What you need to set up a Facebook account

Creating a Facebook account takes about five minutes and requires only a few pieces of information: your real name (or the name you want to use publicly), your email address or phone number, your birth date, and your gender. Facebook will send a confirmation link to your email or a code to your phone — you have to complete that step before your account is active.

You do not need a credit card, a government ID, or any payment method. Facebook is free to use. The only real requirement is that you must be at least 13 years old according to Facebook's terms of service, though Facebook does not verify your age when you sign up.

If you already have an email address, use that. If you do not have one, you can create a free Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo account first — that takes about two minutes and only needs a name and password. Having an email address makes it easier to recover your Facebook account later if you forget your password.

Key Takeaways

  • You need only your name, email or phone number, birth date, and gender to create a Facebook account, and the process takes about five minutes.
  • Facebook sends a confirmation code to verify your email or phone number before your account becomes active, so you must have access to whichever one you choose.
  • Your name, profile picture, and any information you add to your profile are visible to other Facebook users unless you change your privacy settings after you sign up.
  • Facebook collects data about your activity — what you click, what you search for, what you like — and uses it to show you targeted advertisements.
  • You can limit who sees your posts and profile information by adjusting your privacy settings, but Facebook itself always has access to your data.

Step-by-step: creating your account

Go to facebook.com on a computer or open the Facebook app on your phone. On the homepage, you will see a button that says "Create New Facebook Account" or "Sign Up". Click or tap it.

A form will appear asking for your first name, last name, email address or phone number, password, birth date, and gender. Fill in each field. Your password should be something only you know — use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols if you can. Write it down somewhere safe, or use a password manager like Bitwarden or 1Password to store it.

After you submit the form, Facebook will send a confirmation code to your email inbox or as a text message to your phone. Check your email or texts, find the code (it is usually six digits), and enter it on Facebook. Your account is now active.

Facebook will then ask you to add a profile picture and find friends. You can skip both of these steps if you want — you do not have to do them right away. Your account works without a profile picture, and you can find friends later.

What information Facebook collects and how it is used

When you create an account, you give Facebook your name, email, phone number, birth date, and gender. But Facebook collects much more than what you type in. It tracks what you click on, what you search for, what posts you like or comment on, how long you look at each post, and which ads you interact with. If you use Facebook on your phone, it also knows your location (if you have location services turned on) and can see other apps you have installed.

Facebook uses this data to build a profile of your interests and habits. That profile is sold to advertisers, who use it to show you ads targeted to you specifically. A company selling running shoes, for example, can ask Facebook to show ads only to people who have looked at fitness content or bought sports equipment. You see more ads that match what Facebook thinks you care about.

Facebook also shares some of your data with other companies and services. If you use the "Log in with Facebook" button on another website or app, that website gets some of your Facebook information. If you use Facebook's pixel (a tracking code) on a website you own, Facebook learns what that website's visitors do.

Privacy settings you should change right after signing up

By default, your profile is visible to everyone on Facebook. Your name, profile picture, and any posts you make can be seen by any user, even people you have not added as friends. If you want more privacy, you need to change your settings manually.

On a computer, click the downward arrow in the top right corner of Facebook, then click "Settings and Privacy" and then "Settings". On a phone, tap the three horizontal lines (the menu icon) in the bottom right, scroll down, and tap "Settings and Privacy" then "Settings". Look for the "Privacy" section.

Change "Who can see your posts?" from "Public" to "Friends" if you want only people you have added as friends to see what you post. Change "Who can contact you?" to limit who can message you. Change "Who can look you up?" to "Friends" if you do not want strangers to find you by searching your name.

These settings do not stop Facebook from collecting your data — they only control what other users can see. Facebook itself still tracks everything you do on the platform.

How to protect your account from being hacked

Use a strong, unique password — one you do not use on any other website. If a hacker gets your password from one site, they can try it on Facebook and lock you out. A strong password has at least 12 characters and includes uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

Turn on two-factor authentication (also called two-step verification). This means that even if someone knows your password, they cannot log in without a second code. On Facebook, go to Settings, then "Security and Login", then scroll down to "Two-Factor Authentication" and click "Edit". Choose whether you want Facebook to send codes to your phone by text or through an authentication app like Google Authenticator or Authy. An app is more find than text, because hackers can sometimes intercept text messages.

Do not use "Log in with Facebook" on websites you do not trust. Every time you use that button, you give that website access to some of your Facebook information. Use a separate password for each important account instead.

What happens if you forget your password

If you cannot remember your password, click "Forgotten password?" on the Facebook login page. Facebook will ask you to enter your email address or phone number. It will then send you a link (to your email) or a code (to your phone) that lets you create a new password.

This is why having an email address linked to your account matters. If you only used a phone number and you lose access to that phone, you may not be able to recover your account. If you have both an email and a phone number on file, you have two ways to get back in.

If you cannot access either your email or your phone, Facebook has a recovery process, but it is slow and may not work. You will have to answer security questions or upload a photo of your ID. It can take days or weeks, and there is no may provide Facebook will let you back in.

Deactivating versus deleting your account

Facebook offers two different ways to stop using your account: deactivation and deletion. They are not the same thing.

Deactivating your account hides your profile from other users. Your name disappears from search results, your posts are no longer visible, and people cannot message you. But Facebook keeps all your data — your messages, photos, posts, and activity history. If you log back in within 30 days, your account comes back exactly as it was. After 30 days, Facebook may delete your data, but it is not may provide.

Deleting your account is permanent. Facebook says it will remove your data within 90 days, though some information (like messages you sent to other people) may stay in their inboxes. You cannot reactivate a deleted account. To delete your account, go to Settings, then "Deactivation and Deletion", choose "Delete Account", and follow the steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I create a Facebook account without giving my real name?

Facebook's rules say you must use your "authentic identity" — the name people know you by. But Facebook does not verify your identity when you sign up. You can type any name you want. If Facebook later suspects you are not using your real name, it may ask you to upload a photo ID to prove it, or it may disable your account.

What should I do if someone else created a Facebook account using my name?

Go to the profile, click the three dots in the top right, and select "Report". Choose "It is pretending to be someone" and follow the steps. Facebook will review it, but the process can take days. If the fake account is harassing you, you can also report it to local police.

Is it safe to use Facebook on public WiFi?

It is safer than it used to be because Facebook uses encryption, which scrambles your data so others on the same WiFi cannot read it. But using a VPN (a tool that hides your internet activity) adds another layer of protection. Free VPNs are often unreliable and may collect your data themselves, so a paid VPN is better if you use public WiFi often.

Can I have more than one Facebook account?

Facebook's rules say you can have only one account per person. But you can create a second account with a different email address, and Facebook may not catch it. If Facebook discovers you have multiple accounts, it may disable all of them. If you need a separate account for a business or organization, use Facebook Pages instead — they are designed for that purpose.

What does Facebook do with my phone number?

Facebook uses your phone number to send you the confirmation code when you sign up, and to help you recover your account if you forget your password. It also uses your phone number for targeted advertising — advertisers can ask Facebook to show ads to people with certain phone numbers. You can remove your phone number from your account in Settings, but then you will have only your email to recover your account with.