extensions.
  2. Select Add filter > Attributes > Delivery to show disapproved ads (the "not eligible" status).
  3. Select all, then Edit > Request exception.

One request covers up to 5,000 ads. Through the API, AppealEditorialRejections takes up to 1,000 ads or keywords per call with one justification of up to 1,000 characters, and up to 2,000 appeals per account in a rolling 24 hours. It can't appeal ad extensions.

Step 6: Track the result

The status changes to Exception under review, and Microsoft emails a summary when it's done. Its docs disagree on timing: most reviews finish "within 48 hours" in one article and "within a day" in another. If an item is still under review after two business days, contact Support.

If Microsoft says no, the status becomes Disapproved, exception denied or Approved limited, exception denied. A second disapproval is final, though you can still edit the item for a new review, or ask Support if you strongly believe the decision is wrong.

Common problems

ProblemWhy it happensFix
An email said an ad was disapproved, but nothing shows as disapprovedIt was pending in one location and has since been approved, or a Microsoft spot check overturned the rejectionNothing to do
"Approved limited" with no reason shownStill under review in at least one locationWait. Most reviews finish within 48 hours
"Most assets disapproved" or "Essential assets disapproved" tells you to contact SupportMicrosoft's docs disagree: the delivery status notes say Support, while the exception article lets you appeal assets yourselfTry the Assets page request first. Contact Support if the option isn't there
All assets in this ad is missingNot available for Performance MaxSelect assets one by one
You changed a denied ad, but the status didn't moveMicrosoft doesn't sayContact Support for another review
Competitors run ads that break the same ruleMicrosoft hasn't caught them yetReport them with Microsoft's Report Low Quality Ad form
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