I didn’t think changing the time zone in Meta Ads Manager would be a big deal. Honestly, it felt like one of those small tweaks you do once and never think about again like adjusting your currency settings or updating your business info. But let me tell you, it completely changed how my ad campaigns worked. And not always in the way I wanted.
So why did I even bother with it?
What Made Me Want to Change the Time Zone in the First Place
I run a small digital consultancy, and most of my clients are in the UK. But my Meta ad account was still set to Pacific Standard Time (PST) which made reporting, scheduling, and optimization a nightmare.
Every time I looked at performance reports, I had to mentally adjust time differences. Meetings with clients often started with me explaining why the metrics didn’t align with their business hours.
Eventually, I got tired of it. I figured, “This should be simple, right?”
How I Actually Changed My Time Zone in Meta Ads Manager
To change the time zone, I went into Payment settings in the Meta Ads Manager. It’s not exactly front and center you have to dig a bit.
Here’s what I had to do:
- Log in and go to Payment settings (yes, it asked me to re-enter my password, which felt unnecessary but whatever).
- Scroll to the Business info section and hit Edit.
- Then I had to find the Currency and time zone section.
- From the drop-down menu, I selected the new time zone.
- Hit Save, then Continue.
And that’s where the twist came in.
This One Annoying Thing They Don’t Warn You About
Changing your time zone closes your existing ad account.
Let that sink in. The account I had built for over two years packed with historical data, custom audiences, and perfectly dialed-in lookalikes was just gone. Closed. Done. And no, you can’t reactivate it.
I hated that Meta didn’t give a clearer warning. Sure, they mention it in small print, but not in a way that feels urgent. I was worried. Would I have to rebuild everything? What happens to my existing ads?
Spoiler: they stop running.
What It Feels Like to Use a New Ad Account
When the new ad account was created, I expected a smooth transition. But it wasn’t. You’re basically starting from scratch.
No saved settings, no default structures, nothing. Even something as simple as re-creating campaigns with the right time zone and currency took me hours.
But there was an upside…
What I Actually Like About the New Setup
Now that the dust has settled, I can say there’s one cool thing: my reports and ad schedules are finally aligned with my team’s and clients’ real-world clocks.
And since the new ad account uses the correct default time zone, I no longer have to second-guess performance windows or mess with Excel sheets to convert time zones. That alone made it worth the trouble eventually.
If You’re Thinking About Changing Your Time Zone…
Would I do it again? Yes but not without planning. Here’s my honest advice:
- Download all existing ad performance reports before making changes.
- Let clients know ads may briefly pause.
- Recreate your best-performing campaigns manually in the new ad account.
- Know that your existing ad account will be closed and cannot be reopened.
Final Thoughts: I Regret Rushing It, But Don’t Regret Doing It
This isn’t some fluffy product review. I’ve used Meta Ads Manager daily for years, and this change genuinely messed with my workflow. But I also love that my setup is now cleaner, and that I finally got rid of the time discrepancy issue.
Still, Meta should really make this process more transparent.
If you’ve ever changed your ad account’s time zone, or are thinking about it, I’d love to know: Did you have a smoother experience than I did?
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