How to Change Your Email on Facebook
If you are about to close an old inbox — say you are following our guide to delete a Gmail account — update Facebook first. Facebook uses your email for login, security alerts, and password recovery. Delete the mailbox while it is still attached and you risk locking yourself out with no way to receive a reset code. The order that keeps you safe is always: add the new address, confirm it, make it primary, and only then remove the old one.
Before you start
Have access to the new mailbox open in another tab — you will need to click a confirmation link or copy a code within a few minutes. Make sure you still know your Facebook password; changing your email does not reset it, but you may be asked to re-enter it. Facebook now manages contact details through Accounts Center, the shared settings hub for Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, so the exact wording differs slightly between the app and the website. Look for "Contact info" or "Email addresses" wherever your version places them.
Add and verify the new email
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Open your contact settings
On the web, go to
accountscenter.facebook.com, or from the app tap your profile picture → Settings & privacy → Settings → Accounts Center. Choose Personal details, then Contact info. -
Add the new email address
Select Add new contact (look for "Add email" or a plus icon), type your new address carefully, and submit. Facebook immediately sends a confirmation message to that mailbox.
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Confirm it
Open the mailbox and either click the confirmation link or copy the numeric code back into Facebook. The message arrives from a
facebookmail.comsender; check spam if it is not in your inbox within a couple of minutes. The address stays "unconfirmed" and unusable for login until you complete this step.
Make it your primary email
Once confirmed, the new address appears in your contact list alongside the old one. Select the new address and choose the option to make it your primary contact (sometimes shown as a star or a "Set as primary" action). The primary email is where Facebook sends security notifications, login alerts, and account summaries. Confirm the change is saved before moving on.
Remove the old address
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Return to Contact info
Back in Accounts Center → Personal details → Contact info, select the old email address.
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Remove it
Choose Remove and confirm. If Facebook blocks the removal, it is because that address is still the only confirmed contact — finish confirming the new one first, then try again.
If your goal was to retire the old mailbox entirely, you can now delete it. With the address detached, Facebook has no reason to send anything there.
2FA and recovery implications
Changing the email on file does not change how two-factor authentication works, but it does change where account-recovery messages land. A few things to check:
- Email-based recovery: If you ever chose email as a recovery method or a login-code destination, it now points to the new address. Good — but only if that mailbox is one you will keep long-term.
- Authenticator apps and SMS: If your 2FA is an authenticator app or text message, changing your email does not touch it. Keep those set up; they are your strongest lock.
- Trusted contacts and backup codes: This is a good moment to regenerate backup login codes under Settings → Security and login and store them somewhere safe, since your old email is no longer a fallback.
As a rule, never let the address you use for account recovery be a mailbox you are about to abandon. Point recovery at an inbox you intend to keep, and consider an alias so your primary address stays off marketing and breach lists.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to remove the old email, or can I keep both?
You can keep several confirmed addresses and just set the new one as primary. But if you are changing because you are about to delete the old mailbox, remove that address entirely — otherwise Facebook may still send login alerts to a dead inbox, and anyone who later reclaims it could receive them.
Why is Facebook not letting me remove my old email?
Facebook requires at least one confirmed contact method. If the old email is your only confirmed address, add and confirm the new one first, then remove the old. If a phone number is your only other contact, Facebook may insist on keeping one email on file.
Will changing my email log me out or affect my login?
No. Your password does not change and open sessions stay logged in. After you set the new address as primary, you can sign in with either the new email or your phone number using the same password.
The confirmation email never arrived. What now?
Check spam and promotions, confirm you typed the address correctly, and use the resend option on the contact screen. The code comes from a facebookmail.com address, so allow that sender if your mailbox filters aggressively.