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Offensive, harmful, or violent content

Note

To ensure consistency worldwide, Microsoft Advertising enforces our policies across our ad network using the English version. We provide translated versions as a courtesy to our clients, though the translations are not meant to change the content or meaning of the official policy language.

Important

This policy applies to all ad types.

Note

This page was last updated on April 8, 2026.

Microsoft strives for a safe, tasteful, and positive ad experience for all our users. We don't allow ad creatives, advertisers, or ad destinations that feature content meant to shock, harm, discriminate or offend, or that displays suffering and violence, including:

  • Offensive or Harmful Content

    • Offensive or obscene content, including distasteful, vulgar, gross, or inappropriate language or imagery.

      • Examples include but are not limited to: Rotted or severely discolored teeth, decaying or contaminated food, or tattoos featuring profanity, offensive words, or symbols.

    • Explicit depictions of bodily fluids or functions, and/or the cross-sections of organs.

      • Examples include but are not limited to: Images of diseased tissue, vomit, mucus, close-ups of pus-filled pimples or blisters, warts, or nail fungus, or depictions of urination or excretion.

    • Scare tactics or use of scary images or situations.

    • Content or services that promote unhealthy or harmful activities or lifestyles, including those related to bulimia, anorexia, feedism, etc.

  • Defamatory, Slanderous, Libelous, or Threatening Content

    • Advertising that advocates doing physical or intellectual harm to people or their property, encourages conduct that jeopardizes the natural environment, or advocates against any individual, business (and/or its products) or group.
    • Inflammatory or slanderous language, or language which may imply violence.

  • Hate Speech

    Advertising that facilitates or promotes hate speech. This includes content and targeting that is intended to degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action against people based on their race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or other differentiating factors.

  • Suffering and Violence

    • Advertising that advocates, glorifies, or promotes violent activity, rape, torture, cannibalism, human suffering or death, self-harm, violence, cruelty against animals, or graphic or violent images, such as images showing blood, dismemberment, malnutrition, accidents, or dead bodies.

    • If an image contains a weapon, it must be contextually relevant to the product/service being offered. The weapon cannot be the focal point of the image.

      • Exception: Product ads for compliant weapons in allowed markets may contain images of the product as the focal point.

    • Any content that shows guns pointed at the audience.

    • Content that shows blood spatter or excessive blood, cruelty, violence, glorification of crimes, depictions of people or creatures on fire and/or showing actions that result in bodily harm or fatalities.

      • Exception: Advertising for entertainment such as video games and apps, books, album covers, TV shows, and movies, may depict limited violence such as fights, battles or war scenes if product is generally suitable for most audiences. Advertising for a video game, TV show or film that is rated Mature, TV-MA, R, or market equivalent requires age targeting of 18+ or the market’s legal age of majority, whichever age is higher.

        • Imagery depicting a dismemberment or a fatality remain prohibited.
        • Red-band and NC-17 movie trailers are prohibited.

What Happens When an Ad Policy is Violated

The penalty varies by the nature of the violation, and the number of violations. Learn More

Note

Go back to Disallowed Content

Additional resources

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