Security Tips
Here are 6 things you can do to help keep your account safe:
- Protect your password:
- Don't use your Facebook password anywhere else online.
- Never share your password. You should be the only one who knows it.
- Avoid including your name or common words. Your password should be difficult to guess.
- Use our extra security features.
- Make sure your email account(s) are secure.
- Log out of Facebook when you use a computer you share with other people. If you forget, you can log out remotely.
- Run anti-virus software on your computer:
- Think before you click or download anything.
You can use Security Checkup to review and add more security to your account. You'll need to log into your Facebook account to start Security Checkup.
Security Checkup will help you:
- Log out of Facebook from unused browsers and apps
- Get alerts when someone tries logging into your account from an unrecognized computer or mobile device
- Learn how to protect your password
Note: This feature is currently available to people logged into Facebook on a computer or the latest version of the Facebook for Android or Facebook for iOS app.
Learn more about keeping your account secure and using extra security features.
Here are a few things you can do to keep your account secure:
- Protect your password. Don't use your Facebook password anywhere else online, and never share it with other people. Your password should be difficult to guess. Avoid including your name or common words. Learn more about creating a strong password.
- Never share your login information. Scammers may create fake websites that look like Facebook and ask you to login with your email address and password. Always check the website's URL before you enter your login information. When in doubt, type www.facebook.com into your browser to get to Facebook. Learn more about avoiding phishing.
- Log out of Facebook when you use a computer you share with other people. If you forget, you can log out remotely.
- Don't accept friend requests from people you don't know. Scammers may create fake accounts to friend people. Becoming friends with scammers might allow them to spam your Timeline, tag you in posts and send you malicious messages.
- Watch out for malicious software. Learn the signs of an infected computer or device and how to remove malicious software. Keep your web browser up to date and remove suspicious applications or browser add-ons.
- Never click suspicious links, even if they appear to come from a friend or a company you know. This includes links on Facebook (ex: on posts) or in emails. Keep in mind that Facebook will never ask you for your password in an email. If you see a suspicious link on Facebook, report it.
- Use our extra security features. For example, you can get alerts about unrecognized logins and choose friends to be your trusted contacts. If you're logged into Facebook on a computer, you can use Security Checkup to review your security settings.
If you know your current password, you can change it:
- Click
in the top right corner of any Facebook page and select Settings - Click Security and Login
- Click Edit next to Change Password
- Click Save Changes
If you don't know your current password, you can reset it:
- Go to the Find Your Account Page
- Type the email, phone number, full name or username associated with your account, then click Search
- Follow the on-screen instructions
If you're still having trouble, we can help you recover your account.
Sometimes we block uploads when we detect that a file is infected to prevent viruses from spreading to others. When a file has a virus, it means it’s being affected by malware.
If you got a warning about a file you downloaded, we recommend deleting it so it won’t harm your computer.
To avoid this happening again, be cautious of files that look like photos but end in .exe, .rar or .zip instead of .jpg or .png. Also avoid downloading and opening files from sources you don't trust. Learn more about keeping your account secure.