A Facebook UID, which stands for User ID, is a unique number associated with every Facebook account. It helps Facebook identify each user and their account information. The UID is an important part of how Facebook organizes and manages user data.
How is a Facebook UID Created?
When someone creates a new Facebook account, the platform automatically assigns a UID to that account. This occurs behind the scenes without any input from the user. The UID is generated based on an internal algorithm that Facebook uses to create unique numbers for each new account.
The algorithm uses the timestamp of when the account was created as part of the input. This ensures no two Facebook accounts receive the same UID. Even if two people create accounts at the exact same second, the algorithm is sophisticated enough to assign different UIDs to each one.
What Does a Facebook UID Look Like?
A Facebook UID is a numeric value up to 17 digits long. It does not contain any alphabetical characters. A sample UID might look something like:
438597391057438
However, the length and exact numbers will vary for each account. Facebook’s algorithm creates UIDs pseudo-randomly so there are no set patterns or structures to them. The UID will also never change for a user after account creation.
Where Can You Find Your Facebook UID?
Unfortunately Facebook does not make UIDs public or easily accessible. The UID is an internal value that Facebook uses itself to manage accounts behind the scenes. There is no setting or page within a Facebook account that shows the UID.
The only way for a user to view their UID is to directly extract it from Facebook’s systems. This would require hacking into Facebook’s databases, which is illegal and unethical. There are some third party websites that claim to look up UIDs, but most of these cannot be trusted and may spread malware.
Why Does Facebook Use UIDs?
Facebook utilizes UIDs for several important reasons:
- To uniquely identify accounts – Using a random unique UID for every account prevents overlap or duplication.
- To link accounts and data – UIDs allow Facebook to connect user accounts across its different products and services.
- Prevent spoofing/imitation – The UID makes it nearly impossible for fake accounts to impersonate real users.
- Internal organization – Facebook relies on UIDs to quickly distinguish accounts in its massive databases.
In summary, UIDs allow Facebook to manage user identities at scale across its platforms. The numbers provide an unambiguous way to organize and analyze Facebook’s vast troves of user data.
Can You Change Your Facebook UID?
No, there is no way for users to modify their Facebook UID after account creation. Since the UID is generated automatically based only on the account creation time, users have no control over the number assigned.
Even Facebook itself cannot change a UID after the fact. The company’s systems are designed to treat the UID as permanent and unalterable for each account. Changing it would break how Facebook’s databases are structured and organized.
The immutable nature of the UID is by design to prevent abuse. If people could modify their UIDs, they could impersonate other accounts or corrupt Facebook’s data tracking. Overall, the UID permanence helps ensure the integrity of Facebook’s identification processes.
Can You Delete or Deactivate Your Facebook UID?
Deleting or deactivating a Facebook account does not erase the UID associated with it. Facebook keeps inactive UIDs in its system even after accounts are closed. This allows Facebook to still uniquely identify users if they ever re-activate their accounts.
Even after complete account deletion, Facebook retains the UID information for a period of time. This is for cybersecurity purposes in case deleted accounts need to be investigated. After an undisclosed amount of time, Facebook does purge deleted account UIDs from its active databases.
However, some data including UIDs may still exist in Facebook’s archives and backups. So in that sense, the UID may persist in some Facebook systems indefinitely due to how data backups work.
Can You Have Multiple Facebook UIDs?
Each individual Facebook user can only have one UID associated with their identity. However, it is possible for a single person to have multiple Facebook accounts and thus multiple UIDs.
Facebook’s terms of service prohibit maintaining more than one personal account. But the platform’s identification systems are unable to tell if multiple accounts belong to the same person. Nothing prevents a user from signing up for several accounts with different email addresses.
The UID algorithm will assign a unique UID to each new account. So one person could accrue multiple UIDs by creating multiple accounts. But this would be considered abuse of Facebook’s policies if done deceptively.
Are Facebook UIDs Shared Across Countries?
Yes, Facebook UIDs are universal globally. Two users in different countries who created accounts at the same millisecond would receive consecutive UIDs.
Facebook does not partition UID assignment regionally. All accounts across the world feed into the same identification algorithms and databases. This enables Facebook to analyze usage patterns and track users universally across borders.
So users in India, Europe, the US, etc. are all mixed together when it comes to UID distribution. The identifiers help unify profiles of real people even if they access Facebook from multiple countries.
Can You Use a Facebook UID to Find Someone?
No, Facebook UIDs cannot be used independently to identify or find specific people on Facebook. The UIDs contain no intrinsic information about the associated accounts.
You cannot take a UID like 438597391057438 and search Facebook to find the account with that UID. The identifiers are internal-only and not exposed through any public search or lookup functionality.
The only way to tie a UID back to a person is to have privileged access to Facebook’s non-public databases. Ordinary users have no ability to cross reference UIDs with actual user profiles.
Are Facebook UIDs Unique Globally?
Yes, Facebook ensures every assigned UID is completely unique across its entire worldwide userbase of over 2 billion accounts.
No two accounts will ever have the same active UID, even if they belong to users on opposite sides of the globe. Facebook’s identification algorithms guarantee universal uniqueness.
This global uniqueness enables Facebook to unambiguously distinguish accounts, prevent duplication, and understand how identities link across multiple platforms. The UIDs are the keys that unlock Facebook’s ability to track activity at a global population scale.
Can Facebook UIDs Expire?
No, Facebook UIDs have no expiration date and will remain assigned to accounts indefinitely. There are no instances of UIDs expiring due to old age or inactivity.
Even if an account is inactive for many years, the UID still persists in Facebook’s systems and will immediately link back to that account if accessed again. The permanence helps Facebook retain ability to identify users even after long absences.
Essentially the UID remains valid for as long as Facebook continues operating as a company. Even deactivated accounts retain their original UIDs in Facebook’s databases for matching purposes if they ever return.
Are Any Facebook UIDs Restricted or Retired?
Generally no UIDs are restricted or retired by Facebook. However, in rare cases Facebook may recycle a UID from a deleted account if it determines the previous account was fake or fraudulent.
If a prior account violated Facebook terms by maintaining a false identity, Facebook may consider its UID abandoned and reassign it to a new legitimate account later on. But UID reuse is extremely uncommon.
For all standard accounts in good standing, Facebook will never delete their UIDs or give them to new accounts. Each UID ideally stays matched forever to its original account holder.
Can You Buy or Sell Facebook UIDs?
No, buying and selling Facebook accounts or UIDs is strictly prohibited by Facebook’s policies. Only Facebook itself can assign UIDs to accounts when they are first created.
Any third party offering to sell Facebook UIDs has likely accessed them illegally through hacking or data leaks. Purchasing black market UIDs violates Facebook’s terms and risks account suspension.
Additionally, without access to Facebook’s internal systems, third parties cannot verify if any provided UIDs are valid and still active. Overall there is no legitimate reason to buy or sell Facebook identifiers.
Conclusions
To summarize key points about Facebook UIDs:
- UIDs are unique 17 digit numbers assigned to each account
- They help Facebook organize user data internally
- Ordinary users cannot view or modify their UIDs
- One person can have multiple UIDs if they have multiple accounts
- UIDs remain permanent and do not expire
- You cannot search Facebook for people by their UID
Facebook’s UID system ultimately enables the platform to uniquely identify and track users at massive global scale across all its apps and services. The numbers are centrally important to Facebook’s core data tracking and ad targeting capabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see someone else’s Facebook UID?
No, you cannot view any other user’s Facebook UID without access to Facebook’s internal databases, which are not publicly accessible. The UIDs are internal identifiers that ordinary Facebook users cannot see.
What if someone creates multiple fake Facebook accounts?
Each additional account would still get its own unique UID. However, creating multiple accounts under false pretences violates Facebook’s terms of service. If discovered, Facebook may ban all associated fake accounts.
Can I transfer a Facebook UID to a new account?
No, Facebook UIDs cannot be transferred between accounts. Each account receives one UID that remains permanently tied to it for its lifetime. Even Facebook itself cannot reassign a UID to a new account.
How does Facebook manage UIDs after someone dies?
For accounts of deceased users, Facebook will memorialize the account but retain the original UID. This allows friends and family to still uniquely identify the person if viewing the memorialized profile. The UID is never reused.
Can I pay Facebook to give me a specific UID?
No, there is no way to pay or request a custom UID from Facebook. The identifiers are generated purely algorithmically based only on account creation time. Users have no input or control over their assigned UID.
Facebook User ID Tables
Here are some example tables visualizing fictional Facebook user IDs and data:
| User | UID | Status | Signup Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alice | 48159374622 | Active | January 2022 |
| Bob | 37465921043 | Deleted | June 2017 |
| Eve | 93765438475 | Active | May 2011 |
| Country | Average UID Length | Most Common Signup Day |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 14 digits | Tuesday |
| India | 13 digits | Sunday |
| Philippines | 12 digits | Friday |