Facebook Ads Running But Not Spending? 16 Fixes You Need to Know

You launched your campaign. Ads are approved. Everything looks green.

But—zero spend. No reach. No clicks.

Frustrating? Yep. But you're not the only one dealing with it.

Facebook ad delivery issues are more common than most marketers admit. Whether you're new to the platform or running dozens of ad accounts at an ad agency, it only takes one overlooked setting to stop everything cold.

This article breaks down 16 most common reasons your Facebook ads are running but not spending—and exactly how to fix each one.

No jargon. No fluff. Just clear, practical fixes you can use right now.

TL;DR

• Facebook ads may run without spending due to issues like low ad budget, small audience size, or ad account limits
• New campaigns and accounts often face initial delivery restrictions
• Facebook video ads also face delivery issues if targeting, bidding, or creative isn't aligned
• Poor creative, bidding errors, or targeting conflicts can quietly block delivery
• Ad approval delays, scheduling conflicts, and inactive ad sets can stall the reach

Facebook Ads Running But Not Spending Issues

If your UGC ads are live but not spending, one of these 16 issues is likely the reason—and each one has a fix.

1. New Ad Account

Facebook uses a daily spending limit to control ad spend based on ad account history. These limits gradually lift as you build trust with Meta Business Manager. This means your ad costs may remain zero for the first few weeks, even if your setup is flawless.

How to fix it:
Keep things simple in the beginning. Start with a low daily budget, pay your invoices promptly, and avoid making too many changes all at once. Facebook needs time to determine your credibility as an advertiser.

Pro tip:
Don’t panic if early campaigns don't spend. Give them a few days to ramp up. Also, avoid making frequent changes as they may trigger Facebook’s risk systems, and your ad account may be flagged.

2. Payment Method Issues

Ad accounts can pause spending if the credit card reaches its limit. Other reasons that can stop your ad spending include expired cards or unsupported payment types.

How to fix it:
Go to the Billing & payments settings in your Ads Manager and look for warnings or failed payments.

If something feels off, try updating your payment details or switching to another card for good measure.

Quick tip:
Always add a backup payment method to avoid unplanned delivery issues. Facebook ads can stop spending if the payment method is invalid. This way, your ads will continue running even if your primary card fails.

3. Ad Not Approved

If your ad doesn’t meet Facebook’s ad policies, it won’t run. Even small issues can get your ad rejected. That includes clickbait headlines, too much image text, or promoting restricted content by mistake.So, always check for disapproval notices.

How to fix it:
Go to Campaigns in your Ads Manager and check the Delivery column. If your ad was rejected, it'll be red-flagged.

Click on Ad set error(s) → View ad sets to read the reason. You can then make the required edits and resubmit.

Pro tip:
Skip the clickbait, avoid bold claims, and make sure your new creatives use clear, high-quality visuals. Facebook’s review system is mostly automated, and it doesn’t cut much slack.

4. Audience Too Small

Your Facebook ad needs at least 100 users in its target audience. If you add too many filters—like age, location, interests, or job titles—your audience might get too small for your ad to run.

How to fix it:
Loosen up your targeting. Expand the age range, add more locations or languages. Even small changes can help.

Another easy fix is to use Lookalike Audiences. This feature helps you find new people who are similar to your current customers.

To create a Lookalike Audience, your original group (or, in other words, source audience) should have at least 100 people from the same country. However, Facebook recommends having between 1,000 and 5,000 people in your source audience for better results.

In short, the bigger the list, the better it works. It’s one of the easiest ways to reach more people who might want what you’re offering.

Pro tip:
Facebook performs better with broader audience sizes that it can optimize over time. So, as a general rule of thumb, avoid hyper-targeted ads.

5. Budget Too Low

Facebook’s ad system works like an auction. Your ad might get outbid if your daily or lifetime ad budget is too low, especially when competition is high. Even a tiny difference can keep your ad from being shown.

How to fix it:
Try raising your daily budget just a little. Moving from $1 to $5 can often be enough to get things moving. And with new campaigns, aim for $5–$10/day to give Facebook room to optimize.

Pro tip:
Your bid strategy and budget work together. Too-low bids plus a minimal budget equals zero delivery.

6. Low Bids

If you're using manual bidding and your bid strategy isn’t competitive, your ad set might not win enough auctions. And since Facebook’s system prioritizes higher bids, there's a high chance your ad might get skipped entirely.

How to fix it:
Try switching to automatic bidding, especially if you’re not sure what a competitive bid looks like. If you stick with manual, start with a higher bid and scale down once results start flowing.

Pro tip:
Unless you know exactly what you're doing, let Facebook handle the bidding. Manual bids can either waste your budget or stop delivery cold if they're off the mark.

7. Still in Review

Every ad goes through Facebook’s review process before it can run. Normally, it takes less than 24 hours, but during busy times, it can take longer. And as long as your ad’s under review, you won’t spend anything.

How to fix it:
Give it a little time. If it’s been more than a day, try duplicating the ad and publishing the new version. That can sometimes trigger a fresh review and speed things up.

Pro tip:
Don’t wait until the weekend or late at night to launch ads. Reviews tend to slow down outside business hours, so plan ahead when possible.

8. Account Spending Limit

Check if you’ve set a spending limit on your account, either on purpose or by mistake. Once you hit that cap, Facebook automatically pauses all active ads, even if individual campaigns still have budget left.

How to fix it:
Once inside the Billings & payments tab, find "Account spending limit" and click on the three-dots to set your limit. Raise it or remove it entirely to get your ads running again.

Pro tip:
Account spending limits are great for keeping your total advertising spend in check, but they’re easy to forget about. Facebook doesn’t always send obvious alerts when you hit them, so it’s worth checking now and then.

9. Overlapping Audiences

If two or more of your ad sets are targeting the same people, your ads are essentially competing with each other. In that scenario, Facebook steps in to stop them from bidding against each other. This probable overlap can stall delivery across all affected ad sets.

How to fix it:
Use Facebook's Audience Overlap tool in Ads Manager to see if your ad sets are targeting the same people. If they are, consider combining similar ad sets or adjusting your targeting to ensure each ad set reaches a distinct audience.

Pro tip:
Avoid duplicating ad sets with only tiny tweaks. Instead, test different audiences in separate campaigns. This keeps things organized and avoids internal competition.

10. Low Quality Score

Customer feedback scores influence Facebook ad delivery performance. So, when your ad gets low clicks, reports, or generally has a lot of negative reactions, Facebook sees it as low quality. That means it gets shown less or not at all. The platform favors content that keeps users engaged.

How to fix it:
Update your creatives to achieve the desired action from your audiences. Try sharper visuals, simpler messaging, and stronger calls to action (CTA). Don’t be afraid to A/B test a few versions to see what actually connects.

Pro tip:
Skip the generic stock photos and long-winded copy. Ads that look and feel native to the feed—clean, relevant, and eye-catching—tend to perform way better.

11. Incompatible Ad Objective

Using the wrong ad objective can confuse Facebook’s algorithm. For example, if you pick “Conversions” but don’t have any pixel data yet, Facebook won’t know who to show your ad to—and it likely won’t spend.

How to fix it:
Start with a simpler goal, like Traffic or Engagement. Once your ad gets some activity, you can switch to a conversion-based result goal. This gives Facebook time to learn and find people who are more likely to take a specific action.

Pro tip:
Don’t jump into conversion campaigns right away. Wait until you have solid pixel data or past purchase history. Let the system warm up before asking it to go for the sale.

12. No Recent Conversions

When Facebook sees zero conversions over time, it assumes your ad isn’t working and starts limiting delivery. The system needs recent conversion data to keep showing your ad to the right people. Without it, performance will eventually drop.

How to fix it:
Switch your objective to something broader, like Link Clicks or Landing Page Views. This helps your ad build momentum. Once you start getting activity, you can switch back to conversions to go after your main goal.

Pro tip:
Don’t count on conversions from cold audiences right out of the gate. Warm them up first, then use retargeting to drive actual results.

13. Inactive Ad Set or Campaign

Even if the ad "looks" active, check if the ad campaign is paused. It’s a common oversight, especially when scanning through Ads Manager quickly.

How to fix it:
The fix here is simple—make sure your ad, ad set, and campaign are all turned on. Just one pause at any level will stop your ad from delivering.

Pro tip:
Check the “Delivery” column in Ads Manager—it’s the fastest way to spot anything marked “Paused” or “Not Delivering.”

14. Delayed Start Time

Scheduled ads won’t spend until the clock hits your chosen start time. Double-check it.

How to fix it:
Go to the ad set level and check the start date and time. If it’s set in the future, either change it to “Start Immediately” or adjust the schedule as needed.

Pro tip:
Always double-check start times when duplicating ads. Facebook copies over the original schedule, which can lead to unexpected delays.

15. Targeting Conflicts

Adding excessive filters to your target audiences, like age, language, behavior, etc., can prevent proper delivery of your ads.

How to fix it:
Simplify your targeting. Start broad and then narrow based on performance. Aim for just one or two key traits per campaign to keep your reach healthy.

Pro tip:
Use Audience Insights to learn what’s working. Once you know, build lookalike audiences instead of stacking tons of filters. It’s a more efficient way to scale without blocking delivery.

16. Poor Landing Page Experience

When people click your ad but bounce right away, Facebook sees it as a bad experience. Slow load times, confusing layouts, or content that doesn’t match the ad can all hurt your performance—and stop delivery.

How to fix it:
Make sure your landing page loads quickly, works well on mobile, and clearly delivers what the ad promised. Always test it yourself before launching the campaign.

Pro tip:
Use tools like PageSpeed Insights or Meta’s ad diagnostics to check for issues. Even small fixes—like faster loading or cleaner design—can boost engagement and keep your ad running.

FAQ

Why is Facebook ad active but not spending?

Your ad may appear active, but hidden issues like low budget, small audiences, pending reviews, or spending limits could block it. Check all levels—ad, ad set, and campaign—for anything marked “Paused” or “Not Delivering.”

Why are my Facebook ads running but no sales?

If your Facebook ad gets views but no conversions, something’s off—maybe the offer, website, or targeting. Cold audiences often need warming up first with traffic or engagement before they’re ready to buy.

How long does it take FB ads to start spending?

Most ads start spending within an hour. If not, it could be stuck in review, scheduled for later, or missing the right budget or demographics. If there’s still no spend after 24 hours, it’s time to troubleshoot.

Why are my Facebook ads active but no reach?

If your ad is getting zero reach, Facebook isn’t showing it to anyone. That’s often caused by low bids, ultra-narrow targeting, or paused settings you may have missed. Try expanding your audience or increasing your budget to get things moving.