Tech Made Simple

Hot Topics: How to Fix Bluetooth Pairing Problems | Complete Guide to Facebook Privacy | How to Block Spam Calls | Snapchat Symbol Meaning

We may earn commissions when you buy from links on our site. Why you can trust us.

author photo

How to Delete an Old Facebook Account When You Can't Log In

by Josh Kirschner on February 20, 2024

Updated on 2/20/2024 with the current methods you can use to regain access to an old Facebook account. Removed privacy options no longer available.

Do you have an old Facebook account that you’re no longer using with posts or pictures from your younger days that you don’t want people to see? It’s easy to delete your Facebook account if you still have access to it. But what if you can’t remember the login information?

Here are the steps you can take to try and recover account access so you can delete your account – and the associated unwanted former memories – permanently.

1. Try to recover your Facebook password

Go to https://www.facebook.com/login/identify to search for your account. You can search by the email or phone number you used to set up the account, or just by name (the search screen doesn’t mention that option but it works, too).

If the Facebook account you are trying to recover is old, try every email and phone number you've owned.

If you go the name route, your account may or may not show up, depending on your privacy settings. And you may have used a nickname or a variation of your name that you don't use anymore, so try a few variations. If you don’t see your account, click “I’m not on this list” and you’ll be prompted to enter the name of a friend and search again. Try a few friends if the first one doesn't work. They may also use a variation of their name.

Once you find your old account, you’ll be able to send a reset code to any of the email addresses or phone numbers you associated with your account. If you’re not sure which email address you used, Facebook will show you a redacted version (e.g., j*******h@hotmail.com) that should spark your memory in case it’s an old email that you don’t log into anymore.

If you don’t have access to that email address or phone number anymore, try hard to regain access to that old email account. Because it gets far bleaker from here…

2. Report your old account as fake

While Facebook makes deleting an old account difficult, thanks to the proliferation of Facebook account spoofing, deleting a fake account is far easier. So one of our clever readers told us in the comments he reported his old account as fake and it was quickly deleted. Another reader also had success going this route.

To report your old account as fake:

  1. Go to the profile of your old account.
  2. Click the three little dots on the bottom right of the cover photo and select Find support or report on your browser or Report profile in the Facebook app.
  3. Click on Pretending to Be Someone" and then click Me.

Let us know in the comments if this method works for you, too. It appears to be rather hit-or-miss.

3. There is no option three (at least no easy one)

For security reasons, Facebook will only allow you to delete your account if you can access it through the official method above (or our "unofficial" workaround). Those photos of your ex-relationships, nights of drunken bacchanalia and really, really bad choices of hairstyle are going to live on forever in the Facebook universe.

You can also try sending a snail mail letter to:

Meta Platforms, Inc.
ATTN: Privacy Operations
1 Hacker Way
Menlo Park, CA 94025

Since this isn't an officially sanctioned means of getting your account deleted, we don't know what your likelihood of success will be. If you go this route, let us know how you fare in the comments below.

Bad advice in Facebook Help

In my research, I came across a Facebook help page with a section entitled "Recover your Facebook account from a friend's or family member’s account." The steps don't work. They ultimately send you back to the same page that asks for the phone number or email address associated with your account.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Please do not put requests to have your Facebook account deleted in the comments. We cannot delete your account you must follow the steps with Facebook we outlined above.

[Image credit: Screenshot via Techlicious, laptop mockup via Canva]

Josh Kirschner is the co-founder of Techlicious and has been covering consumer tech for more than a decade. Josh started his first company while still in college, a consumer electronics retailer focused on students. His writing has been featured in Today.com, NBC News and Time.


Topics

Tips & How-Tos, Facebook, Privacy


Discussion loading

gravatar

From Tamela Lamie on January 15, 2023 :: 7:48 am


I have almost begged for anyone to help me to delete my old FB accounts and I’ve been on alot of help pages and I was just hoping that you were the one that was going to help me but no you didn’t and I was reading all the other people begging for help also and you hadn’t helped them either wow thanks for nothing

Reply

gravatar

From Josh Kirschner on January 18, 2023 :: 1:28 pm


The article provides instructions for how you can delete your account - we are not able to delete your Facebook account for you. I believe I make that VERY clear in the editor’s note:

“Please do not put requests to have your Facebook account deleted in the comments. We cannot delete your account – you must follow the steps with Facebook we outlined above.”

If you follow the directions and they don’t work, please let me know. If you don’t follow the directions and just post requests in the comments for us to do it (despite my explicit advice not to do that), it should not be a surprise that nothing changes.

Reply

gravatar

From Juan Jose on January 25, 2023 :: 3:50 pm


Doesn’t Work I tried reporting my old accounts as pretending to be me and it said it didn’t go against community guidelines.. and I have people still tagging me in things on them and there spams..

Reply

gravatar

From shane ward on February 23, 2023 :: 9:56 am


hello we have an ex worker who set up a facebook account using her work email reather than her private email . we need tro get it deleted but dont know how to go about this . i keep getting facebook notifications everytime somepnhe posts something to her

Reply

gravatar

From JT on March 11, 2023 :: 9:49 am


We or whatever Country most of these replies are coming from are DOOMED!!

Read the article people.

Reply

gravatar

From Justin Panzarella on April 07, 2023 :: 9:49 am


I have two old accounts, my first one I ever made that I lost access to because my first phone was lost during a move from houses, then my second account I made because of my lost first one but sadly lost access to this one to during a fishing trip the phone got soaked and I couldn’t get access to it so now I’m on my third and hopefully final account.  So I just reported my two old accounts and I’m hoping to soon look and find that they are both gone.
Thank you for the help and please do wish me luck.
Thank you !

Reply

gravatar

From Zak West on June 21, 2023 :: 2:41 am


Informative article, thanks dude!

Reply

gravatar

From Silver Lake on July 24, 2023 :: 6:53 am


FB appears to be beyond the law. With no morals.
Its ransomware.
People were desperate to make new ‘online friends’ with like-minded interests, but sold their soul to do it.
Now those users have woken up and want their personal data back and to be removed from FB, it’s too late.

Reply

gravatar

From Kate on August 21, 2023 :: 9:34 pm


Just letting you know, reporting my old Facebook account did not work. I am now trying to recover the password of my old email address, so I can reset my old Facebook account, so I can delete it. Haha, I will come back and let you know if I find a way to do it.

Reply

gravatar

From Danny on December 31, 2023 :: 10:34 am


Thankyou for your as advise it helped look I know this isn’t pick up line but you seem very clever I like a girl that thinks I don’t know you

Reply

gravatar

From Simone Ricci on August 28, 2023 :: 7:11 am


I been hacked and I can’t access my account. I tried every step but my e-mail and phone number has been change so it look like that there is no account connected with my details. I can still see my account true FB friends. I would like to cancel my account but I can’t find the way. I tried to find my account with the name of a friends or one time pass code but it still doesn’t work

Reply

gravatar

From Candace Day on September 23, 2023 :: 2:10 am


I have been dealing with being locked out of fb and messenger and I’m so frustrated!! I tried logging in to my fb and messenger accounts and for some reason it didn’t recognize me.  Now it’s asking for an authentication code it says I set up but I NEVER SET IT UP CUZ IVE NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A CODE!!! EVEN IF I DID I WOULD NOT EVEN KNOW HOW TO FIND SUCH A CODE!! IVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH FB FOR THE PAST 5-6 YEARS NOW FOR SOME REASON.  BEFORE THAT EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE THIS OUT?? TY SO MUCH FOR TAKING TIME TO READ THIS BOOK!

Reply

gravatar

From Danny Orchard on December 31, 2023 :: 10:31 am


Look after I broke like 5 phones the cheap ones I kept changing SIM cards for the credit now can’t find old SIM I want to delete all of my old profiles but don’t remember details

Reply

gravatar

From Sadhvi Pradhan on January 16, 2024 :: 9:18 am


My moms old account has been mis used some 18+ contents are being uploaded. My mom is not able to access that account. How many facebook users should report to get that account deleted??

Reply

gravatar

From Shiru sheikh on March 04, 2024 :: 12:40 am


Old my Facebook account delete

Reply

gravatar

From Chris on March 05, 2024 :: 1:22 pm


Nothing works for me I have an old FB that I previously deactivated.

I do not have access to the yahoo UK email addy anymore (it was made over a decade ago!)

I have tried reporting it multiple times, and even had friends do the same.

IF anyone has a solution id love to know. Meta really sucks.

Reply

gravatar

From Brittni Wood on March 05, 2024 :: 2:16 pm


I can’t change my password because it keeps sending me the same security code. Everytime i put the code in it says it is wrong.

Reply

gravatar

From Brittni Wood on March 05, 2024 :: 5:29 pm


The message above is for Facebook.

Reply

gravatar

From Camila Babativa on March 05, 2024 :: 2:27 pm


I have my account and my password but I can’t access to my authenticator…. because of that I can’t recover my account. What can I do?

Reply

gravatar

From Brittni Wood on March 05, 2024 :: 5:14 pm


Same person, this is a Facebook problem.

Reply

gravatar

From Elizabeth on March 06, 2024 :: 6:27 am


My friend Barry passed on in 2015 and I looked after his Facebook account, but I never closed his account down after he passed thinking his friends might comment on his passing, but no one did. Now, I can’t remember the email address I used with it or the password. Can I report it as fake? I don’t really know what else to do.

Reply

gravatar

From ROSA on March 22, 2024 :: 11:17 am


Hi
Im trying to delete my company’s facebook, which my boss can’t remember to passcode or email to. Does anyone know it a report it as fake, can i then create a new Facebook account with the same name?

Reply

gravatar

From Cuan Abrahams on May 01, 2024 :: 2:00 am


pls delete my old account as my life is in danger due to my cover pic ,or if you could delete my cover pic https://www.facebook.com/cuana2

kind regards
cuan abrahams

Reply

gravatar

From Justin Alexander Simpson on May 07, 2024 :: 3:21 pm


I have a account that I want deleted.

Reply

gravatar

From Ulysses on July 10, 2024 :: 8:10 pm


All procedures instructions provided On FB fail to address the interface I encounter.  Thereby FB is denying me access to delete my account.  NO sites provide meaningful instructions, despite they all claim to have THE answer.  A little bit familiar…

Reply

gravatar

From Katrina Prodnuk on July 30, 2024 :: 3:07 pm


My account was not removed when reported it was impersonating me. Sadly none of the other methods are working either. I know longer have access to the email I created the account with over ten plus years ago. I am very frustrated with Facebook for not having a better way yo remove an old account.

Reply

gravatar

From Danny on August 07, 2024 :: 10:24 pm


The first step helped me so much. Thank you!

Reply

Read More Comments: 1 2 3 4

Home | About | Meet the Team | Contact Us
Media Kit | Newsletter Sponsorships | Licensing & Permissions
Accessibility Statement
Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookie Policy

Techlicious participates in affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which provide a small commission from some, but not all, of the "click-thru to buy" links contained in our articles. These click-thru links are determined after the article has been written, based on price and product availability — the commissions do not impact our choice of recommended product, nor the price you pay. When you use these links, you help support our ongoing editorial mission to provide you with the best product recommendations.

© Techlicious LLC.