X Ads — Update User Access, Roles & Ad Account Permissions | OpsBlu Docs

X Ads — Update User Access, Roles & Ad Account Permissions

Adjust X Ads user roles between Account Admin, Ad Manager, and Analyst, and reassign ad account and funding permissions.

Update Access & Roles

Use this checklist when responsibilities shift and a user's access needs to change in X Ads. Updating access allows you to adjust permissions without removing and re-adding users.

Role changes take effect immediately in X Ads. Users don't need to log out - permissions update on their next page load.

When to Update Access

Update user access when:

  • A role changes: Ad Manager promoted to Account Administrator, or Administrator stepping down
  • Billing visibility changes: Finance needs billing access added or removed
  • Temporary elevation: User needs Administrator for one-time task (e.g., payment method setup)
  • Security or compliance requirement: Audit reveals user has more access than needed
  • Responsibilities shift: Campaign manager transitions to analytics role

Pre-Update Assessment

Before making changes:

Clarify the change

  • Which ad account does this apply to? If you have multiple ad accounts, the change must be made separately in each.
  • What role does the user currently have vs. what they need? (Administrator, Ad Manager, Analyst)
  • Is billing affected? Account Administrators automatically have billing access; Ad Managers and Analysts do not.
  • Permanent or temporary? Document planned revert date if temporary.

Review current state

  1. Go to avatar → Edit access to account in the ad account
  2. Locate the user in the access list
  3. Note their current role
  4. Screenshot for "before" record

Identify owned assets

If reducing permissions (downgrading Administrator to Ad Manager):

  • Check if user manages critical funding sources or payment methods
  • Ensure another Administrator can handle billing if this user is being downgraded
  • Review campaigns, audiences, conversion events they manage

Obtain approval

For role elevations or billing additions, obtain approval from:

  • User's manager or ad account owner
  • Finance if adding Account Administrator (billing) access
  • Save approval for compliance

Change Execution

Step 1: Access user management

  1. Sign in to X Ads as Account Administrator
  2. Navigate to the correct ad account
  3. Click avatar → Edit access to account

Step 2: Locate the user

  1. Find the user in the access list
  2. Review their current role before making changes

Step 3: Change role

  1. Click on the user's current role dropdown or edit button
  2. Select the new role:
    • Account Administrator: Full control including billing, user management, campaign management
    • Ad Manager: Campaign and audience management without billing or user access
    • Analyst: Read-only reporting access
  3. Consider impact:
    • Upgrading to Administrator: User gains billing and user management rights immediately
    • Downgrading from Administrator: User loses billing and user management rights; ensure another Administrator covers these
    • Downgrading to Analyst: User loses all editing rights

Step 4: Save and verify

  1. Click Save or Update
  2. The change takes effect immediately
  3. Verify the updated role appears in the access list
  4. Screenshot for "after" record

Step 5: Notify the user

  1. Email or message the user about the change:
    • New role and what it allows or restricts
    • Billing access status
    • Any revised procedures
  2. Provide contact for questions

Post-Update Validation

User confirmation

  • Ask user to log in and confirm they can perform expected actions
  • If downgraded, verify they cannot access old role features (e.g., former Administrator should not see billing or user management options)
  • If upgraded, verify they can access new features

Documentation

  • Update access log with:
    • User @handle and name
    • Date of change
    • Role: old → new
    • Reason and approver
    • Ad account(s) affected
  • Update internal rosters
  • Add note to ticketing system

Monitoring

  • Set follow-up reminder for 1-2 weeks to check for issues
  • If temporary, set alert to revert on planned date
  • Include in next quarterly access review

Troubleshooting

User still has old role permissions:

  • Verify role change was saved in Edit access to account
  • Have user log out and back in to refresh session
  • Check if they have access through a different X account
  • Contact X Ads support if persists

User can't perform tasks with new role:

  • Verify they're in the correct ad account
  • Confirm the role change was saved correctly
  • Ensure they understand the new role's capabilities

Accidentally downgraded only Administrator:

  • If you removed the last Administrator, contact X Ads support immediately for account recovery
  • Always verify another Administrator exists before downgrading

User needs role change across multiple ad accounts:

  • X has no MCC structure; repeat this process for each ad account separately

Best Practices

  • Always verify another Administrator exists when downgrading the current Administrator
  • Screenshot before and after for compliance
  • Document the reason for audit trails
  • Set revert reminders for temporary elevations
  • Notify user immediately after changes
  • Run quarterly reviews to catch stale permissions
  • Check all ad accounts if user has access to multiple

Common Use Cases

Promoting Ad Manager to Account Administrator:

  1. Obtain approval from ad account owner or finance
  2. Change role to Account Administrator
  3. Verify can access billing and user management
  4. Document promotion with approver
  5. Notify user of new billing and user management responsibilities

Downgrading Account Administrator to Ad Manager:

  1. Confirm no longer needs billing or user management
  2. Ensure another Administrator exists
  3. Change role to Ad Manager
  4. Verify cannot access billing or Edit access to account
  5. Document and notify user

Temporarily elevating for payment method setup:

  1. Obtain approval with revert date (e.g., "Administrator for 24 hours to add payment method")
  2. Change role to Account Administrator
  3. Notify user to complete task
  4. Set reminder to downgrade on revert date
  5. Verify payment method configured after revert

Changing Ad Manager to Analyst (transitioning to analytics role):

  1. Confirm employee no longer needs to edit campaigns
  2. Document campaigns and audiences they managed
  3. Change role to Analyst
  4. Verify can view reports but cannot edit campaigns
  5. Notify user of read-only access
  6. Document role change

Adding Account Administrator for finance team:

  1. Confirm needs billing and payment method management
  2. Change role to Account Administrator
  3. Verify can access billing settings
  4. Document with finance approval
  5. Notify can manage payment methods and credit lines

Removing billing by downgrading Administrator:

  1. Confirm no longer handles billing tasks
  2. Ensure another Administrator handles billing
  3. Change to Ad Manager or Analyst
  4. Verify cannot access billing
  5. Document change

Key Differences from Other Platforms

  • No granular billing toggle: Unlike some platforms, X Ads doesn't have a separate billing permission. Account Administrators automatically have billing; Ad Managers and Analysts do not.
  • Immediate effect: Changes take effect instantly without user logout
  • No MCC structure: Each ad account must be updated separately if user has access to multiple
  • Simple role model: Only 3 main roles (Administrator, Ad Manager, Analyst) vs. more complex role matrices on other platforms
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