Your account {ad_account_id} has reached the maximum number of ads allowed (6,000). Please delete some of your older ads.
In short
The ad account has reached Meta’s cap on the number of ads it can hold, so no new ad can be created until you delete older ones.
By Mathieu Malige, founder of Apogee
· Checked on 8 October 2026
Exact message
| Field | English |
|---|---|
| Message | Your account {ad_account_id} has reached the maximum number of ads allowed (6,000). Please delete some of your older ads. |
Where it shows up: in the response of Meta’s Marketing API when an ad, ad set or creative is created, for example by a tool that launches ads for you.
Why it happens
- Each ad account has an ad cap. Meta limits how many ads, ad sets and campaigns an ad account can create or manage. The message says 6,000 ads; Meta’s help center lists 5,000 ads for regular ad accounts and 50,000 for advertisers with a Meta account manager.
- Ads that are off still count. The limits apply to active and inactive ads: ads that are off, completed or in an ad set that is off.
- Deleted ads stop counting. Meta archives deleted ads automatically, and archived ads cannot be edited, duplicated or restored.
How to fix it
- In Ads Manager, open the Ads tab and look in the Delivery column for ads showing Off or Completed.
- Select the old ads you no longer need and delete them; Meta archives them. Check their results first, since an archived ad cannot be restored.
- Create the new ad again.
How to avoid it next time
- Delete old tests regularly instead of only turning them off: an ad that is off still counts toward the limit.
- When you launch at scale, watch the total number of ads in the account, not only per ad set.
Frequently asked questions
Is the limit 5,000 or 6,000 ads?
The message says 6,000. Meta’s help center lists 5,000 ads for regular ad accounts and 50,000 for advertisers with a Meta account manager, without explaining the gap with the message. Either way, deleting older ads frees up room.
Do archived ads count?
No. Meta’s limits apply to active and inactive ads; deleted ads are archived, and archived ads have their own, separate cap (100,000 archived ads or campaigns).
Can I get a higher limit?
Meta’s help center gives higher limits to advertisers who have been assigned a Meta account manager.
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