Lost the email or phone linked to your Facebook account? Here’s the route back

What to do first

Check whether you’re logged in anywhere. On a phone, tablet or browser with an active session you can add a new email and number in settings and the problem disappears. If you aren’t logged in anywhere, gather every address and number you may have used, and pick the device that’s most likely to be recognised: the one you used most for Facebook.

Step 1: Search for your account

Go to facebook.com/login/identify and search with any email, phone number, username or name you used. When the account appears, choose the option that says you no longer have access to the listed contact details. If your account doesn’t appear, ask a friend to open your profile and copy the URL, because a profile username can help.

Step 2: Give a new way to reach you

Facebook asks for a new email address or phone number where it can contact you. Use one that only you can access and that you’ll keep for months. This isn’t added to the account straight away; it’s where the next steps are sent.

Step 3: Complete any identity check

Depending on the account, Facebook may ask you to identify friends in photos, upload an ID, or record a video selfie. Facebook’s help pages say to use a device and location you’ve logged in from before, and warn against switching devices mid-process. The ID rules are in our separate guide on Facebook ID requests.

Step 4: Secure the account once you’re in

Add a fresh email and phone, remove outdated ones, change your password and check where you’re logged in. If two-factor authentication is on, save a new set of recovery codes and register an authentication app.

Build an inventory before you start

People waste recovery attempts because they can’t remember what’s on the account. Before you open the identify page, write down every email address you’ve owned since you joined, including school and work ones that may be closed, plus every phone number. Add your profile URL or username, the approximate join year and names of two or three friends. Those details help you choose the right search and answer questions in the process.

Also try each address on the identify page one at a time. An old address that’s no longer yours may still be the one linked, and a hit tells you which contact points the account has.

Why the device matters

Facebook’s own help pages recommend starting recovery from a device and location you’ve logged in from before. A familiar device is a quiet signal that the person asking is the person who owns the account. It’s also why switching between your laptop, phone and a friend’s device halfway through can slow things down.

What not to do

• Don’t open a new account and report the old one as fake. It can complicate recovery.
• Don’t give your login to someone who “can reset it for you.” They can’t, and it’s a common scam.
• Don’t repeatedly retry from different networks. It can look like suspicious activity.

Avoiding it next time

Keep at least two contact methods on the account, and when you change your number or email provider, update Facebook the same week. If you manage a business Page, make sure at least one other full-control admin exists so the Page isn’t tied to one person’s mailbox.