CallRateExceeded - numeric limits and more

Question

CallRateExceeded - numeric limits and more

Sofia Duarte (Omnicom) 0

Hello everyone!

We are implementing an internal rate-limiting mechanism to prevent the 117 - CallRateExceeded error in Microsoft Advertising API v13.

We would like to know the maximum number of API calls allowed and how rate limits are applied to the following services and operations:

Customer Management

GetUser

GetCustomer

SearchAccounts

Campaign Management

AddCampaigns

UpdateCampaigns

GetCampaignsByAccountId

GetAdGroupsByCampaignId

Customer Billing

GetBillingDocumentsInfo

For these operations, could you please clarify:

Rate limit thresholds: What is the maximum number of calls allowed per second or minute for each operation?

Rate limit scope: Are limits applied per operation, service, authenticated user, Customer ID, Developer Token, or another scope?

Shared quotas: Do these operations share rate-limit quotas within the same service? Are quotas also shared across Customer Management, Campaign Management, and Customer Billing?

Rate limit window: Is a 60-second sliding window used for all these operations, or does the behavior vary by service?

Rate limit recovery: After receiving error 117, is waiting 60 seconds sufficient before retrying, or are there additional restrictions?

Our goal is to configure a preventive rate limiter that respects Microsoft's API limits and minimizes throttling errors.

If exact thresholds cannot be disclosed, could you provide recommended request rates or guidelines for implementing preventive rate limiting for these operations?

Thank you for your assistance.

Best regards.

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Answer 1

Sofia Duarte (Omnicom) 0

Unfortunately, the response does not answer my question. The goal is to develop a preventive mechanism, not a reactive one. Also, I understand that these limits must have been defined during the API development process, so it would be more accurate to have this official information rather than relying on empirical measurements.

MS Advertising - Marvin 165 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-21T20:56:26.8866667+00:00
Hello @Sofia Duarte (Omnicom) ,

Thank you for using our Microsoft Advertising Learn Q&A Platform!

Thank you for reaching out regarding rate limiting in Microsoft Advertising API v13.

While Microsoft Advertising provides general guidance on API throttling, we do not currently have a readily available public reference that specifies the exact calls-per-second or calls-per-minute limit for each of these operations. Therefore, we are unable to provide confirmed operation-specific numerical thresholds for GetUser, GetCustomer, SearchAccounts, AddCampaigns, UpdateCampaigns, GetCampaignsByAccountId, GetAdGroupsByCampaignId, or GetBillingDocumentsInfo at this time.

For the Campaign Management service, the documentation states that throttling limits the number of API calls any one user can make within a minute. Access to customer data is also restricted at the customer level using a sliding 60-second window.

However, the public documentation does not confirm:

Separate thresholds for each operation

Whether Customer Management operations share a quota

Whether Customer Billing operations share a quota

Whether quotas are shared across Customer Management, Campaign Management, and Customer Billing

Whether Developer Token, Customer ID, or another identifier is used as the primary counter for services other than those specifically documented

Error 117, CallRateExceeded, indicates that the number of calls allowed within a minute has been exceeded. When this error is received, Microsoft’s documented guidance is to wait 60 seconds and then resubmit the request under the applicable limit.

Since exact thresholds are not published, we recommend implementing a configurable client-side rate limiter rather than relying on a fixed Microsoft-provided number. Your implementation may include:

Pacing requests across a rolling 60-second period

Maintaining separate counters by authenticated user and customer

Separating counters by service to avoid one workflow affecting another

Limiting concurrent calls and avoiding sudden request bursts

Queuing requests instead of sending them simultaneously

Using exponential backoff with randomized jitter for repeated throttling

Waiting at least 60 seconds after error 117 before retrying the affected traffic

Capping retry attempts to prevent retry storms

Logging the service, operation, customer ID, account ID, authenticated user, timestamp, tracking ID, and request volume for each throttling occurrence

Verifying that write operations are safe to retry before resubmitting them

We also recommend making the request rate configurable and starting conservatively. You can then gradually adjust the rate based on observed success and throttling patterns rather than assuming the same limit applies to every service or operation.

For additional information, please refer to the Microsoft Advertising API service protocol and service-error documentation and Bing Ads API Services Protocol

Our support teams are pleased to engage in more in-depth discussions about your account through phone, chat, or email to offer review assistance, please see our support page to reach out!

I trust that the details shared here will partially address your inquiry. Should you have any further questions, feel free to contact our support. Additionally, I’ve sent you a private message requesting additional information. Please don’t hesitate to reply if you require further assistance.

Kind regards,

Marvin | Microsoft Advertising Support Specialist | 800-518-5689
Sofia Duarte (Omnicom) 0 Reputation points

2026-10-22T17:28:48.5333333+00:00

Hi Marvin,

Thank you for your quick response and for the recommendations provided.

At the moment, we are not experiencing any rate-limiting errors. Our goal is simply to implement a preventive mechanism to avoid potential issues in the future.

I don't have any further questions for now, but I will reach out again if anything else comes up.

Thank you again for your assistance.

Best regards.
MS Advertising - Marvin 165 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-23T00:28:36.41+00:00

Hello @Sofia Duarte (Omnicom) ,

Thank you for using our Microsoft Advertising Learn Q&A Platform!

You’re welcome and thank you for the update.

I’m glad to hear that you are not currently encountering any rate-limiting errors. Implementing a preventive mechanism is a great way to help minimize potential throttling issues as your API usage grows.

Please feel free to contact us again if you have any questions or need further assistance in the future.

Kind regards,

Marvin | Microsoft Advertising Support Specialist | 800-518-5689