- Name your situation before you click anything
- What you're seeing, and what Facebook says to try first
- Searching for your account on the identify page
- Lost the email and the number: Facebook's steps
- When the code never shows up
- Five minutes now saves a lockout later
- Which route I'd take first
- Frequently asked questions
Start on a phone or computer you've logged in from before, go to facebook.com/login/identify, find your account and follow the prompts, and if the email address or mobile number on it has gone, choose No longer have access to these?. Facebook's own recovery hub splits the problem into nine separate situations, from a forgotten password to a locked or hacked account, so as of Nov 2026 the quickest fix is picking the one that matches what you see on screen.
Most people hit the login screen, panic and click whatever looks closest. That's where the time goes. Facebook doesn't have one recovery button. It has a set of routes, and each one starts somewhere different. Everything below comes from Facebook's own Help Centre, so you're following its steps, not a guess.
If you run a business Page from your personal profile, this matters more than it seems. Your profile is the key to the Page, so getting the profile back is usually the first job. Facebook's hub also has a route of its own for regaining control of a Page you manage.
Name your situation before you click anything
Facebook's account recovery hub asks you to select your issue, then says it'll guide you to the right solution. Here's the list it shows, as of Nov 2026:
- I was hacked
- I forgot my password
- I can't access the email address or mobile number on my account
- My Facebook account is locked
- My account is suspended or disabled
- Someone created an imposter account pretending to be me or someone else
- Troubleshoot login with two-factor authentication on Facebook
- Recover control of a Facebook Page that you manage
- Something else
Two things Facebook repeats across its recovery articles are worth taking seriously. First, use a device you've logged in from before, and if you're helping someone else, make sure they try the steps on a device they've used. Second, the hacked route is wider than its name suggests: the hub says it'll prompt you to find your account and you should enter your details and carry on, even if you weren't hacked.
I'm not going to walk through the hacked steps here; my guide to getting a hacked Facebook account back covers that. The point for now is that facebook.com/hacked isn't only for hacks. Facebook says it may work even when you're not sure anything was compromised.
What you're seeing, and what Facebook says to try first
| What you see | Route on Facebook's hub | First thing the Help article says to try |
|---|---|---|
| You've forgotten your password | I forgot my password | If you can still get emails and texts from Facebook, reset your password |
| The email and mobile number on the account are gone | I can't access the email address or mobile number on my account | Try facebook.com/hacked first, even if you aren't sure you were hacked |
| A message saying your account is locked | My Facebook account is locked | Open Facebook, select Get started and follow the on-screen steps; you may be asked to confirm your identity |
| Incorrect password, when you're sure it's right | No route of its own; Help has a separate article | Passwords are case sensitive, so turn off caps lock, then try updating your browser or using a different one |
| The identify page can't find you | No route of its own; Help has a troubleshooting article | Try each email address or mobile number you've ever owned, one at a time |
| Codes never arrive | Covered inside several routes | Check spam or junk, check your signal, wait a few minutes, then request a new code |
If none of that sounds like your problem, the wider list of login fixes in what to do when you can't log into Facebook is the better starting point.
Searching for your account on the identify page
Facebook's advice is to type facebook.com/login/identify into the browser you normally use, on a familiar device. Enter an email address or mobile number, either your usual one or any other that could be registered. If that doesn't work, try your account name or username. If you don't know your username, a friend can send you the one in the web address of your profile.
The number format trips people up, and Facebook's articles word it slightly differently, so here's each one in its own words. The article on lost contact details says to try including the country code, and gives +1 for the United States as its example. The Log in to Facebook article says not to add any zeros before the country code, or any symbols, when you log in with a confirmed mobile number. If one way fails, try the other.
Lost the email and the number: Facebook's steps
This is a common one. An old phone, an email address from a previous job, an inbox that was hacked. Facebook's article for this case sets out the order below, as of Nov 2026.
- Pick up a phone or computer you've logged in from before.
- Type facebook.com/login/identify into your usual browser.
- Enter any email address, mobile number or username that could be on the account. Facebook suggests trying ones you may have forgotten you added.
- Once your account shows up, select No longer have access to these?. Facebook says you might see Forgotten account? or Recover instead.
- Follow the prompts. You may be asked for new contact information, and Facebook says it must be an email or number that hasn't been used for a Facebook account before.
- Follow the prompts to confirm the account belongs to you.
- Once you've passed the security checks, reset your password.
That fifth step catches a lot of people out. If the only spare email you've got is already on another Facebook account, it won't do here. Have a fresh one ready before you start. If your email account itself is the problem, Facebook's advice is to contact your email provider. Once you're back in, resetting your Facebook password is the next job.
When the code never shows up
Codes are where recovery stalls. Facebook's articles give a longer list than most people try:
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
- Check the spam or junk folder.
- Check you're looking at the right number or email address.
- Check you've got a signal and a working network connection.
- Check your phone's blocked messages. It may be screening confirmation texts.
- Make sure the phone has room for a new SMS, then restart it.
- Ask your network provider whether your plan limits the messages you can receive.
- Wait a few minutes, then request a new code.
One more from Facebook's article on locked accounts: codes can be slow, and if you've already asked for several, wait a day before trying again. Hammering the button doesn't help. If your account is showing a lock message, my page on a locked Facebook account goes further into that one.
Five minutes now saves a lockout later
Facebook's article on avoiding losing access is short, and it's the most useful thing on this page if you can still log in today:
- Keep an up-to-date email address or mobile number on the account that only you can get into.
- Add a second email or number in case the first is compromised. Make sure nobody else can read that inbox, and that its password isn't your Facebook password.
- Create a passkey. Facebook says passkeys are more secure than passwords because they're uniquely generated for every account and less vulnerable to phishing.
- Use your authentic name and date of birth, so Facebook can find your profile if you lose access.
That last point is the one business owners skip. If your profile says Jo Bakes instead of your name, you've made it harder for Facebook to match you to it later. And if you aren't sure an old account still exists at all, Facebook says it can help you find it as long as you know an email address, mobile number or username that's linked to it. Once found, you can reset the password or delete it.
Which route I'd take first
I'd start with the identify page on the laptop or phone you always use, because Facebook leans on familiar devices in nearly every recovery article. If your email and number are gone, I'd try facebook.com/hacked before anything else, since Facebook says it may work even if nobody broke in. Skip the urge to request ten codes in a row; wait, check the boring things on that list, and try again tomorrow if you have to.
Then, once you're in, spend five minutes on the prevention list. A second email, a passkey and your real name will save you far more time than any recovery route.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I start Facebook account recovery?
Facebook's advice is to go to facebook.com/login/identify on a phone or computer you've logged in from before, find your account and follow the prompts.
What if I no longer have my email or phone number?
After you find your account, choose No longer have access to these?. Facebook may ask for new contact details that haven't been used on a Facebook account before.
Can I use facebook.com/hacked if I wasn't hacked?
Facebook says it may work even if you're not sure your account was compromised, and its hub says to enter your information and carry on even if you weren't hacked.
Why isn't my Facebook code arriving?
Facebook suggests checking spam, signal, your phone's blocked messages and space for an SMS, and waiting a day if you've already asked for several codes.
