- Business Manager, business portfolio, Business Suite: what's what
- What you need before you start
- How to create a business portfolio
- The limit nobody mentions: two portfolios
- How to add people and give them access
- Privacy: what other people can see
- What you can do once it's set up
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
If you're looking for Meta Business Manager (or Facebook Business Manager), you'll find the same job done today by a business portfolio inside Meta Business Suite. A business portfolio is the container that holds your Facebook Pages, Instagram accounts and ad accounts, plus the people who can use them, and you create one at business.facebook.com.
Meta's own help centre now talks about business portfolios rather than Business Manager, which is why so many people search for the old name and land somewhere confusing. The good news is that the steps are short, and the rules that matter fit on one screen.
Everything below comes from Meta's Business Help Center, read in October 2026.
Business Manager, business portfolio, Business Suite: what's what
| Name you'll see | What it means today |
|---|---|
| Business Manager / Facebook Business Manager | The older name people still search for. Meta's help pages describe the same job as a business portfolio |
| Business portfolio | The container for your business assets (Pages, Instagram accounts, ad accounts) and the people who can access them |
| Meta Business Suite | The free tool, on desktop and in its own mobile app, where you manage your portfolio, content, inbox, insights and simple ads |
| Ads Manager | The tool for detailed campaigns with advanced targeting, reachable from All tools inside Business Suite |
Meta puts it plainly: to use Meta Business Suite, your business needs a business portfolio. So when someone tells you to "set up Business Manager", this is what they mean.
What you need before you start
- Access to Meta Business Suite, using either your Facebook profile or a managed Meta account.
- If you use a managed Meta account, organisation management permissions in Organization Manager. Meta says people with only people migration or IT settings access can't create a portfolio.
- A business name that matches your real public name. Meta says the portfolio name is visible across Meta and can't contain special characters.
One more thing to know up front. Meta says that to prevent advertising abuse, a new business portfolio or ad account may not get every advertising feature straight away. You can see which features you have, and what you need to do to get more, in Business Support Home.
How to create a business portfolio
These are Meta's steps for desktop:
- 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 the name of your business, matching its public name, with no special characters.
- If you're logged in with your Facebook profile, enter your first and last name and a business email. Meta uses this to contact you, and customers won't see it.
- Click Create (or Create portfolio). If you used your Facebook profile, confirm your business email from the message Meta sends.
The limit nobody mentions: two portfolios
Here's the rule that catches agencies and serial founders out. Meta says you can personally create up to 2 business portfolios. There's no limit on how many portfolios you can belong to.
So if you run several brands, don't burn your two on test accounts. Create the portfolio for the real business, and if you work with clients, ask them to add you to theirs rather than building one on their behalf.
How to add people and give them access
You need full control of a business portfolio to add people. Meta's steps:
- Go to Settings in Meta Business Suite for your portfolio.
- Click People in the left menu. If you can't see it, you probably don't have full control.
- Click Invite people in the top right.
- Enter the person's email address. It must match the email on their Facebook account. If they have a managed Meta account with your organisation, search for it instead.
- Choose their business portfolio permissions, then the assets they'll work on and what they can do with each one.
- Click Invite. They'll need to accept, and Meta says it can take a few days before every feature is available to them.
Meta's advice is to give people only the access they need. New people get basic access by default, and business portfolio permissions override all others, so think twice before handing out full control.
Privacy: what other people can see
This catches people out. When someone joins a business portfolio, Meta says their name, work email address and the assets they're assigned are visible to people with full control of the portfolio, and to people with full control of those assets. If you're a freelancer joining a client's portfolio, use the email you're happy for them to see.
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If a partner, such as an agency, shares an asset with your portfolio, you're limited to the permissions that partner gave you. That's often why you can't hand someone full control of a Page you think you own.
What you can do once it's set up
With the portfolio in place, Meta Business Suite gives you a home screen with a to-do list, a content calendar for Facebook and Instagram, one inbox for Page, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp Business messages, insights, simple ads and boosts, and an All tools section with Ads Manager, Events Manager and billing. My guide on whether Meta Business Suite is free covers what costs nothing and what doesn't, and if you're about to run ads, read how to set up conversion tracking for Meta ads first.
My verdict
Stop hunting for Business Manager: create a business portfolio at business.facebook.com, name it exactly as your business appears in public, and treat your two personal portfolio slots as precious. Then add people with the smallest level of access that lets them do the job. Ten minutes of care here saves the locked Pages and lost ad accounts I see small businesses fighting over years later.
When an account does get locked, I explain where to turn in my guide to contacting Facebook support.
Frequently asked questions
Does Meta Business Manager still exist?
Meta's help pages now describe the same job as a business portfolio, managed in Meta Business Suite. A business portfolio holds your Pages, Instagram accounts, ad accounts and the people who can access them.
How many business portfolios can I create?
Meta says you can personally create up to 2 business portfolios. There's no limit on the number of portfolios you can belong to.
Is Meta Business Suite free?
Yes. Meta says Meta Business Suite is free to use on desktop and in the Meta Business Suite mobile app. You pay for any ads you run.
Why can't I add people to my business portfolio?
Meta says only people with full control of a business portfolio can add people. You may also need to confirm your email address in Business info, or another admin may need to approve the request.
Can other people see my email in a business portfolio?
Yes. Meta says your name, work email address and assigned assets are visible to people with full control of the portfolio and of those assets.
