You can create a Meta Business account (formerly called Facebook Business Manager) for free at business.facebook.com by clicking “Create Account” and entering your business name, your name, and a business email address. The entire initial setup takes under five minutes, though connecting your assets and verifying your business identity will take longer. Here’s how to get through each step.
What You Need Before You Start
To create a Meta Business account, you need two things: a personal Facebook profile and a working email address. Your personal profile is used to confirm your identity and log you in, but your name and personal details won’t be visible to people who interact with your business account. The email address you provide will become the primary contact for notifications, so use one you check regularly. A domain-based email (like you@yourbusiness.com) is ideal, especially if you plan to verify your business later.
You should also have your business name, address, and website URL ready. Meta asks for these during setup, and changing them later can trigger a review process that slows things down.
Creating the Account Step by Step
Go to business.facebook.com and click “Create Account.” You’ll be prompted to log in with your personal Facebook credentials if you aren’t already signed in. From there, the process is straightforward:
- Enter your business name. Use your legal business name exactly as it appears on official documents. If your company is registered as “Riverstone Marketing, LLC,” type that, not “Riverstone Marketing.”
- Enter your name. This is your name as the account creator, not the business name again.
- Enter your business email. Meta will send a confirmation link to this address. Click it to activate your account.
Once you confirm the email, your Meta Business account (also called a Business Portfolio) is live. You’ll land in Meta Business Suite, which is the dashboard where you manage everything: Pages, ad accounts, Instagram profiles, and team access.
Connecting Your Facebook Page
A new Meta Business account is essentially an empty container. The next step is connecting the assets you want to manage through it. If you already have a Facebook Page for your business, you can claim it by going to “Accounts” in the left menu of Business Suite, selecting “Pages,” and clicking the button to add a page. You’ll need admin access to that Page to connect it.
If you don’t have a Facebook Page yet, you can create one directly from within Business Suite. Meta will walk you through choosing a Page name, category, and profile image. The Page you create here will automatically be owned by your Business Portfolio.
Linking Your Instagram Account
You can connect your Instagram account to your Business Portfolio in two ways, depending on where you start.
From Meta Business Suite, scroll down to “Accounts” in the left menu, click “Instagram account,” then click the blue “Add” button. You’ll be asked to agree to the terms, then log in to Instagram in a popup window. Confirm the connection, and your Instagram account will appear inside your Business Portfolio.
Alternatively, you can start from your Facebook Page. Go to your Page settings, find “Linked accounts” in the left menu, and select Instagram. Click “Connect Account,” log in to Instagram, and choose whether you want to allow access to Instagram messages from your Facebook inbox. If your Page is already part of a Business Portfolio, Meta will prompt you to add the Instagram account to that same portfolio automatically.
Either method works. The Business Suite route is slightly faster if you’re already logged in there.
Setting Up Ad Accounts
If you plan to run paid ads on Facebook or Instagram, you’ll need an ad account inside your Business Portfolio. Go to “Accounts” in Business Suite, select “Ad accounts,” and click to add one. You can create a new ad account, claim an existing one you own, or request access to someone else’s ad account (useful if an agency runs ads on your behalf).
When creating a new ad account, you’ll choose your time zone, currency, and payment method. Pick these carefully, because the time zone and currency can’t be changed after creation. You can add a credit card, debit card, or PayPal as your payment method, and Meta will charge you based on your ad spend.
Adding Team Members and Setting Permissions
One of the main reasons to use a Meta Business account is managing who has access to your business assets. You can invite team members by email and assign them specific roles rather than handing over your personal login.
By default, people you add have no admin permissions. You control exactly what each person can do. To manage someone’s access, go to “Account management” in the left menu, click the person’s name, then select the “Access” tab and click “Manage admin roles.” From there, you can check the boxes next to the roles you want to assign. If you need to update permissions for many people at once, use the “Admin roles” section instead, where you can assign a role to individuals or entire groups in bulk.
Keep admin access limited to people who truly need it. Give employees access only to the specific Pages, ad accounts, or Instagram profiles they work with. If someone leaves your team, you can revoke their access instantly without changing any passwords.
Verifying Your Business
Business verification is not required to create the account, but Meta requires it before you can access certain features, including custom audiences, domain verification for link tracking, and higher spending limits on ads. Verification proves to Meta that your business is a real, registered entity.
To start verification, go to the Security Center in your Business Settings. You’ll need to provide your legal business name, legal address, phone number, website URL, and a domain-based email address. Every detail you enter must be an exact, character-for-character match with your legal documents. Don’t abbreviate or paraphrase.
Meta requires at least two types of supporting documents: one to prove your legal business name and one to prove your address or phone number. Sometimes a single document, like a recent bank statement, can satisfy both. All documents must be dated within the last three to six months. Commonly accepted documents include:
- For legal name: Articles of incorporation, articles of organization, an EIN confirmation letter from the IRS, or a business license.
- For address or phone number: A utility bill, bank statement, or business license that shows the address.
After you submit your documents, Meta reviews them manually. Approval can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks. If something doesn’t match, Meta will reject the submission and tell you what needs to be corrected, so double-check everything before you submit.
Account Creation Limits
Meta limits how many Business Portfolios a single person can create. If you see an error message saying “You have reached the limit for the number of Businesses you can create at this time,” it means your personal Facebook profile has hit that cap. This limit exists to prevent spam and misuse.
To fix this, review your existing Business Portfolios and delete any you no longer use. If you were added as an admin to other people’s portfolios, those may count toward your limit as well. Removing yourself from inactive accounts can free up a slot. If you still can’t create a new account after cleaning up, you may need to use a different personal Facebook profile or wait before Meta lifts the restriction.
Securing Your Account
Once your Meta Business account is set up, turn on two-factor authentication for your personal Facebook profile. Because your personal profile is the key that unlocks your business account, protecting it with two-factor authentication protects everything connected to it. You can enable this in Facebook’s security settings by choosing to receive a code via an authentication app or text message each time you log in from a new device.
Require two-factor authentication for everyone on your team as well. You can enforce this from the Security Center in your Business Settings, which lets you set a requirement that all users must have it enabled before they can access any business assets.