Articles on: FAQ

Enable Advertising for Your Facebook and Instagram Accounts (Personalized Ads Required)

Cause: “Less-Personalized Ads” or “No-Ads Subscription” Chosen in the Meta Account (EU/EEA/CH)

When a user connects their Facebook Page and/or Instagram Account to Ctrl+A, the campaign normally becomes eligible for delivery immediately.

If the campaign instead stays in WITH_ISSUES and you see an error message such as:

error_code: 3858412
error_message: "Because <account> chose to see less-personalized ads, you cannot create ads."
error_type: HARD_ERROR
status: PAUSED

then Meta has blocked the campaign due to ad experience settings chosen by the connected user.

This restriction applies specifically in the EU, EEA and Switzerland due to regulatory requirements introduced by Meta in late 2023.

What Triggers the Block

In these regions, Meta requires every user to choose between:

Using Facebook/Instagram free of charge with personalized ads
Paid subscription for no ads
Free usage with “Less-Personalized Ads”

If a user selects either:

No-Ads Subscription, or
Less-Personalized Ads,

Meta restricts a wide range of advertising and monetization functions.

This affects:

Ads created directly in Ads Manager
Ads created for a Facebook Page
Ads created for an Instagram account
Ads created by third-party tools like Ctrl+A

Meta will not allow new ads to be created or existing campaigns to run until the user changes the setting.

Important: Impact of the Facebook–Instagram Link

Meta’s published documentation states:

“Running ads for a Facebook Page may not be available if the Page is linked to an Instagram account that has a subscription to use Meta products without ads, or has chosen to see less-personalised ads.”

This means:

Even if the Facebook Page itself is fully compliant,
A linked Instagram account with restricted ad settings may prevent the Page’s ads from running.

This behavior depends on the Page–Instagram link inside the Meta Accounts Center.

Typical Scenarios Where Ads Are Blocked

1. User has selected Less-Personalized Ads

The user chose to see ads with limited data usage.

Meta does not allow this account to run ads or participate in partnership ads.

2. User has an active No-Ads Subscription

Meta does not display ads to this user and does not allow them to create ads.

3. Page is linked to an Instagram account with restricted ad settings

If the Page and Instagram account are linked in the Accounts Center, the restriction applies to both assets.

4. User has not yet made the required choice

Until the user selects one of the available ad experience options, Meta blocks editing or creating campaigns.

5. User is under 18

Advertising and monetization are limited.

How to Fix the Issue

Option A (Recommended): Enable Personalized Ads

This fully restores all advertisement functionality.

Steps:

Open Instagram or Facebook
Go to Settings → Ads → Ad Preferences
Select “Personalized Ads”
Close and reopen the app
Restart the campaign in Ctrl+A

This takes effect immediately.

Option B: Remove the Linked Instagram Account (If the User Wants to Keep “Less-Personalized Ads”)

If the user does not want personalized ads:

Open Accounts Center (inside Facebook or Instagram)
Navigate to the connected profiles
Remove the affected Instagram account from the Facebook Page
Refresh the connection in Ctrl+A

After this change:

Facebook Page ads can run
Instagram ads remain disabled

Option C: Cancel the No-Ads Subscription

If the user subscribed to the paid no-ads offering:

Cancel the subscription (via Meta Pay, Apple App Store, or Google Play)
Optional: request a refund within the platform’s 14-day window
Once the cancellation is processed, ads become available again

Recommendations for Ctrl+A Users

Keep Personalized Ads enabled on all accounts used for business advertising
Avoid using the No-Ads Subscription on accounts linked to business assets
If a campaign is blocked, first check:

Instagram → Settings → Ads → Ad Preferences

Summary

Your campaign cannot start because Meta blocks advertising for users who have:

Enabled Less-Personalized Ads, or
Subscribed to No-Ads, or
Linked a Facebook Page to an Instagram account with these settings

Ads are allowed again once the user either:

Switches to Personalized Ads,
Removes the Instagram account from the Page link,
Or cancels the No-Ads Subscription.

Updated on: 25/11/2025

Was this article helpful?

Thank you!