Where to find the email setting on Facebook
Your email address on Facebook lives in your account settings, not in your profile. Open Facebook and look for the downward arrow or menu icon in the top right corner — on a phone it's usually three horizontal lines. Click or tap it, then select Settings and privacy, then Settings.
Once you're in Settings, look for the left sidebar (on desktop) or scroll down (on phone) until you see Personal information. Click or tap that section. You'll see your email address listed there — this is the only place Facebook lets you change it.
If you're on a phone and the sidebar doesn't appear, make sure you're in the full Settings menu, not just the quick settings that pop up from the arrow. The full Settings page is what you need.
Key Takeaways
- Your email address is in Settings under Personal information, not anywhere in your profile or privacy controls.
- You can change your email to any address you own and can access right now, because Facebook will send you a confirmation link.
- Your old email address stays tied to your account for 60 days in case you need to undo the change, then Facebook removes it.
- If you've forgotten your password, you cannot change your email until you log back in — use the "Forgot password" link on the login page instead.
- Changing your email does not change your username or affect your friends, messages, or any other part of your account.
The steps to add and confirm a new email
In the Personal information section, you'll see a field labeled Email with your current address. Click or tap directly on that field or look for an Edit button next to it. A box will open where you can type a new email address.
Type the new email address you want to use. It must be an email you actually own — Facebook will send a confirmation link to that address, and you'll need to click it to finish the change. If you type an email you don't have access to, you'll get stuck and have to start over.
After you type the new address, click Add or Save. Facebook will when ready send a confirmation email to that new address. Open your email inbox (the one you just typed), find the message from Facebook, and click the confirmation link inside it. That link usually works for 24 hours.
Once you click the link, Facebook will ask you to enter your password one more time to confirm the change is really you. Type your password and click Confirm. Your email address is now changed.
What happens to your old email address
Facebook doesn't delete your old email right away. Instead, it keeps it attached to your account for 60 days. If you change your mind or made a mistake, you can go back to Personal information and switch back to your old email within that 60-day window — you'll just need to confirm it again.
After 60 days pass, Facebook removes your old email from your account completely. At that point, you cannot use it to log into Facebook anymore. If someone else tries to create a new Facebook account with that old email, Facebook will let them, because it's no longer tied to your account.
This 60-day window is also a safety feature. If someone hacked your account and changed your email without permission, you have two months to change it back before they can lock you out permanently.
Changing your email if you can't log in
If you've forgotten your password and cannot log into Facebook, you cannot change your email from inside Settings. Instead, go to the Facebook login page and click Forgot password? below the password field.
Facebook will ask you to enter the email address or phone number connected to your account. Type your current email address (the one you're trying to change away from). Facebook will send a password reset link to that email. Click the link, create a new password, and log back in.
Once you're logged in, follow the steps in the section above to change your email. You cannot skip the password reset step — Facebook requires you to be logged in to change your email address.
Why you might need to change your email
The most common reason is that you no longer have access to your old email address. Maybe your work email got deactivated when you left a job, or you closed an old email account and forgot Facebook was still using it. Changing it to a personal email you still use prevents you from getting locked out later.
Another reason is security. If you think your old email was hacked or you're worried about it, moving Facebook to a new email address means hackers cannot use that old email to reset your Facebook password. Just make sure your new email has a strong password too.
Some people also change their email when they want to use a different one for notifications. Facebook sends password resets, login alerts, and other messages to your email address on file. If you want those messages going somewhere else, changing your email is the way to do it.
Troubleshooting if the change doesn't work
If you typed a new email but never received the confirmation message, check your spam or junk folder first — sometimes email filters catch Facebook's messages by mistake. If it's not there, go back to Personal information and try again with a different email address.
If Facebook says the email you're trying to use is already connected to another account, that email is tied to a different Facebook profile. You'll need to use a different email address, or if that other account is yours, you can change that account's email first and then use the freed-up address here.
If you're stuck in a loop where Facebook keeps asking you to confirm but the confirmation link isn't working, try opening the link in a different browser or on a different device. Sometimes browser cookies or cached data cause confirmation links to fail. If that doesn't work, wait a few hours and try again — Facebook's confirmation system sometimes needs time to sync.
How changing your email affects the rest of your account
Changing your email does not change your username, your profile name, your password, or anything else about how people find or contact you on Facebook. Your friends see the same profile. Your messages stay the same. Your photos and posts are unaffected.
The only thing that changes is where Facebook sends account notifications and password reset links. If someone tries to log into your account and fails, Facebook will send a security alert to your new email address, not your old one. This is actually a good thing — it means only you will see those alerts.
If you use your Facebook account to log into other websites or apps (the "Log in with Facebook" button), changing your email does not break those connections. Those apps will keep working normally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use the same email for two Facebook accounts?
No. Each email address can only be connected to one Facebook account at a time. If you try to add an email that's already in use, Facebook will tell you it's already attached to another account. You'll need to use a different email for each account you own.
What if I don't have access to my new email yet?
Do not type an email address you cannot access right now. Facebook sends the confirmation link when ready, and you have only 24 hours to click it. If you don't have access to that inbox, the confirmation will expire and you'll have to start over. Wait until you can access the new email before you make the change.
Will my friends know I changed my email?
No. Your friends cannot see your email address on your profile, and changing it does not send them any notification. The change is completely private and only affects how you log in and where Facebook sends you messages.
Can I change my email on the Facebook app instead of the website?
Yes. The steps are the same on the app — go to the menu, tap Settings and privacy, then Settings, then Personal information. The email field works the same way on both the app and the website.
What if I change my email and then when ready want to change it back?
You can change it back anytime within 60 days. Go back to Personal information, and you'll see both your new email and your old email listed. Click on your old email and confirm it the same way you confirmed the new one. Facebook will send a confirmation link to your old email address.