Facebook has added another option for regaining access to your account should you ever forget your password and not be able to reset it for some reason.
Now you can designate up to five of your Facebook Friends as “Trusted Contacts”, each of whom will receive a security code from Facebook on your behalf after you click on the “Forgot your password?” link.
After you collect the security codes from three of your five trusted friends, you can enter them on the Password Reset screen and then choose a new password.
Since your trusted friends will have the ability to collude with one another to take over your account without your permission, you need to choose them wisely. Make sure you select friends that you trust completely, preferably people that you have known for a long time in the offline world.
Once you have selected your five trusted friends, follow the instructions below for the device you’re using to add them to your Facebook account as your Trusted Contacts.
If you use Facebook in a web browser on a laptop or desktop computer:
1 – Click the down arrow at the right side of the blue bar at the top of the Facebook window.
2 – Click Settings & privacy from the drop-d0wn menu, the click Settings.
3 – Click the Security and Login link in the left-hand column.
4 – Click Choose friends to contact if you get locked out.
5 – Click the Choose friends link.
6 – Click the Choose Trusted Contacts button and select the friends you want to designate as your Trusted Contacts.
If you use the Facebook app on a mobile device:
1 – Tap the Menu icon (it looks like three horizontal lines).
2 – Tap Settings & Privacy.
3 – Tap Settings.
4 – Tap Security and Login.
5 – Tap Click Choose friends to contact if you get locked out.
6 – Tap the Choose Trusted Contacts button and select the friends you want to designate as your Trusted Contacts.
That’s all there is to it. From now on you’ll be able to reset your password after entering the security codes collected from your Trusted Contacts.
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