When setting up a Facebook account or making certain changes to your existing Facebook account, Facebook will send a 6-digit confirmation code to the email address associated with your account. This confirmation code is an important part of the verification process that helps keep your Facebook account secure.
Receiving a Facebook confirmation code by email is a common occurrence, but what if you can’t find the email with the code? Don’t worry, there are a few things you can try to get your Facebook confirmation code if you didn’t receive the email or accidentally deleted it.
Check your inbox for the confirmation email
The first step is to thoroughly check your main inbox for an email from Facebook with the subject line that contains your confirmation code. Be sure to look for words like “Your Facebook confirmation code” or “Facebook security code” in the subject line.
Expand and check all folders in your email, not just your main inbox. The confirmation email may have been sorted into your promotions, updates, forums, social or spam folder by your email provider. Facebook emails sometimes get flagged as spam or promotional emails accidentally.
Also be sure to check your trash or deleted items folder just in case you accidentally deleted the Facebook confirmation email. If you use Gmail, make sure to check your Social and Updates tabs for the code email.
Search for the confirmation email
If you still can’t find the Facebook confirmation email, try searching your email inbox for keywords related to the code email. Search for terms like “Facebook code,” “confirmation,” “6-digit,” or “security” to help you locate the email.
You can search the whole inbox or search within a specific folder where the email is likely to be. Make sure to check the email address the code was sent to and search there if you have multiple email accounts linked to your Facebook.
Check your account security settings
Another place to check is your Facebook account security settings. Go to Settings > Security and Login and look under the Using Facebook section. If there is a pending confirmation code, you may see the partial code or a “Resend Code” option.
Clicking resend will send the 6-digit confirmation code again to your email address on file. You can then check your email again for the newest confirmation email that was resent.
Request a new confirmation code
If you cannot find the original confirmation email anywhere, you can request Facebook to send you a new 6-digit confirmation code. Here’s how:
- Go to your Facebook account login page and enter your email and password to access your account.
- Click the “Forgotten your password?” link below the password field.
- You’ll be prompted to enter your email or phone number associated with your Facebook account.
- Enter your email and click Search.
- Facebook will then send a new 6-digit confirmation code to that email address.
This will generate a new Facebook confirmation code email that you can use to verify your account changes or updates. Make sure to check your email right away before the new code expires.
Check your spam folder
It’s worth checking your email spam or junk folder again even if you’ve checked before. Confirmation code emails sometimes get mistakenly flagged as spam by your email provider.
Scroll back through your spam folder history to find the Facebook confirmation email that may have been blocked from your inbox. You can search your spam folder just like your regular inbox.
If you find the confirmation email in spam, be sure to mark it as “Not Spam.” That will help ensure future Facebook emails reach your inbox.
Use account recovery options
If you cannot access your account at all and didn’t get the code, you may need to use Facebook’s account recovery options:
- Go to Facebook.com and click Forgotten Password?
- Enter your Facebook email address and click Search
- Choose to receive a recovery code via email or text
- Enter the 7-digit recovery code Facebook sends you
- Create a new password to regain access to your account
This recovery process will help you get back into your Facebook account so you can request a new confirmation code or make other changes.
Contact Facebook support
If you’ve exhausted all other options, you can contact Facebook directly to get help accessing your pending confirmation code.
To contact Facebook support:
- Go to the Facebook Help Center
- Click “Help with My Account”
- Select “Account Access” followed by “Confirm Your Identity”
- Choose the option for requesting a new confirmation code
- Complete the support request form with details on your issue
Facebook may verify your identity and then send a new 6-digit confirmation code to your email to help you complete the verification process.
Add backup email or phone number
To avoid issues accessing confirmation codes in the future, make sure to add a backup email address or phone number to your Facebook account.
Having a secondary email or linked phone number gives you another way to receive a Facebook confirmation code if your primary email is unreachable.
Here’s how to add a backup:
- Go to your Facebook Settings
- Click “Security and Login”
- Under “Use Two-Factor Authentication” click “Edit”
- Enter a backup email address or mobile number
- Verify the backup contact method
Now when you need a Facebook confirmation code, you have two options for receiving the 6-digit verification number by email or text message.
Check email on a computer
Sometimes viewing your email on a computer rather than your phone makes certain emails easier to find. Log into your email account on a desktop or laptop computer and thoroughly search for the Facebook confirmation email.
Emails may display differently on a larger screen compared to your mobile device. On a computer you can view more emails at once and may be able to locate the one with the confirmation code.
Look in Updates or Social tabs
If using Gmail, check the Updates and Social tabs for your Facebook confirmation email. Gmail sorts notifications and messages from social platforms like Facebook into these categories.
Rather than going to your Primary inbox, click Updates or Social and browse the emails there for your confirmation code message from Facebook. The confirmation email may be waiting for you in one of those tabs.
Check all email folders and labels
Make absolutely sure you have searched every section of your email for the Facebook confirmation code message.
Go through each folder and label systematically so you don’t miss the email in a section you already checked. Sometimes code emails get sorted away into a folder you wouldn’t expect.
If you have a lot of folders or labels, search each one individually by the keywords “Facebook code” or “confirmation” to locate the email. Triple check folders like spam, trash, updates, promotions, etc.
Look on mobile and desktop
Cross-check both the mobile and desktop view of your email account for the confirmation code. Emails can sometimes only show up on one version.
Search your Gmail app on your phone, then log into the Gmail website on a computer and search again. The code email may appear in one spot but not the other. So check both thoroughly.
Ask friends or family
If you absolutely cannot find the Facebook confirmation email, ask your friends or family members if they received it by mistake.
Sometimes emails get sent to the wrong address on accident. Search your sent folder for any emails you forwarded recently. You may have forwarded the code email to someone else and forgotten.
Have anyone you may have sent emails to around the time you requested the code check their inbox and spam folders. They may have received the confirmation email intended for you.
Use email search operators
Search your email more effectively for the Facebook confirmation code by using special search operators like:
- from:[email protected] – Finds emails from Facebook’s address
- subject:”Facebook code” – Searches subject line for “Facebook code”
- Facebook AND confirmation – Searches for both keywords
Advanced search operators like these help you narrow down your search for the exact confirmation email you need by specifying sender details, keywords, dates sent, etc.
Look on old devices
Check the inbox of any old smartphones, tablets, or computers you may have accessed that email account from in the past.
The Facebook confirmation email could potentially still be visible on old devices if you haven’t deleted the messages. Sign into your email on the old device or browse the archived emails.
Retrieve deleted emails
If you find that you accidentally deleted the confirmation email, you may be able to retrieve deleted messages from your email Trash folder.
On Gmail, deleted emails stay in your Trash permanently unless you empty the Trash folder. On Outlook or other email services, you typically have 30 days to rescue deleted emails.
Check your email account settings to see if recovering deleted emails is possible. This allows you to find deleted items from a certain time period.
Use email timeout features
Some email providers like Gmail and Outlook have Timeout features that temporarily store emails if your inbox is full or not working.
The emails re-send automatically when your inbox opens back up. Check your Timeout folder to see if your confirmation code email is there waiting to be re-sent.
Forward emails to yourself
If you find the Facebook confirmation email on an old device or email that you can’t access anymore, forward it to your current email address.
Open the email, click Forward, and send it to your regular email you use now. Then you’ll have the code email and unique confirmation code available on your current device.
Check social, promotions, forums tabs
Don’t forget to check labels or tabs in your email account for social networks, promotions, deals, newsletters, or forums. Facebook confirmation emails sometimes get categorized into these labels instead of your primary inbox.
Be sure to look in these tabs for an email from Facebook with your code, as it may be waiting there for you to access. Don’t just check your main inbox only.
Look in account backup emails
If your email account was recently restored from a backup, your Facebook confirmation email could be found in the backup files.
When you restore your email, it retrieves emails and data from a certain point in time. So search through your newly restored account for the Facebook code email that may now be back in your inbox from before.
Check all devices connected to account
Search for the Facebook confirmation email on any device connected to that email account like:
- Phones
- Tablets
- Laptops
- Desktop computers
- Gaming consoles
- Smart home displays
Even if you don’t actively use a device, your email is still synced to it. The code email could be on an old phone you forgot you had linked.
Conclusion
Facebook confirmation codes sent by email are important for securing your Facebook account. If you cannot find your confirmation code, don’t panic. Thoroughly search your inboxes, spam folders, sent items, and any connected devices to locate the email. Try requesting a new confirmation code or using Facebook’s account recovery options if you need. Enabling a backup delivery method prevents issues accessing codes in the future. With persistence, you should be able to obtain your Facebook confirmation code.