How to Reset Your Facebook Password When You're Locked Out

Being locked out of Facebook is a horrible feeling, especially when the account holds years of photos, your friends and the Page that brings in your customers. I've had clients message me in a panic because they typed the old password several times and the login box just kept shaking at them. The good news is that Facebook built a recovery route for exactly this moment, and in most cases you can be back in within a few minutes.

This guide covers the reset that starts from the login screen, when you can't remember the password at all. If you can still get into your account and simply want a new one, that's a different job, and I've covered it in my guide to changing your Facebook password from inside Settings. The steps below follow Facebook's help articles Change your password and Unable to reset your Facebook password.

Start the Facebook password reset from the login screen

Whether you're on a phone or a computer, the reset begins on the login screen, not inside Settings.

1. Go to the Facebook login screen.
2. Click or tap Forgotten password?
3. Enter the email address, mobile phone number, full name or username linked to your account, then click Search.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Facebook's help page says the reset sends a link to the email address on your account. It also mentions a numeric code, so you may be asked for either. Use the newest message in your inbox and finish in one sitting.

If the Facebook password reset email doesn't arrive

Facebook's help article on being unable to reset lists the usual snags, and they're worth working through in order:

1. Check the spam or junk folder in every email account linked to your Facebook account.
2. Try resetting your password again.
3. If you see an invalid code message, copy the full numeric code from the email and paste it into the space marked Enter code.
4. If you see an invalid link message, copy the full link from the email and paste it into your browser's search bar.

Facebook also says that if you used the reset several times, you may hit a daily limit. The help article says that if you've reached it, you'll need to wait 24 hours before trying again. Waiting is annoying, but it beats triggering more locks by hammering the button.

A quicker Facebook reset for Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo addresses

Here's a small detail I didn't know until I read the help article. If your Facebook account lists a Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo address, you may be able to reset immediately. Instead of waiting for a link or code to arrive, Facebook says you can enter your email login information to prove the account is yours. Whether you're offered that route depends on your account, so look for it on the screen rather than expecting it.

Only do this on Facebook's own screens. Never type an email password into a page that reached you through a message or a link from a stranger.

What to do when Facebook can't find your account

A search that comes back empty usually means you've typed something that isn't linked to the account. Facebook's article names the four options: email address, mobile number, full name or username. Work through them in order:

• Try each email address you've owned, including old work ones and the one you used at sign-up.
• Try any mobile number you've had, with and without the country code.
• Try your full name exactly as it appears on your profile, or your username if you set one.

Searching your inboxes for the word Facebook often shows old notifications and tells you which address you used.

Locked out of the email or phone number on your Facebook account

This is the hard case. Facebook's help article says plainly that you need access to the email account or phone number on your account to reset your password. If you've lost both, Facebook points to separate help articles: one on recovering your account if you can't log in, and one on recovering it without access to your email address or phone number. I'd start there, and nowhere else.

It may also ask you to confirm who you are. I've explained what that request means in my piece on why Facebook asks you to verify your identity.

Please be wary of anyone who promises to recover your account for you. Facebook's recovery steps happen inside Facebook's own screens, and a stranger asking for your details in a message or a comment is a risk to your account.

Facebook password reset and two-factor authentication

Facebook's help article says that if you have two-factor authentication turned on, you can't use the same mobile number you use for two-factor authentication to reset your password. You'll need to add a different mobile number or email address to the account. It's a good reminder to keep a spare recovery option up to date before you need it.

Set a new Facebook password you won't need to reset again

When Facebook asks you to choose the new password, spend a minute on it. Make it long and different from every other site you use, and leave out anything a stranger could guess, like a pet's name or a birthday. A password manager takes the strain out of this because it remembers the long version so you don't have to.

Afterwards, it's worth closing any session you don't recognise. I've written a walkthrough on logging out of Facebook on every device at once.

Resetting a Facebook password when you run a business Page

A Facebook Page doesn't have a password of its own. You manage it through your personal profile, so your reset is also the key to getting back to the Page. If the personal login is sorted but the Page is the thing you've lost, my guide on recovering a Facebook Page after losing admin access is the one to read.

• Keep an email address on your account that you control and check, not a shared inbox that nobody owns.
• Make sure at least one other trusted person is an admin of the Page, using their own login.
• Keep your mobile number up to date, since it's one of the quickest routes back in.

A password reset email you didn't ask for

Facebook has a help article for exactly this, called What to do if someone is attempting to reset your password on Facebook. If you didn't ask for the email, don't click anything in it. Go to Facebook directly, log in the normal way and change your password from Settings. If you think someone has already got into the account, tell Facebook through its help centre and change the password on any other site where you used the same one.

Facebook password reset: quick reference

Situation	What to try
You've forgotten the password	Forgotten password? on the login screen, then search for your account
The reset email hasn't arrived	Check spam and junk, then try the reset again
The code or link says invalid	Copy the full code or link from the email and paste it in
You've reached the daily limit	Wait 24 hours before trying again
You can log in and want a new password	Use Settings and Accounts Centre instead

Frequently asked questions

How do I reset my Facebook password if I don't remember it?

On the login screen, click Forgotten password?, enter the email address, mobile number, full name or username linked to your account, click Search and follow the on-screen instructions.

Why isn't my Facebook reset email arriving?

Check the spam or junk folder in every email account linked to your Facebook account, then try the reset again. If you've hit the daily limit, Facebook's help article says to wait 24 hours.

Can I reset my Facebook password without email or phone access?

Facebook's help article says you need access to the email account or phone number on your account to reset your password. It points to separate recovery articles for people who've lost both.

Is resetting my password the same as changing it?

They're different. Resetting is for when you can't remember your password and start from the login screen. Changing is for when you're already logged in and pick a new one in Settings.

What does an invalid code or invalid link message mean?

Facebook's help article says to copy the full numeric code from the email and paste it into the Enter code box, or to copy the full link and paste it into your browser's search bar.

Can I use my two-factor phone number to reset my password?

No. Facebook's help article says you can't use the same mobile number that you use for two-factor authentication, so you'd need to add a different mobile number or email address.