Looking up a Facebook profile by email address is possible in some cases, but not guaranteed to work for every email address. Facebook’s search function allows you to search for profiles by name, phone number, username, and email address. However, there are a few factors that determine whether an email address will successfully locate a profile.
Requirements for Looking Up a Facebook Profile by Email
Here are the requirements that need to be met in order for looking up a Facebook profile by email address to be successful:
- The email address must be verified on the user’s Facebook account. Unverified email addresses will not show up in Facebook’s search.
- The user must have the email address set to public in their account privacy settings. If it’s set to only be visible to friends, it won’t appear in public search results.
- Facebook’s data on that user must not be outdated. Facebook’s information on users can become outdated over time.
- The user must not have blocked you. If the user blocked you, their profile will not show up for you in search results.
Essentially, the email address needs to be publicly visible and associated with an active Facebook profile for lookup attempts to be successful. Private, unverified, or outdated email addresses likely will not produce search results.
Steps to Search for a Facebook Profile by Email
If the requirements are met, here are the steps to search for a Facebook profile using an email address:
- Go to www.facebook.com and log into your account if you have one. You do not need an account to search, but you’ll get more limited results.
- Click on the search bar at the top of the Facebook page. You may need to click the magnifying glass icon first if you’re on mobile.
- Type in the full email address you want to search. Make sure you have the correct spelling.
- Press Enter or click the magnifying glass icon again to run the search.
- View the results. If the email address is associated with a profile, it should appear as the top result.
- Click on the profile to confirm it belongs to the person you are searching for.
That’s all there is to it! As long as the email address you are searching for is verified, public, and actively used on an existing profile, the steps above should successfully locate the profile.
Why Looking Up by Email Can Fail
There are a few main reasons why searching for a Facebook profile by email address may not produce the expected results:
- The email address is not connected to any Facebook account.
- The user has not verified the email address on their Facebook account.
- The email address visibility is set to “Only Me” or “Friends” on the user’s profile.
- The account associated with the email address was deactivated or deleted.
- The email address is connected to an old account that the user no longer actively uses.
- Facebook’s data on the user is outdated so the email does not come up.
- You are blocked from viewing the user’s profile.
Essentially any situation where the email address is not publicly visible and clearly connected to an active account could lead to a failed lookup. If your search does not produce the expected profile, one of these factors is likely the reason why.
Tips for Successful Email Lookups
Here are some tips to improve your chances of successfully looking up a Facebook profile by email address:
- Make sure you have the exact email address spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
- Try removing any periods from the email address (e.g. [email protected] vs [email protected]).
- Try searching for the name or username on the profile rather than email.
- Use a Facebook account rather than searching as a non-user. You will see more results.
- Suggest the person verify and set the email to public on their profile.
- Try searching on both desktop and mobile as results may differ.
In some cases you may need to obtain the profile URL directly from the user if all search attempts fail. But following these tips will maximize your chances of successfully looking them up through a public email address search.
Is Looking Up by Email Considered Stalking?
Searching for someone’s Facebook profile using only public information like an email address or name is generally not considered stalking or harassment. However, repeatedly attempting to view someone’s profile against their wishes could potentially cross legal boundaries depending on the specific circumstances.
Some things to keep in mind to avoid stalking accusations when looking up a Facebook profile by email:
- Only use email addresses or information the person has made publicly available online.
- Respect it if your search attempts are unsuccessful and don’t repeatedly search over time.
- Do not attempt to contact the person on Facebook without their consent.
- Never use email lookup to attempt to interact with someone who has blocked you.
- Do not excessively collect or store information about the person without their knowledge.
As long as you are acting ethically and using information that is already public, searching should not be an issue. But be sure to discontinue your efforts if the person indicates they do not want to be found or contacted.
Conclusion
Looking up a Facebook user profile by email address can be successful if the email is verified, public, and linked to an active account. However, it is not guaranteed to work for every email address. If your search attempts fail, it likely means one of the visibility requirements was not met. With the right public email address and a few helpful search tips, you should be able to locate most Facebook profiles. Just be sure to discontinue your efforts if the person cannot be found or does not wish to be contacted.