Summary and recommendation
LinkedIn Ads user management can be run manually, but complexity usually increases with role models, licensing gates, and offboarding dependencies. This guide gives the exact mechanics and where automation has the biggest impact.
LinkedIn Ads user access is managed entirely inside Campaign Manager at Account Settings → Manage Access.
There are four fixed roles - Account Manager, Campaign Manager, Creative Manager, and Viewer - applied at the account level with no campaign-level or object-level scoping available.
No SCIM provisioning exists for ad account roles, so every app that automates identity lifecycle must treat LinkedIn Ads as a fully manual target.
Quick facts
| Admin console path | Campaign Manager → Account name → Account Settings → Manage Access |
| Admin console URL | Official docs |
| SCIM available | No |
| SCIM tier required | N/A |
| SSO prerequisite | No |
User types and roles
| Role | Permissions | Cannot do | Plan required | Seat cost | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Account Manager | Full account access: create/edit/delete campaigns, manage billing, manage users, view all reporting, edit account settings. | Cannot exceed permissions granted by LinkedIn's platform-level controls. | No per-seat cost; LinkedIn Ads uses a pay-per-click/impression billing model. | Only Account Managers can add or remove other users and change roles. There must always be at least one Account Manager on an account. | |
| Campaign Manager | Create, edit, and manage campaigns and ads; view reporting. Cannot manage billing or users. | Cannot manage account users, change billing information, or modify account-level settings. | No per-seat cost. | Cannot promote other users or change their roles. | |
| Creative Manager | Create and edit ad creatives; view reporting. Cannot launch campaigns or manage billing/users. | Cannot create or manage campaigns, manage billing, or manage users. | No per-seat cost. | Limited to creative asset management only; cannot activate or pause campaigns. | |
| Viewer | Read-only access to campaigns and reporting. Cannot make any changes. | Cannot create, edit, or delete any campaigns, creatives, or account settings. | No per-seat cost. | Useful for stakeholders who need reporting visibility without edit access. |
Permission model
- Model type: role-based
- Description: LinkedIn Campaign Manager uses four fixed account-level roles (Account Manager, Campaign Manager, Creative Manager, Viewer). Roles are assigned per Campaign Manager account. There are no custom roles or granular permission sets.
- Custom roles: No
- Custom roles plan: Not documented
- Granularity: Account-level role assignment only; no campaign-level or object-level permission scoping.
How to add users
- Sign in to LinkedIn Campaign Manager at linkedin.com/campaignmanager.
- Select the account you want to manage.
- Click the account name in the top navigation, then select 'Manage Access' (or navigate to Account Settings → Manage Access).
- Click 'Add User'.
- Enter the LinkedIn profile URL or name of the person you want to add.
- Select the appropriate role (Account Manager, Campaign Manager, Creative Manager, or Viewer).
- Click 'Save'. The user will receive a notification and gain access immediately.
Required fields: LinkedIn profile URL or name of the user being added, Role selection
Watch out for:
- The person being added must have an existing LinkedIn account.
- Only Account Managers can add users.
- Users are added at the account level, not at the individual campaign level.
- There is no email-based invitation; access is granted via LinkedIn profile lookup.
- The invitee does not need to accept an invitation - access is granted immediately upon the Account Manager saving the change.
| Bulk option | Availability | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CSV import | No | Not documented |
| Domain whitelisting | No | Automatic domain-based user add |
| IdP provisioning | No | Not documented |
How to remove or deactivate users
- Can delete users: Yes
- Delete/deactivate behavior: Account Managers can remove a user's access to a Campaign Manager account entirely. LinkedIn's official documentation refers to this as 'removing' the user from the account, which revokes their access. This is not a soft deactivation - the user loses all access to that account immediately. The user's LinkedIn profile is unaffected.
- Sign in to LinkedIn Campaign Manager at linkedin.com/campaignmanager.
- Select the account you want to manage.
- Navigate to Account Settings → Manage Access.
- Locate the user you want to remove.
- Click the edit/pencil icon or the options menu next to their name.
- Select 'Remove' to revoke their access.
- Confirm the removal.
| Data impact | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Owned records | Campaigns, ads, and creatives created by the removed user remain in the account and are not deleted. |
| Shared content | All campaign data, reporting history, and creatives remain accessible to remaining account users. |
| Integrations | Not documented |
| License freed | No per-seat license cost exists; removing a user has no billing impact. |
Watch out for:
- You cannot remove the last Account Manager from an account; at least one must remain.
- Removing a user does not delete any campaign data or historical reporting.
- A removed user can be re-added at any time by an Account Manager.
- If you are the only Account Manager, you cannot remove yourself without first assigning another Account Manager.
License and seat management
| Seat type | Includes | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign Manager Account Access | Access to create, manage, and report on LinkedIn Ads campaigns within a specific Campaign Manager account. All four roles (Account Manager, Campaign Manager, Creative Manager, Viewer) are included under this access model. | No per-seat cost. LinkedIn Ads billing is based on ad spend (CPC, CPM, or CPV), not user seats. |
- Where to check usage: Campaign Manager → Account Settings → Manage Access (shows all current users and their roles)
- How to identify unused seats: Review the user list under Manage Access and cross-reference with last login activity. LinkedIn Campaign Manager does not natively surface last-login timestamps in the Manage Access UI.
- Billing notes: LinkedIn Ads has no per-seat or per-user licensing fees. All costs are based on ad spend. Adding or removing users has no direct billing impact.
The cost of manual management
LinkedIn Ads carries no per-seat licensing cost; billing is based entirely on ad spend. Adding or removing users has zero direct billing impact.
However, the absence of last-login timestamps in the Manage Access UI means identifying inactive users requires manual cross-referencing, and there is no bulk import path - each user must be added individually by LinkedIn profile lookup.
What IT admins are saying
Community evidence is not specific enough to quote or summarize yet for this app.
The decision
Access is granted immediately when an Account Manager saves a new user - no invitation acceptance is required. Removal is equally immediate and hard: the user loses all access to that account at once, though campaign data and historical reporting are preserved. At least one Account Manager must remain on every account at all times;
the platform will block any removal that would violate this constraint.
Bottom line
LinkedIn Ads user management is straightforward for small teams but does not scale gracefully.
Every app in your stack that touches ad operations needs its own manual provisioning pass inside Campaign Manager, and the flat role model offers no workaround for agencies or orgs that need granular, campaign-scoped access control.
The absence of SCIM, webhooks, and last-login visibility makes offboarding hygiene an ongoing operational burden that must be handled through periodic manual audits.
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