Editing Your Settings
If you deactivate your account, your timeline disappears from the Facebook service immediately. People on Facebook won't be able to search for you, though some info, like messages you sent, may still be visible to others. We also save your timeline information (ex: friends, photos, interests, etc.) in case you want to come back.
If you don't think you'll use Facebook again, you can request to have your account permanently deleted. Please keep in mind that you won't be able to reactivate your account or retrieve any of the content or information you've added. Before you do this, you may want to download a copy of your info from Facebook. Then, if you'd like your account permanently deleted with no option for recovery, log in to your account and fill out this form.
If you can't log in to your account, you'll need to reset your password first. To do this, go to www.facebook.com and click the Forgot your password? link below the password field. Once you’ve followed the instructions to reset your password and can log into your account, you can deactivate or delete your account using the steps outlined above.
If you don't think you'll use Facebook again, you can request to have your account permanently deleted. Please keep in mind that you won't be able to reactivate your account or retrieve any of the content or information you've added. Before you do this, you may want to download a copy of your info from Facebook. Then, if you'd like your account permanently deleted with no option for recovery, log in to your account and fill out this form.
If you can't log in to your account, you'll need to reset your password first. To do this, go to www.facebook.com and click the Forgot your password? link below the password field. Once you’ve followed the instructions to reset your password and can log into your account, you can deactivate or delete your account using the steps outlined above.
Click 
at the top right of any Facebook page. A dropdown menu will expand with the following options:
at the top right of any Facebook page. A dropdown menu will expand with the following options: - Account Settings: Edit your basic preferences here (e.g. login email, password, notifications, mobile and payments).
- Privacy Settings: Edit your privacy preferences and learn more about controlling how you share.
- Log Out: Choose this option to log out safely.
- Help Center: Find answers to common questions here.
When creating a new password, be sure that it is at least 6 characters in length and that you use a complex string of numbers, letters, and punctuation marks. If the password you entered is not strong enough, you may want to try mixing uppercase and lowercase letters or making your password longer.
Ideally, the password you select should be easy for you to remember but hard for someone else to figure out. For added security, your Facebook password should also be different than other passwords that you use on the internet.
Ideally, the password you select should be easy for you to remember but hard for someone else to figure out. For added security, your Facebook password should also be different than other passwords that you use on the internet.
Having a security question is a useful way to verify you own your account if you ever lose access to it.
You can add a security question to your account from your Security Settings page:
Tips for picking a good security question:
You can improve the overall security of your account by updating your security information.
You can add a security question to your account from your Security Settings page:
- Click at the top right of any Facebook page and select Account Settings
- Click Security from the left-hand column
- Click on the Security Question section and follow the onsite steps
Tips for picking a good security question:
- Pick a question and answer you know you'll remember
- Keep your security question a secret
- Make sure your answer is specific enough that it can't be guessed easily
You can improve the overall security of your account by updating your security information.
You can change the email address we send notifications to from your Account Settings page.
- Click at the top-right corner of Facebook and choose Account Settings
- Click General in the left-hand column and then click on the Email section
- Click Add another email, enter in the new email address, and then click Save Changes
- Confirm your password
- Look for an email from Facebook to confirm your new email address
To set your language, go to the bottom of the page you are on and click on the current language (in the left corner). Choose a new language from the menu.
You can also update your language on the Account Settings page:
You can also update your language on the Account Settings page:
- Click at the top right corner of Facebook and choose Account Settings
- Click General in the left-hand column
- Next to Language, click the Edit link and select your primary language from the dropdown menu
If the time stamps you see on Facebook are incorrect, your computer’s time settings are probably wrong. Facebook uses your computer’s time settings, so please make sure this information is correct. Once you have adjusted these settings, log out of Facebook and then log back in. Your Facebook time stamps should be adjusted accordingly.
Changing Your Name and Birthday
To edit your date of birth:
- Go to your timeline
- Click the Update Info button (under your cover photo)
- Find the Basic Info section and click Edit
- Enter your real birthday in the Birthday field
- Save your changes
To edit the name listed on your account:
- Review our name standards
- Click in the upper-right corner of any Facebook page and select Account Settings
- Click General in the left-hand column
- Look for the Name setting and click Edit to the far right
- Type in your name and save your changes
- To help make sure that everyone uses their real name, we limit the number of times you can change your name.
- If your name is changed by a Facebook representative, this change is considered final. This means you will no longer have the option to manually change your name.
- If you weren't able to change your name, we may be able to help.
This might be because the name you requested doesn't follow our name standards. If you've read our name policies and think that your name was rejected by mistake, let us know.
If you'd like to list a second name on your account (ex: maiden name, nickname, or professional name), add an alternate name to your account:
- Click at the top right of any Facebook page and select Account Settings.
- Click General in the left-hand column.
- Find the setting Name and click Edit to the far right.
- Enter your alternate name. Make sure it complies with our alternate name policies.
- Check Include this on my timeline to have your alternate name listed on your timeline. Otherwise, it will only help people find you in search.
- Save your changes.
Note: If you checked the box to have your alternate name listed on your timeline, it will appear next to your name at the top of your personal timeline page. It will also show up next to your name in search results and any friend requests you send. If you have a large number of followers, you may be prompted to verify your account when you add an alternate name to your timeline.
If you checked the box to display your alternate name on your timeline, it will appear in parentheses next to your full name at the top of your timeline. People will also see your alternate name if they search for you or when you send friend requests.
If you have a large number of public subscribers, you may have the option to verify your account and display your alternate name on the top of your timeline, with your real name on the About section.