How to change your Facebook email in three steps
Open Facebook and go to Settings & Privacy, then Settings. Click Personal Information on the left side. Find the Email row, click it, type your new email address, and click Save Changes. Facebook will send a confirmation link to that new email — you must click it within a set time to complete the change.
The process takes about five minutes if you have access to both your old and new email inboxes. If you no longer have access to your old email, or if you are locked out of your account, the steps are different and take longer.
Key Takeaways
- You can change your email from Settings & Privacy > Settings > Personal Information, and Facebook sends a confirmation link to your new email address.
- You must click the confirmation link within 24 hours, or the change does not take effect and you will need to start over.
- If you cannot access your old email, use the "No longer have access to this email?" option to verify your identity another way.
- If you are locked out of your account entirely, use the account recovery tool at facebook.com/login/identify to regain access before changing your email.
- Facebook allows you to add multiple email addresses to one account, so you can keep your old email active while adding a new one.
Step-by-step: changing your email on desktop
Log into Facebook on a computer. Click the downward arrow in the top right corner and select Settings & Privacy, then Settings. On the left side, click Personal Information. Find the Email row and click the pencil icon next to it.
Type your new email address into the field that appears. Click Save Changes. Facebook will immediately send a confirmation email to that new address. Open that email and click the confirmation link — it usually says "Confirm Your Email" or "Verify Email Address." The link expires after 24 hours, so do this while you still have the email open.
Once you click the link, your email address updates on your account. If you do not click the link within 24 hours, Facebook cancels the change and your old email remains active. You can then start the process again.
Step-by-step: changing your email on mobile
Open the Facebook app and tap the three horizontal lines (menu) in the bottom right corner. Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy, then tap Settings. Tap Personal Information. Find Email and tap it.
Tap the pencil icon next to your current email. Type your new email address and tap Save. Facebook sends a confirmation email to the new address. Open that email on your phone or another device and tap the confirmation link. The link works the same way as on desktop — you have 24 hours to confirm it.
What to do if you no longer have access to your old email
If you are trying to change your email but cannot access the old one anymore, Facebook offers an alternative verification path. When you enter your new email and click Save Changes, look for a link or button that says "No longer have access to this email?" or "Can't access this email?"
Click that option. Facebook will ask you to verify your identity using other information on your account — usually your phone number, a recovery email you added in the past, or answers to security questions you set up. Once you verify, Facebook lets you change your email without needing to confirm through the old address.
This process can take a few minutes to a few hours depending on which verification method you use. If you do not have a phone number or recovery email on file, Facebook may ask you to wait a set number of days before trying again.
Regaining access if you are locked out of your account
If you cannot log into Facebook at all, you cannot change your email from Settings. Instead, go to facebook.com/login/identify on any device. Facebook will ask you to enter a phone number, email address, or username associated with your account. Enter whichever one you remember.
Facebook will then ask you to verify your identity — usually by confirming a code sent to your phone or email, or by identifying photos of your friends. Once you verify, you regain access to your account. Then you can follow the normal email-change steps above.
If you cannot verify your identity this way, Facebook has a longer account recovery process. On the same login page, look for a link that says "Can't access your account?" or "Forgot password?" Click it and follow the prompts. This process can take several days because Facebook may ask you to provide additional proof that you own the account.
Adding a second email address instead of replacing your first one
Facebook allows you to have multiple email addresses on a single account. This is useful if you want to keep your old email active for login purposes while adding a new one. To add a second email without removing the first, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Personal Information and look for an "Add Email" option below your current email.
Click Add Email, type the new address, and confirm it the same way you would for a primary email change. Both emails will then work to log into your account. You can set one as your primary email (the one Facebook uses to contact you) while keeping the other active as a backup login method.
To remove an email later, go back to Personal Information, find the email you want to delete, and click the X or delete icon next to it. You must have at least one email address on your account at all times.
Troubleshooting: common problems when changing your email
The confirmation email does not arrive: Check your spam or junk folder first — confirmation emails sometimes get filtered there. If it is not there, wait a few minutes and try again. If you still do not see it after 10 minutes, go back to Settings > Personal Information and click the email row again. You can request a new confirmation email. If the problem continues, your email provider may be blocking Facebook emails — contact your email provider's support.
The confirmation link is expired: If more than 24 hours have passed, the link no longer works. Go back to Settings > Personal Information, click the email row, and enter your new email address again. Facebook will send a fresh confirmation link.
Facebook says the email is already in use: That email address is attached to another Facebook account. If it is your own account, log into that account and remove the email first. If it belongs to someone else, you cannot use that email for your account — choose a different one.
You changed your email but cannot log in with it: Wait a few minutes — the change sometimes takes time to sync across Facebook's systems. If you still cannot log in after 30 minutes, try logging in with your old email instead. If that works, go back to Settings and check that the new email was actually saved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my email if I do not remember my password?
Yes. You do not need your password to change your email — you only need to be logged in. If you are logged out and cannot remember your password, use the "Forgot password?" link on the login page to reset it first. Once you are logged in, you can change your email normally.
Will changing my email affect my Facebook friends or my account history?
No. Your friends, messages, photos, and all account history stay exactly the same. Only the email address you use to log in and receive notifications changes. Your friends will not be notified of the change.
How long does it take for the email change to take effect?
Once you click the confirmation link in the email Facebook sends you, the change is immediate. You can log in with your new email address right away. If you do not click the confirmation link within 24 hours, the change is cancelled and you must start over.
Can I use the same email for multiple Facebook accounts?
No. Each email address can only be attached to one Facebook account. If you try to add an email that is already in use, Facebook will reject it. You must use a different email for each account you own.
What if I change my email by mistake and want to change it back?
Follow the same steps to change it again. Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Personal Information, click the email row, type your old email address, and confirm it. You can change your email as many times as you need.