How do I find a Facebook profile with a phone number?

Finding someone’s Facebook profile using just their phone number used to be easy, but is much more difficult today due to Facebook’s privacy settings. However, there are still a few methods you can try to locate someone’s profile using their phone number.

Search Facebook for the Phone Number

The first method is to simply search for the phone number on Facebook. To do this:

1. Go to www.facebook.com and log into your account.
2. Click on the search bar at the top of the page.
3. Type in the phone number, including the area code.
4. Hit enter. Facebook will search for any profiles associated with that phone number.

If the person’s profile is not set to private, their profile may show up in the search results. However, many people have set their profiles to private, so their profiles will not appear even if they have that phone number associated with their account.

Use a People Finder Service

If searching Facebook directly doesn’t yield any results, the next option is to use a people finder service. There are many websites and apps that offer reverse phone lookups, allowing you to input a phone number and find personal details connected to that number.

Some popular people finder services include:

• Spokeo
• Intelius
• ZabaSearch
• Whitepages
• BeenVerified
• TruthFinder

Most of these services offer some basic searches for free, but will require you to pay for a subscription to get full access to their database of phone numbers and personal information.

Here are the general steps to use one of these services to find someone’s Facebook profile:

1. Go to the people finder service website or app.
2. Enter the phone number you want to search.
3. View the results, which may include the person’s name, address, age, and known social media profiles.
4. If the results include a link to the person’s Facebook profile, click it to go directly to their profile (assuming it’s not set to private).

These services aggregate data from public records, phone listings, social networks, and other sources to connect phone numbers to people’s personal information. However, they are not 100% comprehensive, so you may not find the person’s Facebook profile even when searching by phone number.

Use Facebook Search Operators

Facebook actually allows you to use some special operators and commands when searching that can help narrow results. This method is a bit more complex, but can potentially help uncover the person’s profile when the other methods fail.

Here are some Facebook search operators to try:

• @[phone number] – Search for profiles with the phone number listed. For example: @1235551234.
• “[full name]” @[phone number] – Search for profiles matching the name and phone number. For example: “John Smith” @1235551234.
• [“email address”] @facebook.com – Search for Facebook profiles associated with that email address.

So you can combine what details you know about the person, like their name or email, with their phone number to try to track down their account.

The key with these operators is to use quotes around names and email addresses, and the @ symbol before phone numbers or email domains.

Use the Facebook Mobile App

Finally, you can also try using the Facebook mobile app to search for the person’s profile using their phone number:

1. Open the Facebook app on your iPhone or Android.
2. Tap on the three-line menu button in the top right.
3. Select “Find Friends” from the menu.
4. Choose “Search” and then “Phone Number or Email Address”.
5. Type in the phone number and search.

This search method sometimes yields different results than searching on Facebook.com directly. If the app finds a match, it will show you the name and profile picture of the matching Facebook account. You can then visit the profile or add the person as a friend.

Considerations When Searching by Phone Number

If you still can’t locate the person’s Facebook profile using their phone number, there are a few factors that could be making it difficult:

• The person may not have a Facebook account at all.
• They may have an account but under a different name than you expect.
• The phone number may be associated with the account but set to private.
• They could be using a very strict privacy setting that prevents any search results from showing their profile.
• The phone number might be an old number that’s no longer associated with their account.
• Facebook’s data on the number may be outdated or incorrect.

In other words, searching by phone number used to reliably turn up Facebook profiles, but users now have much more control over their privacy settings and what information is visible.

If none of these search methods are successfully locating the person’s profile, they likely have maximized their privacy settings to remain hidden from searches.

Alternative Search Methods

If you can’t find the person’s profile using their phone number, here are some alternative search options:

• Search by their full name (use quotes around first and last name).
• Search by their email address, if known.
• Search by their usernames on other social media platforms.
• Browse through their friends/contacts if you have access.
• Use images or profile pictures in reverse image searches.
• Search public records for other information like addresses.

With enough data points, you may be able to triangulate the person’s profile even without access to their phone number.

Some premium people search services will also run very detailed background check reports, helping piece together online and offline identification information.

Is Searching by Phone Number Allowed on Facebook?

Using someone’s phone number to try to find their Facebook profile does raise some privacy concerns. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Searching for public information is generally allowed, but stalking and harassment are strictly prohibited.
• Facebook restricts third-party data collection and limits people finder sites from scraping their data.
• Users must always respect others’ privacy settings and preferences.
• Don’t assume a profile is public just because a phone number is connected to it.
• Any abusive or inappropriate use of private information from Facebook can result in account suspension.

Essentially, casual searching is fine, but systematically collecting user data or attempting to bypass privacy settings is against Facebook’s policies. Know when to stop searching if the person can’t be found.

Conclusion

Finding someone’s Facebook profile by phone number alone has become very challenging today. While it was once easy to locate profiles this way, privacy settings now limit results even when a phone number is associated with an account. However, through persistence and using people finder services, search operators, and alternative search methods, it may still be possible to uncover the person’s account. But be sure to always respect the individual’s privacy preferences and Facebook’s data policies while searching. With the proper tools and techniques, a Facebook profile can still potentially be traced back from a phone number, but there are no guarantees.

Summary of steps

Here is a quick summary of the steps covered in this article for how to find a Facebook profile using a phone number:

1. Search Facebook directly using the phone number.
2. Use a people finder service to look up the number.
3. Try Facebook search operators like “@” and quotes.
4. Search the Facebook mobile app.
5. Attempt alternative searches by name, email, etc.
6. Use premium background check services.
7. Remember to respect privacy and stop if no profile is found.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to find someone’s Facebook with just their phone number?

It is possible, but not guaranteed. Facebook’s privacy settings allow users to disassociate their phone numbers or hide their profiles from searches. However, through various search methods some profiles can still be traced back to a phone number.

Is there a Facebook phone number search tool?

Facebook does not have its own phone number search tool anymore. They removed the feature several years ago due to privacy concerns. You have to rely on third-party sites or searching manually now.

Can I do a reverse phone lookup on Facebook?

Yes, services like Spokeo, Intelius and others allow you to do a reverse phone lookup and may reveal associated Facebook profiles. This only works if the profile’s privacy settings allow it though.

Is it illegal to search for someone on Facebook by phone number?

It is not necessarily illegal, but it is prohibited by Facebook if it involves systematic data collection or circumventing privacy settings. Casual searching for public information is generally allowed. Harassment would be illegal.

What if I think the person gave me a wrong number on purpose?

If someone gave you a wrong number intentionally, they likely do not want any further contact. Pushing to find their Facebook profile after that would be inappropriate and could be viewed as stalking behavior.

Conclusion

Searching for someone’s Facebook profile using their phone number can be challenging today and there are no guarantees of finding their account. While it was once easy to locate profiles this way, increased privacy settings now prevent phone numbers from turning up profiles reliably. However, through a combination of people search services, Facebook tools, and alternative search methods, it may still be possible to track down a Facebook profile starting with just a phone number in some cases. But care should be taken to respect individuals’ privacy and stop searching if requested. With persistence and the right techniques, a phone number provides a starting point that could potentially lead to finding someone’s Facebook profile.