Facebook

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 login alerts that notify you if someone tries logging into your account from a new computer or phone
• 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 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 safe:

• Protect your password. Use a combination of at least 6 letters, numbers and punctuation marks. Avoid including your name or common words. Your password should be difficult to guess. Don't use your Facebook password anywhere else online and never share your password. You can also use a password safe like LastPass, KeePass or 1Password to set and remember unique passwords for your account. Learn how to reset your password.
• Never share your login information (ex: email address and password). Sometimes people or Pages will promise you something (ex: free poker chips) if you share your login info with them. These types of promises violate the Facebook Terms. If you're ever asked to re-enter your password on Facebook (ex: you're making changes to your account settings) check to make sure facebook.com is still in the URL (web address).
• 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. Sometimes scammers will 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. Your real friends might also end up being targeted.
• Never click suspicious links, even if they come from a friend or a company you know. This includes links sent on Facebook (ex: in posts) or in emails. If one of your friends clicks a spam link, they could accidentally send you or tag you in spam. If you see something suspicious on Facebook, report it. You also shouldn't download things (ex: a .exe file) if you aren’t sure what they are. Learn more about recognizing suspicious emails.
• Watch out for fake Pages and apps/games. Be suspicious of Pages promoting offers that are too good to be true. If in doubt, check to see if a Page is verified. Be mindful when you install new apps or games. Sometimes scammers use bad apps and games to gain access to your Facebook account.
• Log in at www.facebook.com. Sometimes scammers will set up a fake page to look like a Facebook login page, hoping to get you to enter your email address and password. Make sure that you check the page's URL before you enter your login info. When in doubt, you can always type facebook.com into your browser to get back to the real Facebook. Learn more about phishing.
• Update your browser. The newest versions of internet browsers have built-in security protection. For example, they might be able to warn you if you're about to go to a suspected phishing website. Facebook supports:

  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Safari
  • Google Chrome
  • Internet Explorer
• Run antivirus software. To protect yourself from viruses and malware, scan your computer. You can learn more and download this software for free:

  • For Windows
  • For Mac OS
• Use our extra security features.

If you can't log into Facebook and need to reset your password:

1. Go to the Facebook login screen at www.facebook.com
2. In the top right, click Forgot your password?
3. Type the email, phone number, full name or username associated with your account, then click Search and follow the on-screen instructions

Related topics:

• I'm not receiving the email to reset my password.
• I can’t reset my password because I can't access the email address listed on my account.
• I can't reset my password because I've reached a password reset limit.

To change your selection:

1. Click at the top right of your Facebook homepage
2. Select Log Out
3. From the Facebook login page, uncheck the box next to Keep me logged in
4. Quit and restart your browser (ex: Firefox, Chrome)

If your login information still appears after restarting, make sure it isn't being saved by your browser.

You can help keep your Facebook account safe by creating a different password for each of the accounts you use online.

You can usually change the password you use to log into your email account (ex: your Gmail password) in the settings section of your account. Learn how to update your email password for:

• Gmail
• Yahoo
• Outlook
• AOL

If you have any questions, please contact to your email service provider directly.

If you want to prevent anyone from logging into your account from a new place, you can turn on login approvals. When you turn on login approvals you'll need to enter a special security code each time you try to log into your account from a new computer or phone. Learn more about login approvals.

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. If you think you or someone else might have already opened it, there are ways you can remove the malware.

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.

We're committed to protecting your information. We have industry standard and proprietary network monitoring tools constantly running in our system in order to prevent security breaches and protect the security of your data.

We also post to a secure page when you're logging in and employ industry standard encryption. This may not always be apparent from the URL (web address), but rest assured our logins are secure.