ReferenceMicrosoft Advertising disapproval
Disapproved
Disapproved means part of an ad failed Microsoft Advertising's editorial review and will not serve: the ad text, an asset, a keyword, an extension or a disclaimer. Hover over the status in the Delivery column to read the reason, edit or replace the part named, and request an exception only when the policy plainly does not apply.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- In the Delivery column of the Ads, Keywords and Extensions tables, and in the Policy status column of an ad's asset details.
- What stops
- The disapproved component stops serving. An ad whose essential assets are disapproved stops with it.
- How serious
- A warning, not a suspension. A second disapproval after an exception is final.
- How long
- Microsoft says most editorial reviews are completed within 48 hours.
What it means
Every component of a Microsoft Advertising ad goes through an editorial review against Microsoft's policies: the ad text, each asset, the keywords, the ad extensions, the ad customizers and any disclaimer. A component that does not pass is marked Disapproved and is held back. The rest of the campaign keeps running.
Microsoft records how the problem was found as well as who decided it. The mode of detection is System (its own evaluation), User (people who saw the ad flagged it) or Legal order (a regulator asked for it to come down), and the rejection is System or Manual (one of its reviewers). Policies can differ by country or region, so an ad can be disapproved in one targeted location and approved in another.
What actually triggers it
One asset in a responsive search ad
Review now happens asset by asset. The ad's status can read Assets disapproved while only one headline or description broke a rule. Open View asset details under the ad and read the Policy status column to find which one.
A keyword that names a restricted product or a trademark
Keywords are reviewed on their own. A keyword cannot be edited, so the fix is a new keyword and the old one deleted, which sends the new one through review on save.
An extension, a customizer or a disclaimer
These are reviewed apart from the ad. A sitelink, callout or disclaimer can be disapproved while the ad itself is fine, and each has its own place to edit and to appeal.
The rule differs in one of the targeted countries
Microsoft reviews against the policies of each targeted location. When the ad is fine in one and not another, the status is Approved Limited rather than Disapproved; when it fails everywhere it targets, it is Disapproved.
A person or a regulator reported the ad
Not on Google's help page
A detection mode of User or Legal order means the ad was flagged from outside. An ad that ran for weeks can be disapproved this way without any change to it.
A disapproval email for an ad that now reads approved
Microsoft says a component can be pending in one location and approved by the time you look, and that its team spot checks rejections and sometimes overturns them. An email with nothing disapproved in the account usually means one of those.
Fix it in this order
- Go to Campaigns, then Ads & extensions or Keywords, and hover over the status in the Delivery column to read the reason and the part it names.
- For a responsive search ad, select View asset details under the ad, then Add Filter, Policy Status and Disapproved to list only the failed assets.
- Read the Microsoft Advertising policy the reason points to, for the country or region the ad targets.
- Edit the ad or asset with the pencil icon and save, which sends it for a new review. For a keyword, add a corrected keyword and delete the old one.
- For an extension, select it in the Extensions table, then Edit and Edit an extension. For a disclaimer, edit it in the campaign settings.
- Watch the status move to Pending editorial review and then to eligible, and check the ad's assets again once it does.
Microsoft says most editorial reviews are completed within 48 hours and to contact Support if a component still reads Under Review after two business days.
When to appeal
Request an exception only when, after reading the policy, the component meets it or the policy does not apply. Select the ad or keyword, then Edit and Request exception, and say why in Tell us your reason for requesting an exception. The status changes to Exception under review.
Treat it as one chance. Microsoft says that if a component is disapproved a second time, the decision is final, and the status reads Disapproved, exception denied. A changed ad is reviewed again on its own, so editing first and appealing second keeps the appeal for a case where the rule truly does not apply.
Ad customizers and asset groups in Performance Max are not appealed in the interface. Microsoft sends both to Support.
Running Microsoft Advertising beside Google is one of the things we sell. An ad held at “Disapproved” is the kind of problem we clear as part of that work, in an account that stays in your name.
Often confused with
The component serves in at least one targeted location and is pending or disapproved in another. Disapproved means it does not serve.
Disapproved, exception denied
The exception was reviewed and refused. Microsoft says a changed ad or keyword is reviewed again automatically; another exception on the same text is not the route.
Eligible (limited) in Google Ads
Google's nearest status. Microsoft reviews every ad against its own policies, so an ad copied from Google Ads can be approved there and disapproved here.
Why do other advertisers' ads with the same problem still run?
Microsoft says content that breaks its policies is found and removed over time, and points to its Report Low Quality Ad form for reporting one. Another ad still serving is not grounds for an exception.
Can a whole account's disapprovals be appealed at once?
Yes. In Ads & extensions, filter on Delivery for the not eligible status, select all, then Edit and Request exception. Microsoft says up to 5,000 ads can go in one request. A blanket appeal still spends the one review on every ad in it, so separate the ones that need an edit first.