Recovery

What to Do if You're Locked Out of Your Facebook Account

Locked out but not hacked — a forgotten password, a lost login email or phone, or two-factor on a device you no longer have. Here is how to find your account and get back in.

Being locked out is frustrating, but if no one else has taken control of your account, the path back is fairly direct: prove the account is yours and reset the way you sign in. The route depends on what you have lost — just the password, the email or phone you log in with, or your two-factor method. Work out which one applies, then follow the matching path below.

If your situation is actually …

Get back into a locked-out account

Stage 1 · Stabilize

Find your account

  1. Go to the "Find your account" page and search by the email, phone number, or username tied to the account.
    This is the official starting point for a locked-out account — it locates the account before offering reset options.
    Where: facebook.com/login/identify
  2. Pick the recovery option Facebook offers that you can still reach — usually a code sent to your email or phone.
    If you control at least one recovery contact, this is the fastest route back.
Stage 2 · Diagnose

Identify exactly what you have lost

  1. If you only forgot the password but still get the reset code, you can finish straight away — set a new password and you are in.
  2. If you no longer have the email or phone Facebook wants to send a code to, look for the option to use a different way to confirm it is you — this may lead into an identity check.
    When your usual recovery contacts are gone, proving identity is the alternative path back.
  3. If the blocker is two-factor authentication on a device you no longer have, look for "Try another way" or use a saved recovery code if you kept one.
    Two-factor recovery codes are issued when you set up two-factor — a single unused code lets you back in.
Stage 3 · Reclaim

Reset access and confirm it is you

  1. Complete the reset Facebook offers — a new password, and if prompted, confirming your identity.
    A successful identity check is sometimes the final gate when recovery contacts are missing.
  2. If you are asked to confirm who you are, follow the identity-verification guidance to give yourself the best chance of passing the first time.
    Where: facebook.com/login/identify
  3. Once back in, sign out of any sessions you do not recognise and re-secure the account.
    Where: facebook.com/settings (Security and login)
Stage 4 · Harden

Get back to your Pages and prevent a repeat

  1. Check that your access to your Pages and Business Portfolio is intact. Your personal account is the key to them, so restoring it usually restores your Page access too.
    Page and portfolio access is attached to your personal login — once you are back in, confirm nothing changed while you were out.
    Where: Meta Business Suite → Business settings
  2. Update your recovery email and phone to ones you actually control, and turn on two-factor authentication.
    Where: facebook.com/settings (Security and login)
  3. Save your two-factor recovery codes somewhere durable, separate from your phone, so a lost device cannot strand you again.
If this flow does not restore access: Contact Meta support for access problems →

The fastest path, step by step

If you still control your email or phone, this is usually all it takes.

  1. Open "Find your account"

    Go to facebook.com/login/identify and enter the email, phone, or username on the account.

    Where: facebook.com/login/identify

    Confirm: Facebook shows your account so you can confirm it is the right one.

  2. Choose a recovery contact you can reach

    Select the email or phone you still have access to. Facebook sends a confirmation code there.

    Confirm: A reset code arrives at your email or phone.

  3. Enter the code and set a new password

    Type the code, then choose a new, unique password you have not used elsewhere.

    Confirm: You are signed back in.

  4. If your recovery contacts are gone, confirm your identity

    When you cannot receive a code, follow the prompt to verify another way. This may ask you to confirm your identity with a document.

    If this fails: How to pass Meta identity verification

Common questions

Not necessarily. Start at facebook.com/login/identify and look for "Try another way" at the two-factor step. If you saved your recovery codes when you set up two-factor, a single unused code gets you in. If you also kept a backup method like a second device or email, try that. When none of those work, the remaining route is to confirm your identity through the official flow.

Delvia

Access issues are easier to prevent when roles, owners, and responsibilities are recorded clearly

Most access problems trace back to the same gap — no clear record of who has access, what role they hold, and what should happen when that changes. Delvia helps you keep that record so problems are visible before they become incidents.

Delvia is free on iPhone and Android. Keep a clear record of who has access to your accounts — and what to do when that changes — wherever you are.