WhatsApp number required: Reconnect your WhatsApp number to your Facebook Page or Instagram account to run this ad. (#2446880)
In short
Meta won’t run the ad because it sees no WhatsApp number connected to the Facebook Page or Instagram account behind it. Reconnect the number; if your ad does not use WhatsApp at all, advertisers report a bug with simple workarounds (below).
By Mathieu Malige, co-founder of Apogee
· Checked on 8 October 2026
Exact message
| English | French | |
|---|---|---|
| Message (Ads Manager, “Verifying your changes”) | WhatsApp number required: Reconnect your WhatsApp number to your Facebook Page or Instagram account to run this ad. (#2446880) | not captured yet |
| Variant (Meta’s Marketing API error reference) | The WhatsApp number connected to your Facebook page or Instagram profile was disconnected. You can run this ad again when you reconnect your WhatsApp account. | Le numéro WhatsApp associé à votre Page Facebook ou profil Instagram a été dissocié. Vous pourrez rediffuser cette publicité en réassociant votre compte WhatsApp. |
Where it shows up: in Ads Manager, in the “Verifying your changes” window when you publish; Meta’s Marketing API documents the variant for the same subcode.
Why it happens
- The WhatsApp number was disconnected. Meta’s error reference says the WhatsApp number connected to the Facebook Page or Instagram profile was disconnected, and that the ad can run again once the WhatsApp account is reconnected.
- Ads that don’t use WhatsApp get it too. Since April 2026, advertisers on r/FacebookAds report this message on ads with no WhatsApp destination; some say Meta support acknowledged a bug.
How to fix it
- If the ad uses WhatsApp (a WhatsApp destination or button), reconnect the WhatsApp number to the Facebook Page. According to Meta’s help center, from the Page settings: switch into the Page, open Settings, then under Permissions, Linked accounts > WhatsApp; enter the WhatsApp Business number, click Send Whatsapp code, enter the code and click Confirm. Meta also describes the same connection from Ads Manager (Message destinations > Connect account, at ad set level) and from the WhatsApp Business app.
- Publish the ad again.
- If the ad does not use WhatsApp, use the workarounds below.
What worked for other advertisers
On r/FacebookAds, advertisers whose ads had nothing to do with WhatsApp share what made the message go away:
- In the ad set, untick Instagram in the placements, tick it again, then publish. 5 replies confirm it, for example “disabling instagram and readding it worked for me too”.
- Other workarounds confirmed in the same threads: publish the ads one at a time instead of in bulk (4 confirmations); in the ad’s destination, switch the browser add-on from none to call and back to none; or pick another Page and then the right one again.
Duplicating the ad is not reliable: one advertiser thanks this tip, three say the copy kept the error.
Source: r/FacebookAds thread on #2446880
How to avoid it next time
- After changing the WhatsApp number or WhatsApp Business account of a Page, check that the Page still shows it as connected before publishing.
- When this error appears in a bulk publish, publish the ads one at a time: advertisers report single ads going through where the batch failed.
Frequently asked questions
My ad has nothing to do with WhatsApp. Why do I get this?
Advertisers report it on ads without any WhatsApp destination, which points to a bug on Meta’s side. Unticking and re-ticking Instagram in the ad set’s placements is the workaround with the most confirmations.
Does duplicating the ad fix it?
Not reliably: in the same thread, one advertiser thanks this tip but three say the copy kept the error.
Do I lose the ad’s results if I reconnect WhatsApp?
Meta’s message only says the ad can run again once the number is reconnected; it does not mention losing results.
Related errors
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