Recovering a Facebook account when you no longer have access to the email address associated with it can be challenging, but it is possible. Facebook’s account recovery process relies on you providing information to prove you’re the rightful account owner. With some preparation and persistence, you can get back into your Facebook account even without access to the original email.
What you’ll need to recover your Facebook account:
- Access to the phone number or email address currently associated with the account
- Photos of yourself that are tagged on the account
- Friends who can confirm your identity
- Old emails or messages between you and friends on Facebook
- Info about previous passwords or locations where you logged in
Armed with this information, you can start the Facebook account recovery process. Here are the detailed steps to take:
Step 1: Access the account recovery form
Go to Facebook.com and click on the “Forgot account?” link. This will take you to the account recovery form.
Enter the username, phone number or email address currently associated with your account. These details should auto-populate if you’re logged out of an existing account.
If you don’t have access to the current login information, enter your full name and any old emails or phone numbers that were associated with the account in the past.
Step 2: Select how to recover your account
Facebook will present several account recovery options, like resetting your password or regaining access to your email. Select the option for “I can’t access my email address.”
This starts the process of recovering your account without access to that old email.
Step 3: Confirm your identity
Now comes the hard part – proving to Facebook this account actually belongs to you. The next screens will ask multiple questions to confirm aspects of your identity, like:
- Friends in your account you may have recently interacted with
- Locations where you commonly log in from
- Old passwords you’ve used
- Emails or messages between you and friends
Answer these questions with as much accuracy and detail as you can. The more precise your answers, the more likely Facebook will restore access.
Step 4: Ask friends to confirm your identity
If Facebook still can’t verify your identity from the info provided, they will prompt you to reach out to friends from your account. Select 3-5 close friends you interact with regularly.
Facebook will send them a link to confirm your identity and ownership of the account. Have these friends complete the confirmation process Facebook sends.
Step 5: Upload a photo of yourself
Facebook may ask you to upload a photo of yourself if they still need more proof of your identity. This photo should clearly show your face and match photos that have been tagged of you on the account.
Take a current photo of yourself and upload it where prompted. Make sure to follow Facebook’s photo guidelines.
Step 6: Create new login credentials
Once Facebook has confirmed your identity through the account recovery steps, you’ll be prompted to create new login credentials for the account.
Enter and confirm a new password and optionally add a new email address or phone number for 2-factor authentication.
Your account should then be restored! You can log in with your new password.
Troubleshooting Facebook account recovery
If you go through all the account recovery steps but still can’t get back into your account, here are some things to try:
- Make sure you’re providing as much accurate info as possible in Step 3. Incorrect details could fail the verification process.
- Contact more Facebook friends to vouch for your identity.
- Check for an old account backup email you may have access to still.
- Use a different photo that more closely matches your account profile.
- Try the process again from another device or location.
If nothing seems to work, unfortunately your last resort may be to create a new Facebook account and start fresh. But engaging closely with Facebook’s account recovery should help regain access in most cases.
Preventing a lost Facebook account in the future
Going through Facebook’s account recovery process can be time-consuming and frustrating. Here are some tips to avoid this issue in the future:
- Add a backup email – Associate a backup email you own with your Facebook account in case you lose access to the primary email.
- Use extra authentication – Secure your account with two-factor authentication using your phone number or backup codes.
- Know your login locations – Take note of locations you frequently login from, as Facebook may ask for verification.
- Stay active – Consistently interact with Facebook friends who can verify your identity if needed.
- Review settings – Check your Facebook account recovery settings to ensure your contacts and options are up to date.
Conclusion
Losing access to the email for your Facebook account can be extremely inconvenient. But Facebook provides a detailed identity verification process to recover and restore accounts to their rightful owners.
By providing as much identity information as possible, getting help from friends, and persisting through the steps, you have a good chance of regaining access to your Facebook account. Just be prepared for a process that requires patience and diligence.
Moving forward, be sure to set up backup authentication methods and maintain a presence on Facebook to streamline account recovery. With some diligence on the front end, you can avoid the headache of losing access to your account down the road.