Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, with billions of users worldwide. Naturally, many Facebook users wonder if they can view or recover their old Facebook passwords. Passwords provide access to personal information, so users understandably want to keep track of passwords they’ve previously used.
Can You View Previous Facebook Passwords?
The short answer is no, there is no direct way to view your full history of previous passwords on Facebook. Facebook does not store or allow users to view old passwords for security reasons.
When you change your Facebook password, Facebook encrypts and stores the newest password. They do not keep an unlocked list of all your previously used passwords. However, the company does store password change history.
Password Change History
While you cannot see your old Facebook passwords, you can view some password change history. On desktop go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Security and login. On mobile, go to Settings & privacy > Security and login.
Under the Active Sessions section, you will see Password Change Activity. This shows the date, time, browser, and IP address of recent password changes.
So you can see when you changed your password and where the change occurred. However, it does not show the actual old password. Still, this information can help jog your memory if you need to recall an old password.
Why You Cannot View Old Passwords
Facebook does not let users see old passwords for security reasons. If you could see your password history, it could be risky if that information became visible to others.
Allowing users to view plaintext old passwords would also violate secure cryptographic and authentication practices. It is a more secure policy to only store the current password in a retrievable format.
Can You Recover or Reset Previous Facebook Passwords?
If you cannot view your old Facebook passwords directly, is it possible to recover or reset them? Unfortunately, no. Facebook only allows you to reset your current password if you forget it.
Reset Your Current Password
If you forget your current Facebook password, you can easily reset it. On the Facebook login page click Forgot Password to initiate a reset.
You can reset your password by:
- Having a reset link sent to your email on file
- Entering your phone number to receive a code by text/call
- Answering your security questions
- Using your backup email address or trusted contacts
This will allow you to securely create a new password. However, there is no way to recover old forgotten passwords retroactively.
Why You Cannot Retrieve Old Passwords
Resetting your current Facebook password is reasonably straightforward. But the service purposefully makes it impossible to retrieve your old abandoned passwords.
Allowing password recovery for old accounts would be a massive security flaw. It would mean Facebook stores their users’ plaintext old passwords indefinitely. This hugely increases the risk of passwords being stolen in a breach.
For example, if Facebook got hacked and all your old passwords got exposed, it could compromise the security of any other accounts where you reused passwords. By not retaining recoverable old passwords, Facebook limits this damage in potential breaches.
Third Party Password Managers
While Facebook itself does not store your password history, you may be able to view old Facebook passwords through third party password managers.
Many password managers include optional password archiving. This feature securely encrypts and saves your old passwords within the app.
For example, apps like LastPass and 1Password allow you to retrieve previously used and deleted passwords. The passwords are not stored as plaintext but require your account password to decrypt.
So if you previously used a password manager to log into Facebook, you may be able to dig up some password history. However, this will only apply if you purposefully saved those old passwords in that app earlier.
Examples of Password Managers
Here are some popular password managers that allow password archive/versioning:
- LastPass – save unlimited password versions and history
- 1Password – retrieve old passwords from any time period
- Dashlane – unlimited archived passwords available
- KeePass – open source manager, save password archives
The functionality varies by app, so check their specific features. But they often store unlimited versions of changed passwords.
Considerations
Retrieving old passwords from apps like these has some cautions:
- You need access to the password manager account
- You had to save the old password initially
- The app may not have perfect change history for every site
- Syncing errors or app changes could cause lapses
Overall though, a password manager can be your best way to recover old passwords when needed.
How to Check Good Password Hygiene
Being unable to view your Facebook password history highlights the importance of password best practices:
- Using a unique complex password for every account
- Enabling two-factor authentication (2FA)
- Keeping your software up-to-date
- Changing passwords periodically (every 90 days or so)
- Using a password manager to generate and store passwords
Following guidelines like these reduces your risk even if you forget or lose access to old passwords.
Some other tips for good password hygiene include:
- Never share passwords publicly or in emails/messages
- Watch out for phishing attempts to steal passwords
- Use the Facebook Privacy Checkup to review settings
- Turn on login notifications to detect unauthorized access
How Password Managers Boost Security
Using a dedicated password manager is one of the best ways to maintain password security. Features like:
- Secure encrypted storage of passwords
- Auto-generated strong random passwords
- Automated password capture and entering
- Cross-platform syncing between devices
Greatly reduce password hassles and risks. Relying on memory alone for unique passwords on every site is difficult. A password manager removes the guesswork while strengthening security across all your accounts.
Conclusion
Facebook prioritizes user security by not allowing old password viewing or recovery. While inconvenient if you forget, this helps limit password exposure in potential breaches.
To responsibly manage passwords going forward:
- Use a unique complex password only for Facebook
- Enable login approvals for extra security
- Change your FB password every ~90 days
- Use a trusted password manager to store your history
Following these tips will maintain safety for your current Facebook account and passwords.