If you notice posts you did not make, messages you did not send, or you are suddenly locked out, your Facebook account may have been compromised. Here is what to do right away.
Signs your account was hacked
- Posts, messages or friend requests you did not make.
- Your name, birthday or profile picture changed without your input.
- You are logged out and your password no longer works.
- Friends report receiving strange messages from you.
If you can still log in
- Go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings, then “Password and security”.
- Change your password immediately to something unique that you do not use anywhere else.
- Check “Where you’re logged in” and log out of any device or session you do not recognize.
- Turn on two-factor authentication so a code from your phone is required for future logins.
- Review recent activity, posts, messages and friend requests, for anything you did not do, and remove or report it.
If you cannot log in anymore
Use Facebook’s “Forgot password” option on the login page, and choose to receive a reset link or code via the email or phone number linked to your account. If the hacker changed your contact details, Facebook’s Help Center has a dedicated “My Account is Compromised” form that walks you through identity verification instead.
After you regain access
- Check connected apps under Settings and remove anything unfamiliar.
- Warn friends not to click links sent from your account while it was compromised.
- Consider changing the password on your email account too, in case it was also affected.
Frequently asked questions
How did someone get into my account?
Common causes include reusing a password that leaked from another site, clicking a phishing link, or an unsecured device that was already logged in.
Will Facebook restore deleted posts or messages?
Facebook can sometimes help recover an account, but it does not guarantee restoring content a hacker deleted, which is another reason to act quickly.