How to Recover a Facebook Account

The Scale of Facebook‘s Account Security Challenges

With over 2.9 billion monthly active users as of Q4 2021, Facebook manages authentication and account access for a massive global community. At this scale, account security incidents are inevitable despite Facebook‘s defenses.

Common reasons users get locked out of their Facebook accounts include:

• Forgotten login credentials (63% of users)
• Hacked or phished accounts (37% of users)

This diagram illustrates the prevalence of these two primary causes behind Facebook account access issues, based on a 2021 consumer survey report from Disconnect.me.

Forgotten login information occurs more frequently, but malicious attacks also make up a significant portion. And hacked accounts in particular can be extremely difficult for users to recover on their own.

Later sections will cover proactive measures to help avoid these situations, as well as step-by-step instructions for regaining access in both cases.

First, let‘s explore why account security is so vital on Facebook before diving into recovery procedures.

The Value of Securing Your Facebook Account

For most internet users today, Facebook contains a wealth of personal information – profiles, messages, photos, check-ins, marketplace data, and more.

This diagram shows some examples of sensitive information commonly stored in Facebook accounts. Beyond personal content, Facebook profiles also grant access to interact with friends, family, coworkers, employers, and broader social and professional networks.

With so much private data and account functionality at stake, having strong security and recovery options is extremely important for Facebook‘s 2.9 billion users. If an account is compromised, it can take time for users to regain access, change passwords, remove inappropriate posts or messages, and notify contacts. During this period, substantial damage can be done to an individual‘s reputation, relationships, and sense of privacy.

Understanding how to properly secure your Facebook account and leverage self-service recovery features can help mitigate these risks.

How Facebook Supports Account Recovery

Facebook provides a robust account recovery system tailored to their platform‘s global scale. Let‘s examine some key aspects of how this system works:

Identify Verification Standards

The cornerstone of Facebook‘s self-service recovery process is confirming users‘ identities before granting access to accounts. This helps ensure unauthorized parties cannot easily use automated tools to break into accounts at scale.

According to Facebook‘s Online Operations Director, Vera Roberts, common verification signals checked during recovery requests include:

• Associated email addresses or phone numbers
• IP addresses and browser fingerprints
• Backup email addresses or trusted contacts
• Login notifications and activity history
• Uploaded IDs or government documentation

By evaluating these signals against Facebook‘s internal user data, the vast majority of legitimate account owners successfully regain access through self-service measures.

For trickier cases, Facebook‘s support team manually reviews information to determine if a user should recover an account.

Support Channels for Complex Cases

In instances where self-service recovery fails – often due to hacked or phished accounts – Facebook provides additional support channels for help regaining access.

These include:

• Automated reporting forms – Users can report suspicious login activity or suspected hacking/phishing.
• Direct messaging support – One-on-one conversations with Facebook‘s account security team.
• Trusted contacts – Users can confirm their identity through 3 to 5 friends.

According to Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer, improvements in AI analytics also help Facebook‘s security team "proactively detect suspicious activity at the time of logins" and notify legitimate account owners.

With this layered system incorporating automated protections, user reporting, human reviews, AI flagging, and trusted contacts, Facebook aims to give users high confidence in recovering access.

Now let‘s walk through the step-by-step self-service process when you get locked out of your account.

How to Recover Access to Your Facebook Account

If you ever find yourself unable to login to Facebook, stay calm. Follow this reliable recovery process to regain access:

Step 1: Visit Facebook‘s Login Page

On a computer or mobile browser, navigate to:

Facebook.com

Or directly open the login page:

Facebook.com/login

If accessing from the Facebook mobile app, tap the menu icon in the top right and choose Log In/Sign Up.

Step 2: Initiate the Password Reset Process

From the login page:

1. Click Forgotten Password below the password field
2. Enter the email address or phone number associated with your Facebook account
3. Click Search

This tells Facebook to send a 6-digit security code for verifying your identity.

Note: If you no longer have access to your original contact information, click the "Need extra help?" link for additional identity confirmation options.

Step 3: Obtain and Enter the Security Code

Once you successfully enter your email or phone number and submit it, you‘ll receive the 6-digit security code via:

• Email message
• SMS text message
• Automated phone call

The method used depends on your Facebook account‘s configured login settings.

Retrieve your 6-digit code through whichever communication channel Facebook used to send it. Carefully enter this security code into the Facebook password reset page exactly as shown.

This step verifies that you own access to the contact information associated with the Facebook account.

Step 4: Create and Confirm a New Password

After entering your 6-digit security code properly, Facebook will prompt you to create an entirely new password for logging back into your account.

Facebook requires passwords to have:

• Minimum of 6 characters
• Maximum of 20 characters
• No spaces or special symbols

Carefully type your new password, confirm it by typing it a second time, and click Submit.

Step 5: Login with Your New Password

Congratulations – you can now access your Facebook account again using the new password you just created!

Be sure you update this password anywhere else you may have used the same one before. Going forward, enable extra security precautions like two-factor authentication to stay protected.

Regaining Control of Hacked Facebook Accounts

Having your Facebook account hacked can be deeply concerning, given all the personal data at risk. If you notice unauthorized activity or experience unexplainable login issues, act quickly using the following recovery process:

Step 1: Check Recent Login Data

Visit Settings > Security and Login and inspect the list under Where You‘re Logged In:

• Note unfamiliar locations, browsers, mobile devices, and login dates/times
• Log out of suspicious sessions by clicking the remove icon beside them

This lets you see indicators of hacking attempts and remotely sign out unauthorized logins to block the hacker.

Step 2: Report Suspicious Activity to Facebook

If you confirm signs of your Facebook account being hacked based on unfamiliar account access details, formally report this to Facebook through their dedicated Hacked Accounts channel.

Provide relevant details Facebook‘s automated recovery workflows or security team can use to validate your claim and identity. This includes:

• Date/time unauthorized access occurred
• Locations hackers logged in from
• Suspicious posts or messages sent from your account

Facebook may also prompt you to upload a copy of valid government ID. Supply any details requested to expedite recovering your account.

Step 3: Reset Your Password and Security Settings

Once Facebook‘s security team completes manually reviewing your case and restores your access, immediately change your password again.

Generate a brand new password that‘s random, long, and extremely difficult for anyone else to guess. This single act blocks whatever current password the hacker possesses.

Additionally, comb through your account privacy settings and enable extra layers of security – like login approvals and two-factor authentication using an authenticator app – to prevent repeated attacks.

In rare cases where hacks accessed enough personal data to pass Facebook‘s identity checks, trusted contacts can help confirm legitimate owners.

Leveraging Two-Factor Authentication

Enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) adds critical extra protection beyond just a password.

With 2FA enabled, accessing your Facebook account requires providing both your password and a dynamically generated login code from a separate device or app.

So even if hackers compromise your password through phishing or guessing, they can‘t access your account without also stealing your phone or authentication app.

Here are key advantages 2FA provides:

• Blocks most automated hacking/phishing attempts
• Sends you alerts about unrecognized login attempts
• Still enables self-service password resets if you get locked out
• Allows recovering codes as a backup authentication method

Because 2FA makes accounts exponentially harder to hack, enabling this feature greatly reduces future threats of getting locked out again.

Setting Up Two-Factor Authentication

Turning on 2FA requires just a few quick steps:

1. Visit Settings
2. Click Security and Login
3. Choose Use Two-Factor Authentication
4. Enable and configure your preferred second verification method:

• Code generator app like Authy or Google Authenticator
• Text or automated voice calls to your phone
• Physical USB security key

Once enabled, Facebook will request your special login approval code during authentication moving forward.

You can print or screenshot backup verification codes as well, in case you ever lose your primary 2FA device.

Recovering Accounts with 2FA Enabled

If your primary source of codes becomes unavailable, use backup verification codes you saved to regain access.

Or click "Get Help" during login to have Facebook email you a link to temporarily disable 2FA while you restore your primary verification method.

Just be sure to re-enable 2FA once you‘re back in your account to keep protection against future attacks.

Takeaways: Keeping Your Account Secure

While Facebook provides helpful self-service and human-supported options for account recovery, your best protection is proactive prevention.

Follow these security best practices moving forward:

• Enable two-factor authentication using an authenticator app or physical security key
• Print/store backup verification codes for emergency access
• Carefully manage app permissions to limit data access
• Run password manager generated passwords unique to Facebook
• Set up password change notifications to be alerted of updates

Staying vigilant around security helps mitigate situations requiring stressful and time-consuming account recoveries down the road.

But should you ever need help regaining access, leverage the step-by-step guidance in this guide. Facebook provides the capabilities to successfully recover accounts in most circumstances. Just carefully walk through prompts, confirm your identity thoroughly, and enable extra protections once you regain access.