Why is my ad 'in review' and how long does it take?

Before an ad runs, Meta reviews it against its advertising policies. This starts automatically as soon as you turn the ad on, and it applies to new ads and to ads you have edited.

How long it takes

Most reviews finish within 24 hours, but some take longer. New ad accounts with little history are treated more cautiously, so their reviews can run to 24 to 48 hours or more. During review, the ad shows as pending and will not deliver yet.

What you can do

Usually there is nothing to do but wait. If a review seems stuck for well beyond 24 hours, check your account's notifications in Meta for anything that needs your attention, since a checkpoint or policy flag can hold a review.

Once approved, delivery begins and spend and results start appearing in Insights.