Your Options for Facebook With No Phone Number

Create a Facebook account with an email address

Facebook's sign-up form takes either a mobile number or an email address, so an email-only account is possible. Enter an address you can open, set a password and finish the form. Facebook then sends a confirmation code to that mailbox.

If the form refuses your mobile number, switch to the email contact instead of retrying the same number. Add a second email later, because a single contact point leaves little room for recovery.

Recover a Facebook account when the phone is gone

You recover the account through the Find Your Account page by entering an email address, a number or your name. Facebook shows the contacts it holds for the account, and you choose where the reset code goes.

If you cannot reach any of them, use the 'No longer have access to these?' link to give a new contact and start identity checks. Logging in from a browser or device you used before can make recovery easier because Facebook recognizes it.

Remove or change a phone number in your settings

You remove or change a phone number in Accounts Center, under personal details and contact information. You must be logged in, and Facebook may ask you to re-enter your password first.

Add a working email before you delete the number, so the account always keeps another contact. Remove the old number afterwards and confirm that the email receives a test message.

Two-factor protection without SMS

Facebook supports an authentication app and a hardware security key as two-factor methods, so SMS is optional. Set one up in the security and login settings and save the recovery codes.

Keep those codes offline, away from the phone that holds the app. An app code does not depend on coverage either. If SMS is the method you use, see Facebook code not received for the checks.

Why Facebook may still ask for a phone number

Facebook can ask for a phone number when it flags a login, a new account or an action as unusual, and the prompt belongs to its security checks. These prompts tend to follow a login from a new country, a new device or a VPN.

The screen sometimes offers other paths, such as email confirmation or an identity upload. Read all options before adding a number, since a number added in a hurry becomes a recovery contact.

When a temporary number fits Facebook

A temporary number fits only when Facebook demands a phone for a test or throwaway account. Choose a line from the Facebook number page, enter it and read the code in the shared inbox.

Because Facebook can look up an account by phone number, anyone watching a public inbox could request a reset code for that account. Keep real profiles on an email contact or a private number.

Facebook sign-up, step by step

1. Choose email in the formType your email in the sign-up field instead of a mobile number.
2. Confirm the mailboxEnter the code Facebook sends to that address.
3. Add a second emailRegister a backup address in Accounts Center.
4. Switch two-factor to an appUse an authentication app and keep the recovery codes offline.
5. Remove the numberDelete the old phone number from contact information once an email is in place.