Having multiple Facebook accounts associated with a single email address is possible, but goes against Facebook’s terms of service. Facebook allows only one account per person and requires users to register with their real identities. However, some users try to get around these rules by creating additional accounts for different purposes.
Why Would You Want Multiple Facebook Accounts?
There are a few reasons why someone might want more than one Facebook account:
- Maintaining separate personal and professional profiles
- Creating accounts for businesses, groups or pets
- Anonymity and privacy concerns
- Playing games or taking advantage of promotional offers multiple times
- Managing multiple pages or profiles
For social media managers, having multiple accounts can be useful for managing different clients’ brands and pages. Some Internet marketers also use extra accounts to test strategies or automate interactions.
Is It Against Facebook’s Rules?
Yes, Facebook’s Terms of Service explicitly prohibit having more than one personal account or misrepresenting your identity. The relevant sections state:
You will not create more than one personal account.
You will not provide any false personal information on Facebook, or create an account for anyone other than yourself without permission.
So while it is technically possible to have multiple accounts with one email, doing so violates Facebook’s policies. Your accounts could get blocked or disabled if caught.
How To Create A Second Facebook Account
If you still wish to have an additional account, here are some tips to try and avoid detection:
- Use a variation on your name, such as a middle name or maiden name
- Provide a different phone number
- Use different profile photos
- Don’t connect the accounts or friend the same people
- Use different browsers and devices to access each account
To register a new account:
- Clear cookies and cache from your browser
- Use a different browser or private/incognito browsing mode
- Go to www.facebook.com and click Create New Account
- Enter your email and a new name
- Provide a different phone number for verification
Facebook may still detect you have two accounts, in which case one or both could get banned. Having separate emails for each account reduces this risk.
Can You Have Two Facebook Accounts with One Email?
It is possible to have two or more Facebook accounts with the same email address. When you create a new account, Facebook recognizes if an email is already associated with another account. However, it will still allow you to register the new account with that email.
The main steps are:
- Log out completely from your existing Facebook account
- Clear cookies and cache from browser
- Start the signup process with your email
- When prompted that the email is taken, click “Use my current email instead”
- Continue providing a new name and number
The risk is that Facebook may flag both accounts as suspicious for having the same email. So it’s better to use separate emails if you want to reduce the chances of detection.
Tips for Maintaining Multiple Facebook Accounts
Here are some tips to keep your extra accounts active if you wish to have more than one:
- Use different profile photos and cover images
- Customize privacy and security settings differently
- Post different content and engage with different people
- Don’t like or comment on your own posts between accounts
- Never log in to both from the same browser or device
Essentially, you’ll need to treat each account as belonging to a completely separate person. Interacting between them raises red flags for Facebook.
Risks of Multiple Facebook Accounts
While it is possible to maintain two or more Facebook accounts with one email, there are risks:
- Account suspension or banning if caught
- Loss of access to both accounts
- Security vulnerabilities if accounts are linked
- Policy violations resulting in litigation (for brands/businesses)
- Stress and effort to manage separate profiles
Facebook’s algorithms are designed to detect duplicate, fake and compromised accounts. Any suspicious behavior could trigger disabling of your profiles.
What Happens if Facebook Detects Multiple Accounts?
If Facebook determines you have multiple personal accounts, here’s what may happen:
- Login errors or requests for ID verification
- Disabled features like posting, commenting or chatting
- Removal of accounts from friend lists and groups
- Complete account suspension or deletion
Typically, Facebook will try to determine the legitimate account and disable or restrict the extra ones. However, any accounts exhibiting policy violations could get shut down.
Appealing Account Disabling
If your accounts get disabled by Facebook for having duplicate accounts or misrepresenting identity, you can try to appeal the decision:
- Go to the Help Center and search for “disabled account”
- Select “My personal account is disabled”
- Fill out the form providing details and reasons
- Upload a photo ID when prompted for identity verification
- Explain clearly why you had multiple accounts
- Be patient as appeals can take weeks or longer to get resolved
- Consider removing extra accounts to comply with policies
However, keep in mind appeals may not always work, and Facebook is very strict about its “one account per person” rule.
Creating Accounts for Businesses
When creating Facebook accounts for managing business brands, pages or advertising, the rules are slightly different:
- Use business emails instead of your personal email
- Register with your business name and information
- Create Facebook business manager and ad accounts
- Add other managers through their own accounts or business emails
Facebook allows and enables managing multiple business assets from different accounts. But you still need to accurately represent your identities and relationships.
Conclusion
In summary, while you can technically have multiple Facebook accounts on one email address, it goes against their policies and carries account suspension risks. Maintaining completely separate identities and behaviors can help reduce detection. But ideally build your presence on one properly optimized personal profile and create additional pages/accounts only for legitimate business purposes.