Meta Business Manager: Set Up a Business Portfolio
Meta Business Manager is now called a business portfolio. It’s the container that brings your Facebook Pages, Instagram accounts, ad accounts and catalogs, and the people allowed to work on them, into one place. Its old Business settings now live under Settings in Meta Business Suite. You create one at business.facebook.com, and each person can create up to 2.
Older guides still say Business Manager; this table translates them. More Facebook basics: how to use Facebook.
| If a guide says | Meta now says | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Business Manager | Business portfolio | Same container for assets and people |
| Business settings | Settings in Meta Business Suite | Meta began moving it “gradually” by November 2024 |
| Create a Business Manager | Create a business portfolio | Up to 2 per person, then and now |
| Business admin | Full control | Manages everything |
| Employee | Basic access | The default for new people |
| Developer | Apps and integrations | Conversions API, apps, access tokens |
Table of Contents
- What is Meta Business Manager called now?
- What does a business portfolio hold, and do you need one?
- How do you create a business portfolio?
- How do you add a Page, Instagram account and ad account?
- How do you add people, and what do the roles mean now?
- How do agencies get partner access to a client’s assets?
- Business portfolio vs Meta Business Suite
- Meta Business Manager FAQ
What is Meta Business Manager called now?
A business portfolio. Meta hasn’t published a date for the switch; the reliable record is how its own help was worded over time:
- September 2023: the help article was still titled “Create a Business Manager” and called Meta Business Manager “a tool that helps you organise and manage your business”. It also said you could only create two Business Manager accounts. Checked against Meta Business Help Centre: Create a Business Manager (Internet Archive capture)Archived copy, 12 September 2023
- November 2024: Meta’s help called the container a business portfolio, used in both Meta Business Suite and Business Manager, and said: “We’re gradually upgrading Business settings in Business Manager.” People could be redirected to Settings in Meta Business Suite. Checked against Meta Business Help Center: About business portfolios (Internet Archive capture)Archived copy, 4 November 2024
- Today: Meta’s live article about business portfolios doesn’t mention Business Manager at all, and we found no Meta page that gives a rename date. Checked against Meta Business Help Center: About business portfoliosNot verified
The old name survives in places: Meta’s article on merging Pages still requires both to sit under the same Business Manager account (see our guide to merging Facebook Pages). Checked against Facebook Help Center: Merge 2 Facebook Pages
Where did Business settings go?
To Settings in Meta Business Suite: pick the portfolio in the top-left dropdown, then click Settings in the left menu. People, partners, Pages, ad accounts and Instagram are managed there, though labels vary by account. Checked against Meta Business Help Center: About Settings in Meta Business Suite
What does a business portfolio hold, and do you need one?
It holds an organization’s Facebook Pages, Instagram accounts, Threads accounts, ad accounts, catalogs and other business assets, plus the people who access them. Meta says you need one to use Meta Business Suite, enroll in monthly invoicing, run ads about social issues, elections or politics, verify a domain or create a publisher block list. Checked against Meta Business Help Center: About business portfolios
Three rules to know first:
- One home per asset. A Page, Instagram account or ad account can belong to only 1 business portfolio.
- Your contact details are visible. People you add to the portfolio can see your contact information.
- New portfolios start limited. Some advertising features may not be available at first; Business Support Home shows what you have.
How do you create a business portfolio?
Go to business.facebook.com, open the dropdown below Home, click Create a business portfolio and give it your business’s public name. You can personally create up to 2 portfolios and belong to any number.
On a computer:
- Go to business.facebook.com and log in with your Facebook profile or managed Meta account.
- Click the dropdown menu below Home in the top left.
- Click Create a business portfolio.
- Enter a name that matches your business's public name (no special characters).
- If you logged in with a Facebook profile, enter your first and last name and business email.
- Click Create or Create portfolio, then confirm your business email from the email Meta sends.
Checked against Meta Business Help Center: Create a business portfolio in Meta Business Suite.
How do you add a Page, Instagram account and ad account?
All three are added from Settings in Meta Business Suite. A Page you own goes in under Pages, and your business then owns it; an Instagram professional account can join if it isn’t already in another portfolio; and an ad account can be created, claimed or requested. A new portfolio can create one ad account at first, rising to 3 after a campaign delivers and a payment is made.
Add a Facebook Page
You need full control of the portfolio, and the Page can’t already be owned by another person or business. People who already had access keep it, and if the Page is linked to an Instagram account, add that account too.
On a computer:
- Go to Meta Business Suite, then Settings.
- Click Pages under Accounts.
- Click + Add, then Add an existing Facebook Page (or Create a new Facebook Page, or Request shared access to a Facebook Page).
- Enter the Page name or URL and click Next.
- Review the request and terms, check the box, click Add Page, then Done.
Checked against Meta Business Help Center: Add a Facebook Page to your organization's business portfolio in Meta Business Suite.
For a client’s Page, pick Request shared access to a Facebook Page in step 3 instead.
Add an Instagram account
Only a professional account can be added (a personal one is asked to switch), you need full control of the portfolio, and an account can sit in only one portfolio. One linked to a personal Facebook profile, rather than a Page, can’t be added. Once it’s in, new campaigns include Instagram as a placement automatically. Checked against Meta Business Help Center: How do I add an Instagram account to my business portfolio in Meta Business Suite?
On a computer:
- Go to Settings in Meta Business Suite for your business portfolio.
- Click Instagram accounts below Accounts in the left menu.
- Click Add, review the information, then click Add Instagram account.
- Log in to Instagram in the new window (set up a professional account if prompted).
- Enter your security code if you use two-factor authentication, then click Confirm.
Checked against Meta Business Help Center: Why can't I add my Instagram profile to my business portfolio in Meta Business Suite?.
Add an ad account
A new ad account created in a portfolio stays there permanently, and claiming an existing one may move it in for good. Closed ad accounts still count toward the limit, which rises with ad spend.
On a computer:
- Go to Settings in Meta Business Suite.
- Select Accounts in the left menu, then Ad accounts.
- Click the + Add dropdown and choose Create a new ad account, Add an ad account (claim) or Request access to an ad account in another business portfolio.
- Follow the prompts (name, time zone and currency for a new account; the ad account ID to claim or request).
Checked against Meta Business Help Center: Add an ad account to your business portfolio in Meta Business Suite.
How do you add people, and what do the roles mean now?
Someone with full control opens Settings, clicks People, then Invite people, enters the person’s email address (it must match their Facebook account), and picks their portfolio permissions and assets. The person must accept before they get access. Old role names map to new ones in the table below.
On a computer:
- Go to Settings in Meta Business Suite for your business portfolio.
- Click People in the left menu, then Invite people.
- Enter the person's email address (it must match their Facebook account) or select their managed Meta account.
- Click Next, choose business portfolio permissions, then click Next.
- Select business assets and permissions, then click Invite.
Checked against Meta Business Help Center: Add people to a business portfolio and assign a business asset.
New people can take a few days to get every feature, and another person with full control may need to approve the invite under Settings > Requests.
| Access | Formerly | What it allows |
|---|---|---|
| Full control | Business admin | Everything: portfolio settings, people, tools and assets |
| Basic (partial access) | Employee | Only the assets they’re assigned; the default for new people |
| Apps and integrations (partial access) | Developer | Set up the Conversions API, monitor events, edit apps, create access tokens |
| Finance (optional extra) | Not stated | View or manage transactions, invoices, account spend and payment methods |
| Temporary | Not stated | Basic access only, for 3 to 75 days, then removed automatically |
Checked against Meta Business Help Center: About business portfolio and business asset permissions in Meta Business Suite.
Portfolio access vs Page access
A Page also has its own access levels: Facebook access (full or partial control), task access (only in tools such as Meta Business Suite) and Community Manager access (live chat moderation). Only full control manages the Page’s settings, access and deletion, and Meta notes the levels differ when the Page is in a business portfolio. Checked against Facebook Help Center: Create and manage a Facebook Page
How do agencies get partner access to a client’s assets?
The client shares its assets with the agency’s own business portfolio, by entering the agency’s portfolio ID under Partners in Settings; only someone with full control of the client’s portfolio can do it. The client stays the owner: even a partner given full control can’t share those assets with another business.
On a computer:
- Go to Settings in Meta Business Suite for your business portfolio.
- Click Partners in the Users section of the left menu.
- Click Add, then select Give a partner access to your assets.
- Enter your partner's business portfolio ID and click Next.
- Choose the assets and the access level (and tasks, for partial access), then click Assign assets.
Checked against Meta Business Help Center: Give a partner access to business assets in your business portfolio.
A partner-access playbook
- Both sides need a portfolio. The agency gives the client its business portfolio ID.
- Turn on two-factor authentication first. Meta recommends it for the portfolio before you share anything.
- Share, don’t transfer. Adding a Page makes your business its owner, and claiming an ad account may move it permanently. For client assets, use partner access, or the request options in the agency’s own Settings.
- Grant the least access that works. Partial access covers only the tasks you pick.
- Ownership decides the exit. Only the owner can share an asset with another business, and Meta’s partner access article also links how the owner changes or removes a partner’s access (checked 2 October 2026).
Outfeed AI, which we make, sits outside all of this: it doesn’t manage portfolios, people or ad accounts, and on Facebook it publishes to Pages only. For agencies managing many accounts across networks from one chat, Agency is $149 per seat a month for up to 250 connected accounts; Starter ($29/mo) and Pro ($59/mo) are flat per organization, not per seat. TikTok posts currently publish as private while TikTok reviews our app.
Start with Outfeed AI for your clients’ other networks
Business portfolio vs Meta Business Suite
The portfolio is the container; Meta Business Suite is the workspace. The portfolio holds assets, people and permissions. The Suite is where you post, schedule, answer messages and read insights, and you need a portfolio to use it. The portfolio’s settings live inside the Suite, which is why the two get mixed up. Checked against Meta Business Help Center: About business portfolios
More in our Meta Business Suite guide, on Meta Business Suite pricing and on how to schedule Facebook posts.
Meta Business Manager FAQ
What is Meta Business Manager called now?
A business portfolio. Meta’s business help now uses that name, and the old Business settings sit under Settings in Meta Business Suite. Meta hasn’t published a date for the change: its help still had a ‘Create a Business Manager’ article in September 2023, and by November 2024 it called the container a business portfolio.
What is the difference between Meta Business Manager and Meta Business Suite?
Business Manager, now a business portfolio, is the container for your Facebook Pages, Instagram accounts, ad accounts, catalogs and the people who work on them. Meta Business Suite is the day-to-day tool for posting, scheduling, messages and insights, and you need a business portfolio to use it.
How do I create a Meta Business Manager account?
Create a business portfolio, which is what Business Manager became. At business.facebook.com, click the dropdown below Home in the top left, then Create a business portfolio, and enter your business’s public name (plus your name and business email if you logged in with a Facebook profile). Click Create, then confirm your business email.
How do I add someone to my Business Manager or business portfolio?
Someone with full control goes to Settings in Meta Business Suite, clicks People, then Invite people, and enters the person’s email address, which must match their Facebook account. Next they choose portfolio permissions, then assets and permissions, and click Invite. The person has to accept before they get access.
How many Business Managers can I have?
You can personally create up to 2 business portfolios, which is what Business Managers are called now, and there’s no limit on how many you can belong to. Each business asset, such as a Page or an ad account, can belong to only 1 business portfolio.