How to obtain the access token for the Facebook Ads source

To connect to the Facebook Ads API and begin importing data, follow the steps below.

Visit the Meta for Developers site and log in with your Facebook account.

Step 2: Create a New App

Navigate to My Apps and click the Create App button.

Enter the App Name in the provided field.

Select Other as the use case.

Select Business as the app type and click Next.

Choose the appropriate Business Portfolio, then click the Create App button.

Step 3: Set Up Marketing API

Go to the new app. In your app dashboard, locate Marketing API and click Set Up.

Step 4: Get the temporary token

First, ensure your app is in Development Mode:

Go to App Settings → Basic
Copy your App ID
Also note your App Secret (you’ll need it in the next step)

Please, build the authorization URL. Use the template below and replace YOUR_APP_ID with your actual App ID.

https://www.facebook.com/v23.0/dialog/oauth?client_id=YOUR_APP_ID&redirect_uri=http://localhost:8080/&scope=ads_read,read_insights&state=abc123

Example: https://www.facebook.com/v23.0/dialog/oauth?client_id=665881219608750&redirect_uri=http://localhost:8080/&response_type=code&scope=ads_read,read_insights&state=abc123

Open the generated URL in your browser
Make sure you are logged in with the account that has access to the desired ad account
Click Connect

After authorization, you’ll be redirected to a URL (note the long code parameter).

Copy and save the code value (everything after code= up to &state=...).
You will need this in the next step.

Step 5: Generate and Save the Access Token

Now, exchange the authorization code for an Access Token. Go to ReqBin or use Postman.
Send a POST request to:

https://graph.facebook.com/v23.0/oauth/access_token

with the following parameters in the Body tab:

client_id=YOU_APP_ID&
client_secret=YOUR_APP_SECRET&
redirect_uri=http://localhost:8080/&
code=CODE_FROM_THE_PREVIOUS_STEP

Click the Send button.

You should receive a response containing your Access Token.

Copy and securely save the generated Access Token.
This token will be required to authenticate your API requests.

Step 6: Use the Access Token

Once you have the access token, you can begin using it as described in the Getting Started guide.

Troubleshooting Access Token Errors

If you encounter any errors while obtaining the access token, please refer to the possible causes and solutions below:

Error: `This authorization code has been used`

Cause:
The authorization code you’re trying to use has already been exchanged for an access token.
Each authorization code can only be used once.

Solution:
Repeat Step 4 to generate a new temporary authorization code and try again.

Error: `redirect_uri isn't an absolute URI. Check RFC 3986`

Cause:
The redirect_uri parameter in your request is incorrectly formatted or incomplete.
This field must contain a valid absolute URI.

Solution:
Verify that the redirect_uri exactly matches the format shown below:

Example of a correct format:

http://localhost:8080/

Error: `This authorization code has expired`

Cause:
The temporary authorization code has expired.
Facebook (and other platforms) issue short-lived codes that must be exchanged for tokens within a limited time window.

Solution:
Repeat Step 4 to obtain a new temporary code and retry the request.

✅ Tip:
Always generate and use the authorization code immediately after receiving it to avoid expiration issues.

Troubleshooting and Support

If you encounter any other issues:

Please visit Q&A first
If you want to report a bug, please open an issue
Join the discussion forum to ask questions or propose improvements