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Meta App Dashboard: the Privacy Policy URL you need before switching to Live mode

By Paul Cranmer, Founder · Last verified October 2026 · Meta for Developers · App Dashboard · Settings → Basic

An app in Development mode works for its admins and testers only. The moment you flip it to Live so real people can log in with Facebook, use an Instagram integration or a WhatsApp Business flow, the dashboard checks Basic Settings, and Meta's documentation marks the Privacy Policy URL (and the Terms of Service URL) as required to switch your app to Live mode. The same page holds the User Data Deletion URL that Facebook Login apps must answer. This page gives the field names as they appear, what makes a URL fail, and how to fill all three in one sitting.

Who this is for

  • Developers whose Live mode toggle is blocked on a missing Privacy Policy URL
  • Teams adding Facebook Login, Instagram or WhatsApp to an app that has no legal pages yet
  • Agencies submitting a client app for App Review

Not for

  • Lead ad Instant Forms (that privacy field lives in Ads Manager, see the Meta lead ads how-to)
  • Business Verification or advanced-access permission reviews

What the platform requires

  • Meta's Basic Settings documentation lists Privacy Policy URL, Terms of Service URL and User Data Deletion as fields on Settings → Basic; the Privacy Policy URL and Terms of Service URL are required to switch the app to Live mode.
  • The Privacy Policy URL must link to the privacy policy that applies to your app's users, as a public web page.
  • The User Data Deletion field takes a URL with explicit deletion instructions (it may point to a section of the privacy policy) or a data deletion callback.
  • Apps used by people without a role on the app must pass App Review before those people can use them.

Get a live URL first

A Facebook Login or Instagram integration is an API/SDK in the wizard, which is on our free path: name the app, tick the Meta SDKs it uses, and paste the live URL into Privacy Policy URL. Our Delete Account URL product gives you the User Data Deletion page the same way.

Get the privacy policy URL for your Meta app (free)

Step-by-step: paste your privacy policy URL

  1. Open Settings → Basic in the App Dashboard. developers.facebook.com/apps → your app → Settings → Basic. The three URL fields sit below the app icon and category.
  2. Paste the Privacy Policy URL. Paste the live HTTPS page. Open it yourself in a private window first: it must load without a login and read as a privacy policy for this app, not a homepage.
  3. Fill Terms of Service URL and User Data Deletion. Terms of Service URL is also required for Live mode. For User Data Deletion, give a page with deletion instructions (a Delete Account URL works) or a callback URL. Save changes.
  4. Switch to Live mode. Top of the dashboard, flip App Mode from Development to Live. If it still refuses, re-check the two URL fields for typos and trailing spaces, then save again.
  5. Submit for App Review where needed. Permissions beyond the defaults need App Review; reviewers open the same policy page, so it must stay live for the life of the app.

Field labels to look for

Settings → Basic
App icon, category, Privacy Policy URL, Terms of Service URL, User Data Deletion, App Domains.
App Mode toggle
Development / Live switch at the top of the dashboard; blocked while required URLs are empty.
App Review
Required before people without a role can use the app's permissions.

Common reasons the form fails

  • A URL that returns 404 or redirects to a homepage
  • A page behind a login or a cookie wall
  • Filling the privacy field but leaving Terms of Service URL empty
  • A User Data Deletion URL that gives no actual instructions

What makes a URL fail

Meta does not publish a validator; developers report that a reachable page can still be refused when it redirects, needs cookies or is not a normal HTML page. Paste a plain HTTPS page that loads as-is.

Get the privacy policy URL for your Meta app (free)Platform overview

FAQ

Is the Privacy Policy URL required to switch a Meta app to Live mode?

Yes. Meta's Basic Settings documentation marks the Privacy Policy URL and the Terms of Service URL as required to switch your app to Live mode.

Where is the Privacy Policy URL field in the App Dashboard?

Settings → Basic, below the app icon and category, next to Terms of Service URL and User Data Deletion.

Can the User Data Deletion URL point to my privacy policy?

Yes, Meta says it may point to a section of the privacy policy, as long as that section gives explicit deletion instructions.

Related

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