Forgot Facebook Password

I Forgot My Facebook Password

If you're having trouble logging in to your Facebook account, you might assume that you forgot your password. But maybe the Caps Lock key is tripping you up. Facebook passwords are case-sensitive, so "QWERTY7" is not treated the same as "qwerty7". Turn off the Caps Lock, and try again.

Still no joy? It might be a cookies problem. If cookies are disabled in your browser, you'll be returned to the login page even after entering the correct password. If you use Internet Explorer, click on Tools / Internet Options / Privacy and change the setting to Medium to allow cookies. Firefox users, go to Tools / Options / Privacy and check the "Accept cookies from sites" box.

Restart your browser and try to log in again. It's also possible that cookies are being blocked by some over-zealous firewall, anti-virus or anti-spyware software, so check your settings there if problems persist. If you have heard stories that browser cookies are evil, read Eat Your Cookies for more information.

Okay, if none of that helped, you probably DID forget your password. No problem... just click the handy Forgot Password? link under the Facebook Login button. You'll see the "Trouble Accessing Your Account?" screen that's pictured here. Enter your email address (the one you used to sign up for your Facebook account) and Facebook will send you an email describing how to reset your password. You won't actually get your old password back, but you will get to pick a new one and regain access to your account.

So what if you forgot your password AND your email address? Or what if you can't login to that email account for some reason? Some sites have an automated way to regain access to your account by asking you to answer one or more security questions, but unfortunately Facebook doesn't. You can contact Facebook by email at info@facebook.com, explain your situation, and hope for the best. Your Facebook profile does have a security question, so I recommend that you include that question and answer when you grovel. But with millions of members, I would not expect a speedy response. I'd even suggest that you repeat your request if you haven't heard back in a day or two.

Change Your Faceboook Password or Email

It's a smart thing to change your passwords on a regular basis. If someone does gain access to your Facebook account by guessing your password, or watching over your shoulder, you limit the exposure by changing passwords. If you're logged in and want to change your Facebook password, click on Account and then Settings to get to this page. You can change your password, your contact email address, or your security question.

It's also a good idea to use a different password for each online account. If you use the same password for everything, and you forget it, then you're out of luck. To avoid this type of problem, I suggest you use a password manager to help you keep track of all your passwords in a secure manner. My Remembering Passwords article offers some tips for choosing a password manager. You might also want to read Secure Passwords for help with selecting a good password that's hard for others to guess.