How to Delete an Old Facebook Account Without the Password or Email

If you want to know how to delete an old Facebook account without the password or email, the honest answer is that you usually have to recover it first: Facebook only lets the account holder delete a profile. Start with Facebook’s “Find your account” page, try every old phone number, email and username, use a device you once logged in on, and complete identity confirmation if Facebook offers it. If recovery fails, you can report the old profile through its report menu, and if the account belongs to someone who has died, a family member can request memorialization or removal.

This guide covers each official route in the order most likely to work, what to do when none of them do, and how to deal with the old profile in search results in the meantime. We describe the routes generally, because Meta changes its menus often. Facebook’s help center has the current wording.

Why you can’t just delete it

Facebook won’t delete an account on request from someone who can’t prove they own it. That protects people from strangers deleting their profiles, but it frustrates anyone who opened an account in their teens with an email address that no longer exists.

It also means there’s no legitimate shortcut. Anyone who offers to “delete any Facebook account” for a fee is either running a scam or trying to break into accounts, which is illegal. Meta’s own tools are the only reliable route.

Step 1: Recover the email or phone number first

The easiest way back into an old Facebook account is often to get back into the old email account it was registered with.

• Try the email provider’s recovery. Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and others have their own account recovery processes. Some old addresses can be recovered even after years of inactivity, though providers do close dormant accounts under their own policies.
• Check whether the number is still yours. If the account used a phone number you still have, Facebook can send a code to it.
• Look for old devices. An old phone or laptop may still be logged in to Facebook or to the old email account.

If you get the email back, use Facebook’s “forgot password” flow and choose to receive the code there.

Step 2: Use Facebook’s “Find your account” page

1. On the Facebook login page, choose the option for a forgotten password or account.
2. Search using any email address, phone number, username or name you might have used. Try each one.
3. When the right profile appears, Facebook shows the recovery options it has for that account, such as a code sent to an email or phone listed on it.
4. If none of the listed contact options is yours anymore, look for a link saying you no longer have access to them. That starts Facebook’s alternative recovery process.

Do this from a device and network you used when the account was active, if you can. Facebook is more likely to trust a recognized browser or device, and it may offer extra options there.

Step 3: Complete identity confirmation if it’s offered

For some accounts, Facebook offers a way to confirm your identity when you can’t use the listed email or phone. This can involve uploading a photo of an ID, recording a short video selfie, or answering questions about the account. What you see depends on the account and on Meta’s current processes.

• Use the name that matches your ID. If the old profile used a nickname, recovery may be harder but not always impossible.
• Only upload ID through Facebook’s own pages. Never send it to someone who contacts you claiming to be from Meta.
• Give it time. Reviews can take a while, and you may receive the result by the new email address you provide.

Once you’re in, add a current email and phone, then go straight to the deletion steps in our guide to deleting a Facebook account. Download your information first if you want to keep old photos.

Step 4: If you can’t recover it, report the old profile

When recovery isn’t possible, you may still be able to get the profile taken down. You can’t delete it yourself, but you can report it.

1. Log in to Facebook with a current account, or ask a friend to help.
2. Open the old profile and use the report option in the profile menu.
3. Choose the option that says the profile is pretending to be someone, then indicate that it’s you.
4. Facebook may ask you to confirm your identity. Follow its prompts.

Facebook’s help center has at times pointed people with old, inaccessible accounts toward this route, but the outcome isn’t certain. Facebook reviews each report, and a genuine old account of yours isn’t an impersonator in the usual sense. It’s still worth trying, and if someone else has taken over the profile or is using your photos, an impersonation report is exactly the right tool. Our guide to reporting a Facebook account explains the report options in more detail, and our guide to online impersonation covers what to do if the account is actively being misused.

If the old account belongs to someone who has died

Facebook has separate processes for accounts of people who have died.

• Memorialization. A friend or family member can ask Facebook to memorialize the account. The profile stays up with “Remembering” shown next to the name, and no one can log in to it.
• Removal. Verified immediate family members or an executor can ask Facebook to remove the account entirely. Facebook usually asks for documentation, such as a death certificate or proof of authority.
• Legacy contact. If the person chose a legacy contact, that person can manage some aspects of the memorialized account.

Facebook also has a request process for accounts of people who are medically incapacitated. Look in the help center for the current forms.

What about an account that’s simply inactive?

Don’t count on Facebook deleting an old profile because no one has used it. Inactive profiles can stay online indefinitely. If you’d rather not report it, the next best step is to limit the damage: ask friends to untag old photos, and deal with any search results showing the profile.

Dealing with the old profile in Google

An old public Facebook profile can show up when people search your name, even if you can’t log in.

• While the profile is live, there’s no Google tool to remove it just because it’s old. The fix is on Facebook’s side: recovery, then deletion or privacy changes.
• Once the profile is removed, the search result usually drops out after Google recrawls the page. If it doesn’t, use Google’s tool for refreshing outdated content, covered in our guide to removing outdated content from Google.
• If the profile shows sensitive personal details like a phone number or home address, Google’s personal information removal options may apply.

A worked example

This scenario is illustrative, not a real client. Marcus opened a Facebook account as a teenager using a school email that was shut down long ago. The profile has an old photo and a public list of groups, and it’s the first result when employers search his name.

1. He tries the school’s IT help desk, but the address can’t be restored.
2. He searches for the profile on Facebook’s “Find your account” page using his old username. The only contact option is the dead email, so he follows the link saying he no longer has access.
3. Facebook doesn’t offer him identity confirmation for this account.
4. Using his current Facebook account, he reports the old profile as pretending to be him and confirms his identity when asked.
5. Facebook removes the profile after review. A few weeks later the Google result still shows, so he requests a refresh, and it drops out.

Not every report ends this way. If his report had been declined, his next step would have been to build newer, more relevant results for his name so the old profile mattered less.

Common mistakes

• Paying a “hacker” to get in. It’s a scam or a crime, and often both.
• Giving up after one email address. Try every address, phone number and username you’ve ever used.
• Creating duplicate accounts to report from. Use your real, current account. Fake accounts break Facebook’s rules.
• Filing the wrong kind of report. Choose the impersonation option that says the profile is pretending to be you, not a generic spam report.
• Forgetting the rest of your footprint. If you’re clearing out old accounts generally, our checklist to delete all social media helps you find the others.

If the old profile is part of a bigger problem, such as someone using it to harass you or post false claims, our personal reputation management team can help you work out what’s removable and what needs a different approach.

Frequently asked questions

Can I delete an old Facebook account without logging in?

Not directly. Facebook only lets the account holder delete an account. You can try to recover access through Facebook’s official routes, or report the profile through its menu if you can’t get back in.

Does Facebook delete inactive accounts?

You shouldn’t count on it. Old profiles can remain online for years. If an inactive profile bothers you, recovery followed by deletion, or a report, are the practical options.

Can I delete my old Facebook account if I forgot the email and password?

Only after recovering access. Search for the account on Facebook’s “Find your account” page using any details you remember, and follow the link for people who no longer have access to their email or phone. Identity confirmation, where offered, is the usual path.

Can I delete a dead relative's Facebook account?

Verified immediate family members or an executor can ask Facebook to remove the account, or ask for it to be memorialized instead. Facebook usually asks for documentation, such as a death certificate.