Change your Facebook email in Settings in under five minutes
To change the email Facebook has on file for your account, open Facebook on any browser or the mobile app, go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings, then find Personal Information. Click on your email address, enter your new email, and Facebook will send a confirmation link to that new address. Click the link in that email, and the change is complete.
You do not need to know your old password to do this. Facebook only asks you to confirm you can access the new email address by clicking a link they send there. The whole process takes about five minutes if you have access to both your current email and the new one you want to use.
Key Takeaways
- Facebook sends a confirmation link to your new email address — you must click it within 24 hours or the change does not go through.
- Your old email stays connected to your account for 24 hours after you confirm the new one, so you can still use it to log in during that window.
- If you no longer have access to your current email address, you will need to use Facebook's account recovery process instead of the Settings menu.
- Changing your email does not affect your password, two-factor authentication settings, or any other security features on your account.
Step-by-step: changing your email on desktop
Open Facebook in any web browser and log in if you are not already. In the top right corner, click the downward-pointing arrow (or your profile picture) and select Settings and Privacy, then Settings.
On the left side of the screen, click Personal Information. You will see a section labeled Email with your current email address. Click on that email address. A box will pop up where you can type your new email. Enter it, then click Change Email.
Facebook will send a confirmation email to the new address you just entered. Open that email and click the Confirm button or the confirmation link inside it. Once you click that link, your email address is changed. If you do not click the link within 24 hours, Facebook cancels the change and you will need to start over.
Step-by-step: changing your email on the mobile app
Open the Facebook app and tap the three horizontal lines (the menu icon) at the bottom right of your screen. Scroll down and tap Settings and Privacy, then tap Settings.
Scroll down to Personal Information and tap it. You will see your email address listed. Tap on it, then tap Edit. Type your new email address and tap Change Email. Facebook sends a confirmation link to the new address — open that email on your phone or another device and tap the confirmation link.
The process is the same whether you use iPhone or Android. If you are changing your email on a phone but your new email is on a computer, you can open the confirmation email on the computer instead — the link works from any device.
What happens during the 24-hour confirmation window
After you click Change Email, you have 24 hours to confirm the new address by clicking the link Facebook sends. During those 24 hours, both your old email and your new email can be used to log into Facebook. This is useful if you want to test that you can access the new email before the change becomes permanent.
If you do not click the confirmation link within 24 hours, Facebook automatically cancels the change. Your email address stays the same, and you will need to go back to Settings and start the process again if you still want to change it.
Once you click the confirmation link, your old email is disconnected from your account. You can no longer use it to log in — only the new email works from that point forward.
If you cannot access your current email address
If your current email no longer exists or you cannot log into it, you cannot use the Settings menu to change your email. Instead, you will need to use Facebook's account recovery process. Go to facebook.com/login/identify on any browser and enter your phone number, username, or a full name associated with the account.
Facebook will ask you to verify your identity. You may be asked to answer security questions, identify friends in photos, or provide other information. Once Facebook confirms it is really you, you can set a new email address without needing access to the old one.
This process can take longer than the standard email change — sometimes several days — because Facebook is being extra careful to make sure someone is not trying to take over your account.
Common reasons the confirmation email does not arrive
If you clicked Change Email but never received a confirmation message, check your spam or junk folder first. Facebook emails sometimes end up there by mistake. If it is not there, wait a few minutes — the email can take up to 10 minutes to arrive.
If more than 10 minutes have passed and you still do not see it, go back to Settings and Personal Information and try again. Make sure you typed your new email address correctly the first time. A single typo will send the confirmation to the wrong inbox.
If you are changing to a Gmail address, make sure you are using the full email (including @gmail.com). If you are changing to a work email, check that your email provider is not blocking messages from facebook.com — some workplace email systems filter out emails from social media sites.
What does not change when you update your email
Changing your email address does not affect your password, your two-factor authentication settings, your login alerts, or any other security feature. If you have two-factor authentication turned on, it stays on. If you have a recovery phone number saved, it stays saved.
Your email change also does not affect who can contact you on Messenger, what notifications you receive, or any of your privacy settings. Only the email address itself changes — everything else on your account stays exactly the same.
If you want to change your password at the same time, you can do that separately in the Security and Login section of Settings. But you do not have to change your password just because you changed your email.
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. If you try to change your email to one that is already attached to another account, Facebook will reject the change and tell you the email is already in use.
What if I confirm the new email by mistake and want to change it back?
You can change your email as many times as you want. Just go back to Settings and Personal Information and repeat the process. There is no limit on how often you can change it, and no waiting period between changes.
Will my friends see my new email address?
No. Your email address is private and only you can see it in your account settings. Your friends cannot view it on your profile, and changing it does not send them any notification.
Do I need to update my email anywhere else after I change it on Facebook?
Only if you use that email to log into other services through Facebook. If you have connected your Facebook account to Instagram, Messenger, or other apps, those connections stay active — you do not need to reconnect them.
Can I change my email if my account is locked or disabled?
If your account is locked, you will not be able to access Settings. You will need to unlock your account first by following Facebook's unlock process, which usually involves confirming your identity. Once your account is unlocked, you can change your email normally.