Microsoft Advertising suspensions: What triggers them and how to appeal

Take the right steps — and avoid common mistakes — when facing account suspensions advises Microsoft Ads Liaison Navah Hopkins. Hopkins stresses that Microsoft takes security “very seriously,” applies a three-strike system for policy violations, and has humans review every appeal.

Why we care. Microsoft suspends accounts for severe or repeated policy violations. That includes the most serious offenses, such as distributing child sexual abuse imagery or using an account for phishing.

Less extreme but repeated violations, like unsolicited contact attempts, can also trigger suspension. In permanent cases, account owners forfeit subscriptions, licenses, and balances tied to their Microsoft account.

What you should do. The right steps are straightforward:

• Complete advertiser verification to ensure your business and identity details are up to date.
• File an appeal through the Microsoft Digital Safety portal, laying out why you believe the suspension was in error.
• If you don’t hear back within a week, chat with Microsoft support to confirm your case is progressing.

What you should not do:

• Don’t create new accounts to work around a suspension.
• Don’t reapply under different names or identities.
• Don’t spin up a new LLC to evade enforcement.

These tactics don’t work and can trigger automated, irreversible bans.

The appeal process. Every appeal is reviewed by a human team. Microsoft may ask for more information via email, and most advertisers can expect a decision within about 14 days.

• Hopkins recommends strengthening appeals by being specific about what went wrong, showing proof of remediation, and ensuring consistency across business names, billing information, and websites.

Between the lines. Microsoft enforces a three-strike policy. Hopkins encourages advertisers to ask questions before launching campaigns – either through Copilot in the Microsoft Advertising UI or by chatting with support – to avoid mistakes that could escalate into suspensions.

Bottom line. Hopkins’ message: stick to the official process. Verification, appeal, and follow-up are the only reliable paths to reinstatement. Workarounds are more likely to result in permanent bans than restored accounts.