Creating a Facebook account takes about five minutes and requires only an email address or phone number
To create a Facebook account, go to facebook.com on any web browser or open the Facebook app on your phone. Click the "Create New Facebook Account" button. Facebook will ask for your first name, last name, email address or phone number, date of birth, and gender. You choose a password. That's the account itself — you're done in minutes.
After you create the account, Facebook asks you to confirm your email or phone number by clicking a link or entering a code they send you. Until you do this, you can't use all features. The confirmation step takes less than a minute and protects your account from someone else using your email to sign in.
Once confirmed, you land on your profile page. This is where you control what information shows up about you — your photo, where you live, where you work, your relationship status, and what you studied. You don't have to fill in any of these fields. The more you add, the more information Facebook collects and the more visible you are to other people.
Key Takeaways
- Creating an account requires only your name, email or phone number, birth date, gender, and a password you choose.
- You must confirm your email or phone number before Facebook unlocks all features, which takes one or two minutes.
- Your profile page lets you add information like your photo, location, job, and education — but you can leave most fields blank.
- The information you add to your profile is visible to other Facebook users unless you change your privacy settings.
- Facebook collects data about you even if you don't fill in your profile, based on what you click, like, and share.
What information Facebook asks for during signup
Facebook requires your first and last name, an email address or phone number, your date of birth, and your gender. These are the only fields you must fill in to create an account. The name you enter doesn't have to be your legal name — Facebook allows nicknames and stage names, though the company does have rules against fake accounts created to impersonate someone else or hide your identity for harassment.
The email or phone number is how you log in and how Facebook sends you password reset codes if you forget your password. Use an email address or phone number you actually control. If you use someone else's email, you won't be able to get back into your account if you forget your password.
Your date of birth determines whether Facebook shows you age-restricted content and ads. Facebook uses it to calculate your age but does not display your birth date on your profile unless you choose to make it public in your privacy settings.
Setting up your profile after account creation
After you confirm your email or phone number, Facebook takes you to your profile page. Here you can add a profile photo, a cover photo (the banner at the top), and information about yourself. You can add where you live now, where you grew up, where you went to school, where you work, your relationship status, your phone number, your website, and a short biography.
None of these fields are required. You can have a Facebook account with just your name and no other information visible. Many people add only a photo and their location. The more information you add, the easier it is for other people to find you and the more data Facebook has about you to use for ads and recommendations.
Your profile is visible to other Facebook users by default. You can change who sees each piece of information — your friends only, friends of friends, the public, or nobody. These settings are in the privacy menu on your profile page. If you want your profile completely private, you can set most fields to "Friends only" or "Only me."
Choosing privacy settings for your new account
When you first create an account, Facebook sets your default privacy to "Friends" for most information — meaning only people you've added as friends can see your posts, photos, and profile details. Posts you make are visible to your friends by default, not to the entire internet.
You can change these settings at any time. Go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings, then Privacy. Here you can control who sees your posts, who can message you, who can see your friends list, and who can look you up by email or phone number. You can also turn off activity status (the green dot that shows when you're online) and control whether Facebook shows you in search results.
One important setting: "Who can contact you?" By default, anyone on Facebook can send you a message. If you change this to "Friends only," messages from non-friends go to a separate folder you have to check manually. This reduces unwanted contact from strangers.
What happens to your information after you sign up
The moment you create an account, Facebook begins collecting data about you. This includes what you click, what you like, what you search for, what videos you watch, and how long you spend on each post. Facebook also collects information from other websites you visit that have a Facebook button or pixel — a piece of code that tracks you across the internet.
Facebook uses this data to build a profile of your interests, habits, and preferences. This profile is used to show you targeted ads — ads chosen because Facebook thinks you're likely to be interested in them. You cannot opt out of this data collection entirely, but you can limit it by adjusting your ad preferences and turning off off-site activity tracking in your settings.
If you upload a contact list or give Facebook permission to access your phone's contacts, Facebook will see the phone numbers and email addresses of everyone in your contacts. Facebook uses this to suggest friends and to target ads to people similar to your contacts. You can delete this data from your account settings at any time.
Adding friends and connecting with other people
After you create your account, Facebook suggests people you might know based on your email contacts, phone contacts, mutual friends, and people who live near you. You can click "Add Friend" to send a friend request. The other person has to accept your request before you're officially friends.
You can also search for people by name, email, or phone number using the search bar at the top of Facebook. When you find someone, you can view their public profile (the parts they've made visible to non-friends) and send them a friend request.
Once someone accepts your friend request, you can see each other's posts, photos, and profile information (depending on what privacy settings each of you has chosen). You can also message each other directly. If you want to stop being friends with someone, you can unfriend them at any time — they won't be notified, but they'll notice you're no longer on their friends list if they look.
Recovering your account if you forget your password
If you forget your password, go to facebook.com and click "Forgotten password?" on the login page. Facebook will ask you to enter the email address or phone number you used to create your account. Facebook sends a code or a link to that email or phone number. Click the link or enter the code, and you can create a new password.
If you no longer have access to the email or phone number you used to create your account, Facebook has a recovery process. You'll be asked to identify recent friends you've added, photos you've been tagged in, or other account details to prove the account is yours. This process can take several days.
To avoid this problem, keep your email address or phone number current in your account settings. If you change your email address, update it in Facebook's settings so you can always recover your account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use my real name on Facebook?
Facebook's rules say you should use the name you go by in everyday life, but it doesn't have to be your legal name. You can use a nickname, stage name, or shortened version of your name. Facebook does prohibit accounts created to impersonate someone else or hide your identity for the purpose of harassment. If Facebook thinks your name violates this rule, they may ask you to change it.
Can I create a Facebook account without giving my phone number or email?
No. You must provide either an email address or a phone number to create an account. This is how Facebook verifies you're a real person and how you recover your account if you forget your password. You cannot skip this step.
What if I want to delete my Facebook account after creating it?
You can deactivate your account (temporarily hide it) or permanently delete it. Deactivation takes effect when ready but you can reactivate anytime by logging back in. Permanent deletion takes about 30 days — during this time, Facebook keeps your data in case you change your mind. After 30 days, your account and all your information are removed.
Can I have more than one Facebook account?
Facebook's rules say each person should have one account. Creating multiple accounts to evade bans or impersonate someone is against their rules. However, Facebook does allow some people to have a personal account and a separate business or public figure account. If you want a second account, contact Facebook to ask permission rather than creating one secretly.
Is it safe to give Facebook my phone number?
Facebook uses your phone number to verify your account and send you security codes if someone tries to log in from a new device. You can keep your phone number private so other users can't see it or search for you by it. In your privacy settings, set "Who can look you up using the phone number you provided?" to "Nobody."