# Bans & Shadowbans

## Introduction

For a detailed guide on bans, see [How Bans Work](/learn/resources/bans.md)

Call of Duty issues two different types of account restrictions:

* account ban
* "shadow" ban

In this guide, we will cover both types of bans and how to mitigate them. To check the status of your account, [use the appeals page](https://support.activision.com/ban-appeal) on Activision's website.

## Account Bans

An account ban is typically a permanent ban on the account. For more info on account bans, see [How Bans Work](/learn/resources/bans.md#account-creation)

* CoD uses a report system, you can be manually banned via reports from players

<figure><img src="/files/WWmlPBVnqoht2QGjXvyA" alt="" width="375"><figcaption><p>A permanent game ban.</p></figcaption></figure>

## Shadow-Bans

A "shadow-ban" is an account restriction that impacts the account's ability to matchmake and utilize online services. The account can still be logged into but cannot join games or servers and play online.

When checking your account status, you will see:

> Your account is in a limited matchmaking state due to a potential violation.

Shadow-bans are temporary and automatically lift in about one week. Shadow-bans can occur for a few different reasons:

* Flagged hardware, see - [How Bans Work](/learn/resources/bans.md)
* Player reports (typically 10+ reports will shadow ban an account)
* Playstyle (stats-heavy matches such as high KDA[^1])

{% hint style="warning" %}
Multiple shadow-bans will lead to a soft-hardware ban. This means, if you receive multiple shadow-bans on any given PC, it will be flagged and future accounts will be shadow-banned.
{% endhint %}

<figure><img src="/files/9OtB18H8Quvz46iKErBw" alt="" width="327"><figcaption><p>A shadow ban will restrict an account from matchmaking.</p></figcaption></figure>

## I was banned, what now?

Using cheats causes that kind of thing to happen. See our [How Bans Work](/learn/resources/bans.md) guide for what to do next.

[^1]: kills to deaths ratio


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