( Credit: René Ramos; Getty Images/SERGII IAREMENKO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)
Though some have been looking to flee Facebook lately, it's still a repository for many people's memories and often the only way to keep in touch with far-flung friends, family, and former co-workers. So, if you get locked out of your account, it can be painful to see all that disappear without warning. Facebook makes it incredibly difficult to take your account back and nearly impossible to contact a human who works there for help. We've done our best to put together steps you can take to get your account back.
Forgotten Password
It happens to everyone. You have so many passwords that you’ve forgotten the one for Facebook. If you are logged in but don't remember your password, click your cover photo on your account, then Settings & Privacy > Settings > Password and Security > Change Password and select Forgot Your Password. You’ll get a reset code sent to your phone or email and can create a new password.
If you aren't logged in, go to the Facebook login page and select Forgot Your Password to get a reset code sent to your phone or email.
Note that if you have multi-factor authentication (MFA) set up, you cannot get a reset code sent to the email or phone number attached to that feature. You’ll need to use a different address for security reasons.
When You Can't Log In
If you find you can’t log in and you’re using a computer or other device from which you’ve logged into the account successfully before, the first step is to go to facebook.com/login/identify, which is the Find Your Account page. Search for your account by either name, username, email, or phone number. Once you find it, click on it and then follow the on-screen recovery process instructions.
If you cannot find your account and/or do not remember the username, email, or phone number attached to your Facebook profile, have someone on your Friends list look at your profile. Clicking on your name will show your username at the end of the URL; going to the Contact Information section under the About section of your profile will show the attached email or mobile phone number (assuming you set it to be visible).
Getting Your Old Account Back
Perhaps you haven't gone through the login process in so long that you can’t remember your password. Let alone whether or not you set up multi-factor authentication. It is possible to recover that account. But you can't do it unless you're logged into Facebook somehow.
From a family member or friend's account, go to your profile page—you'll need your username to append at the end of www.facebook.com/username—and click the three-dot menu to the right, below your cover photo, then select Find Support or Report > Something Else > Next > Recover This Account. Follow the instructions.
If You've Been Hacked
If you’re locked out of your account because you’ve been hacked or you’ve just noticed activity on your account that’s suspicious (changes to your personal info that you didn’t make, posts and messages you didn’t write, etc.), go to facebook.com/hacked and follow the prompts.
Once you’ve got your account back, make sure you change your password to a more secure one, set up multi-factor authentication, and limit other apps' access by going to Settings & Privacy > Your Activity > Apps and Websites to remove permissions.
Multi-Factor Authentication Woes
While I haven't gotten locked out of Facebook, I have spoken to many who have. For various reasons, including having MFA associated with a disconnected phone number, the methods above have not worked for them.
If this is you, open Facebook in a browser and attempt to log in. When you're asked for a login code, click Having Trouble? You'll be directed to a screen that says Can't Get Your Phone? Select I Don't Have My Phone. You'll see a screen that gives you a choice between logging in from a browser or contacting Facebook; choose Contact Us. You'll be prompted to enter an email address and upload an ID. You should then get an email that gives you a link you can click to get back into your account, along with a password to use.
When you log in from this link, you will encounter a screen that says Confirm Access to Your Phone. Select No. You should then get a screen that says Your Account Is Now Unlocked. On this screen, click the button that says Turn Off Two-Factor Authentication. On the next screen, you will get a confirmation that MFA is off; below this, click OK. Now you can enter your new phone number. You'll get a confirmation code sent to your phone. Use it to log into your Facebook account, where you will then be prompted on how you'd like to confirm authentication going forward (either a text to your phone, a notification on another device, or a code).
Once you have successfully logged back into Facebook, you can avoid this mess in the future by turning off MFA by going to Menu > Settings & Privacy > Settings > Accounts Center > See More in Accounts Center > Passwords & Security > Two-Factor Authentication > [Your Facebook Account] > [Login Code Method]. Once you have selected the login code method you chose earlier, turn the slider to Off.
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