During my time as a senior account manager, one of the most difficult parts of launching a client’s Facebook and Instagram advertising campaigns often had nothing to do with the actual strategy, the creatives, or their budget.
It was getting access to the account.
Meta has changed the names, layouts, and locations of its business settings several times over the years. What was once commonly called Facebook Business Manager may now appear as Meta Business Suite or a Business Portfolio. That has made an already confusing process even harder for business owners who may only visit these settings when they begin working with an agency.
The good news is that the process does not need to be complicated.
The most important thing to understand is that your business should continue to own its Facebook Page, Instagram account, ad account, Meta Pixel, and other assets. Your agency should be added as a partner and given access only to the assets it needs.
You should not need to share your personal Facebook password, transfer ownership of your accounts, or allow the agency to create all of your assets inside its own business portfolio.
Here is how to set it up correctly.
Business Manager, Business Suite, or Business Portfolio?
Before getting into the steps, it helps to clear up Meta’s terminology.
You may still hear agencies and marketers refer to Facebook Business Manager. Meta now generally uses the term Business Portfolio, which is managed through Meta Business Suite.
These terms are often used interchangeably in everyday conversation, but they generally refer to the business-level account that contains and controls assets such as:
- Your Facebook Page
- Your Instagram account
- Your Meta ad account
- Your Meta Pixel or dataset
- Product catalogs
- Verified domains
- Business users and partners
The exact labels on your screen may vary slightly because Meta regularly updates its interface, but the overall process remains the same.
The Best Way to Give an Agency Access
The preferred setup is for the client to add the agency as a partner using the agency’s Business Portfolio ID.
This is better than adding every agency employee individually.
When you add the agency as a partner, the agency can control which members of its own team work on your account. If an employee leaves the agency or changes roles, the agency can manage that internally without requiring you to repeatedly update your business settings.
Your company remains the owner of the assets, while the agency receives permission to work on them.
Before You Begin
Ask your agency to send you its Business Portfolio ID, sometimes still referred to as a Business Manager ID.
This is a unique numerical ID connected to the agency’s Meta Business Portfolio.
You should also confirm that:
- You can log in to Meta Business Suite.
- You are viewing the correct Business Portfolio.
- You have full control or administrator access.
- Your Facebook Page is connected to the portfolio.
- Your Instagram account is connected, if applicable.
- Your ad account is connected to the portfolio.
- Your Meta Pixel or dataset has been created and connected.
- Two-factor authentication is enabled on your account.
If you do not have full control of the Business Portfolio, you may not see the option to add a partner or assign certain assets.
Step 1: Open Meta Business Suite Settings
Log in to Meta Business Suite using the Facebook profile connected to your company.
Make sure the correct Business Portfolio is selected. This is especially important if you manage more than one business, Page, or organization.
Open Settings from the left-side menu or settings icon.
Depending on the version of Meta’s interface you are seeing, the option may appear as Business Settings, Business Portfolio Settings, or simply Settings.
Step 2: Open the Partners Section
Inside Settings, look for the section labeled Users.
Select Partners.
This section shows outside businesses that have been granted access to assets within your Business Portfolio.
Click Add.
Meta may then give you two choices:
- Give a partner access to your assets
- Ask a partner to share its assets with you
Choose:
Give a partner access to your assets
You are allowing the agency to work on assets owned by your business, so this is the correct option.
Step 3: Enter the Agency’s Business Portfolio ID
Enter the numerical Business Portfolio ID provided by your agency.
Double-check the number before proceeding. Adding the wrong portfolio could give another business access to your assets.
Once the ID has been entered, click Next.
Meta should then allow you to select the specific assets and permissions you want to share.
Step 4: Assign Access to Your Facebook Page
Select Pages from the list of available asset types.
Choose the Facebook Page the agency will manage or advertise through.
The permissions needed will depend on what the agency is responsible for. An agency managing paid campaigns may need permission to:
- Create and manage ads
- View Page performance
- Access audience and engagement insights
- Create Page content, if organic social media is included
- Manage messages or comments, if community management is included
Do not automatically grant every available permission. Give the agency the access required to perform the services included in your agreement.
At the same time, avoid restricting permissions so heavily that the agency cannot properly create ads, review performance, or troubleshoot issues.
Step 5: Assign Access to Your Instagram Account
If the agency will run Instagram advertising, select Instagram accounts and choose the appropriate business Instagram account.
The Instagram account should already be connected to your Facebook Page and Business Portfolio.
Assign the permissions needed for the agency to create ads, view insights, or manage content based on the services it is providing.
If your Instagram account does not appear, you may need to connect it to your Meta Business Portfolio before continuing.
Step 6: Assign Access to the Ad Account
Select Ad accounts and choose the ad account the agency will use.
For campaign management, the agency will generally need permission to:
- View campaigns
- Create and edit ads
- Manage campaigns
- Review performance
- Access audiences
- Use connected assets
The agency usually does not need full control over your business or financial information simply to manage campaigns.
Your company should retain ownership of the ad account.
This is important because the ad account contains your historical campaign data, audiences, conversion information, and account reputation. If you change agencies later, you should not have to start over with a brand-new account.
Step 7: Assign the Meta Pixel or Dataset
Meta may now display your tracking source under Datasets, even if you still refer to it as the Meta Pixel.
Look under Data Sources, then select Datasets or Pixels, depending on what appears in your account.
Choose the dataset or pixel connected to your website and assign it to the agency.
The agency may need this access to:
- Track website conversions
- Create website audiences
- Review event activity
- Optimize campaigns for leads or purchases
- Troubleshoot conversion tracking
- Configure campaign attribution
You should also make sure the dataset or pixel is connected to the correct ad account.
Giving an agency access to the ad account does not always automatically provide access to every connected data source.
Step 8: Share Additional Assets When Necessary
Depending on your business and campaign setup, the agency may need access to additional assets.
These can include:
Product catalogs: Needed for ecommerce, dynamic product ads, or catalog-based campaigns.
Verified domains: May be needed when managing certain website events or business integrations.
Apps: Needed if the agency is running app-install or app-engagement campaigns.
Lead access: Needed for team members or systems that will download and manage leads submitted through Meta lead forms.
Business asset groups: Useful for larger organizations that want to share a group of related assets together.
Your agency should explain why each additional asset is needed before requesting access.
Step 9: Save the Changes
After selecting the necessary assets and permissions, review everything carefully.
Confirm that:
- The correct agency Business Portfolio was selected.
- Only the correct Facebook Page was shared.
- The correct Instagram account was shared.
- The correct ad account was shared.
- The correct pixel or dataset was shared.
- The agency received the permissions required to do its job.
Click Save changes, Assign assets, or the equivalent confirmation button shown by Meta.
Step 10: Ask the Agency to Confirm Access
Once the process is complete, tell the agency that access has been granted.
Ask the agency to confirm that it can see:
- Your Facebook Page
- Your Instagram account
- Your ad account
- Your pixel or dataset
- Any catalog or domain required for the campaign
It is better to identify a missing permission during onboarding than to discover it while trying to launch the campaign.
The agency should also confirm that it can create a draft campaign, view the correct tracking events, and access the assets required for reporting.
What You Should Not Do
There are a few common shortcuts that may seem easier but often create bigger problems later.
Do Not Share Your Personal Facebook Password
A legitimate agency should not need the username and password for your personal Facebook profile.
Each person should access Meta through their own profile and the appropriate business permissions.
Sharing passwords creates unnecessary security risks and makes it more difficult to track who changed something inside the account.
Do Not Transfer Ownership Without a Clear Reason
Granting partner access is not the same as transferring ownership.
Your business should generally remain the owner of its Page, ad account, Instagram account, pixel, catalog, and domain.
Do Not Let the Agency Own All of Your Assets
An agency may occasionally need to create a temporary asset, but your company’s primary assets should generally live inside your own Business Portfolio.
If the relationship with the agency ends, you should retain access to your data, campaign history, audiences, and tracking setup.
Do Not Add Every Agency Employee Individually
Unless there is a specific reason, add the agency as a partner rather than inviting each employee as a person.
The agency can then manage its own internal team access.
What If the Agency Requests Access Instead?
There is an alternative process in which the agency requests access to your assets from its own Business Portfolio.
For example, the agency can request access to an ad account by entering the client’s ad account ID. The client then receives a request that must be reviewed and approved.
This method can work, but I generally prefer having the client add the agency as a partner. It gives the client more control over which assets and permissions are shared from the beginning.
Regardless of which method is used, the client should remain the owner of the assets.
Common Problems and How to Fix Them
The Partners Option Is Missing
You may not have full control of the Business Portfolio, or you may be viewing the wrong portfolio.
Ask the current administrator to update your access or complete the process for you.
The Facebook Page Does Not Appear
The Page may not have been added to the Business Portfolio, or the person completing the setup may not have sufficient Page access.
Confirm ownership and Page access before trying again.
The Ad Account Does Not Appear
The ad account may belong to a different Business Portfolio, may only be connected through personal access, or may already be owned by another business.
Ownership issues can be difficult to reverse, which is why the initial setup matters.
The Instagram Account Does Not Appear
Confirm that the Instagram account is a professional account and that it has been connected to the correct Facebook Page and Business Portfolio.
The Agency Can See the Ad Account but Not the Pixel
Ad-account access and dataset access are separate permissions.
Return to Data Sources, select the appropriate dataset or pixel, and assign the agency as a partner.
The Agency Can Create Ads but Cannot Publish Them
The agency may be missing Page, Instagram, ad-account, or financial permissions. There may also be an account restriction, unpaid balance, identity-verification requirement, or two-factor authentication requirement.
Review Meta’s account-quality notifications and confirm that all required assets have been shared.
How to Remove Agency Access Later
If you stop working with an agency, return to:
Meta Business Suite → Settings → Users → Partners
Select the agency and review the assets it can access.
You can remove specific asset permissions or remove the partner entirely.
Before removing access, confirm that your company still has full control of all assets and has copies of any reports, creative files, campaign documentation, or tracking information it may need.
Removing a partner should not remove your ownership of the assets.
Final Thought
Giving an agency access to Meta should not require handing over your passwords or giving up control of your business assets.
The cleanest setup is simple:
Your company owns the assets.
Your agency is added as a partner.
The agency receives the permissions it needs.
Your company retains control.
Taking the time to set this up correctly protects your business, makes agency onboarding easier, and prevents unnecessary problems if you ever change partners.
At Neumann Advisory Group, I believe good marketing starts with strong foundations. Account ownership, access, tracking, and governance may not be the most exciting parts of a campaign, but getting them right makes everything that follows easier.
Need help organizing your marketing accounts and agency access?
Neumann Advisory Group helps businesses evaluate their marketing systems, identify access and tracking gaps, and build stronger foundations for campaign performance.