We won’t lie to you, retrieving a FB account if you don’t know the e-mail address or have access to the phone number is hard. However, it still has a better chance than recovering old Facebook account with absolutely no information, right? Does that mean you should give up? Of course not! We presume you’ve already created a new account, and are just looking into possibilities. So, here’s how to recover FB account with an old password. Or at least, give it your best shot.
Begin the FB account recovery from a known location
Facebook can see the public IP address that the request for help was sent from. Your case will have a bigger percentage of success if you use the same device (smartphone, tablet, computer), location, and network that you used with Facebook in the past. If they can match those with the data available to them, this essentially proves your identity.
Check if the account is still public to get the username
It doesn’t hurt to verify, right? Plus, there’s a trick you might not have considered.
- Open your profile page using another Facebook account.
- Take notice of the username. For example, facebook.com/steven1
- Log out of that account.
- Use the newfound username and an old password, and try to sign in to Facebook.
- If it works, congratulations!
An easy way to restore a FB account using an old password
The steps above didn’t work? Keep going.
- Log back to the secondary Facebook account, and go back to your profile.
- Locate the three dots (···) below the cover photo, in the top right corner.
- From the drop-down menu, choose to Find support or report profile.
- You’ll get multiple options to select from. We recommend selecting I Can’t Access My Account or Something Else.
- Click on Next.
- When asked, choose to Recover this account.
- You are now redirected to a page similar to Find Your Account.
- Since you don’t know the phone number or e-mail address, there should be no chance of recovery. However, you actually have two options.
- You can enter the username you found instead. If Facebook recognized your IP address and location, you might get a chance to utilize the old password during the process.
- If you enabled the Trusted Contacts feature, you are presented with 4 pictures of your Facebook friends. Once you enter the name of one of them correctly, all 4 of them will unlock. You will be logged in and can change the e-mail address and password as we discussed in our how to recover a Facebook account guide.
Retrieve FB account using an old password via the Compromised Account page
We know this doesn’t sound right if your account wasn’t hacked. This is a desperate attempt, and you should take what you can get.
- Visit the Report compromised account page.
- Click the button that says My Account is Compromised.
- You’ll again see a screen similar to Find Your Account.
- This time, there’s an additional option available. If Facebook detects a password that was changed, you are able to use your old password to log back in.
Get in touch with Facebook Help Center
If everything else fails, ask Facebook for help directly. This is the last resort, and if this doesn’t work, you should probably move on.
- Open the Confirm Your Identity With Facebook page.
- Read the F.A.Q and especially the part about What types of ID does Facebook accept?
- Click on Choose Files underneath the Your ID(s) headline.
- Select between 1 and 3 pictures of your ID, depending on the type.
Make sure they are in a JPEG format and convert them if you have to. - Since you don’t know the e-mail address or phone number attached to the account, enter a new e-mail address one that you have access to.
- Use the new e-mail address to send an e-mail to [email protected]. Describe the situation briefly.
- Do not add the pictures of your ID in the mail. Mention that you uploaded them through the secure system instead.
- Simply wait. These cases are processed manually, and it might take weeks for yours to be reviewed by a human.
These methods will help you to a Facebook account using an old password. Even if you haven’t used the account for a while, the methods will work as long as you have enough proof that you own the account. In case, you not only want to recover the account but also would like to go to the old login or design Facebook used to have, you can check out our guide to restore old Facebook login or design.
