Facebook Page hacked? How to get your Page back

How hackers take over a Facebook Page

A Facebook Page doesn't have its own password. People manage it through their personal Facebook profiles. So if a hacker gets into the profile of anyone who manages your Page, they can reach the Page too. That's how Meta describes a hacked Page: you or someone else who manages it was hacked or scammed.

A common trick is a fake message that looks like it's from Meta. It says your Page broke a rule or will be deleted, and gives you a link to “appeal”. The link leads to a fake login page. Meta says phishing messages often claim your account will be banned or deleted, and it warns you not to trust them.

Once a hacker has full control of a Page, Meta says they have the same power as the owner, including the power to remove you. Hackers may change the Page name, post scams or explicit content, or run ads on a saved card.

Pages come in two versions, so the menus vary. In what Meta calls the “new Pages experience”, the list of people who manage a Page is called Page access. Older “classic” Pages call it Page roles. And if your Page belongs to a business portfolio (Meta's new name for Business Manager), people can also get access through Meta Business Suite.

Facebook Page hacked: what to do, step by step

1. 1

   Secure your personal Facebook account first

   If you can't log in, go to facebook.com/hacked on a phone or computer you've used for Facebook before. If you can, change your password, then go to Settings and privacy, Settings, Accounts Center, Password and security, “Where you're logged in”. Log out of any device you don't recognize.

   Check that the email address and phone number on your account are still yours. If a hacker changed your email, Meta sends your old address a link that undoes the change. On some accounts, Accounts Center is called Meta Account.

2. 2

   Check who has access to your Page

   On a computer, click your profile photo, choose See all profiles and pick your Page. Then click the Page's photo and go to Settings and privacy, Settings, Page setup, Page access. On an older classic Page, look for Page roles instead.

   This list shows everyone who can manage the Page and what they can do. Under Business account access, it also shows which business owns the Page, and a business you don't recognize there is a warning sign. If your own Business Manager owns the Page, check who has access in its business settings in Meta Business Suite too.

3. 3

   Remove anyone you don't know

   In Page access, find each person you don't recognize and choose the option to remove them. You need full control of the Page to do this. Full control is the top level of access, and Meta says it lets someone do everything the owner can, including removing other people.

   While you're there, remove people who no longer need access, like a past employee or an old agency. Fewer people with access means fewer ways in.

4. 4

   If the hacker removed you, use Meta's hacked Page form

   Log in to your personal account, then submit the form on Meta's help page Recover a hacked Facebook Page you manage. Meta says this form is the fastest route, even if you pay for Meta Verified or have other support.

   Meta says the form only works if you're logged in and it can see you recently lost access to the Page, so do this soon. Meta aims to reply by email within a day, though some reviews take longer. It can only act if it can confirm the Page was compromised.

5. 5

   Check Page status and undo the hacker's changes

   Once you're back in, go to Settings and privacy, Settings, Page setup, Page status. It shows rule breaks on your Page, including ones caused by other people who manage it. If Meta limited, disabled or took down the Page by mistake, Meta says you can appeal from the Page itself.

   Then fix what the hacker changed, like the name, the About details and any posts or events they added. If you can't edit the name yet, Meta says that can happen when someone changed it recently.

6. 6

   Check your linked Instagram and ad accounts

   Meta says people with access to a Page can manage its linked accounts, such as Instagram. In your Page settings, open Linked accounts under Permissions to see what's connected. If your Instagram was hacked too, go to instagram.com/hacked.

   Then open Ads Manager and look for ads or charges you didn't make. Take screenshots that show the dates and amounts, turn those ads off, and call your bank or card company about the charges. If the hacker got into your Business Manager or ad account, our Business Manager hacked guide walks you through it.

7. 7

   Warn your followers and customers

   Tell people the Page isn't under your control. Use channels the hacker can't reach, like your website, email list, other social accounts or a text to regular customers. Ask them not to click links, buy anything or send money through the Page until you say it's safe.

   The FTC gives the same advice for any hacked account. Once you're back in, post a short note on the Page about what happened.

8. 8

   Turn on two-factor login for everyone with access

   Two-factor login, which Meta calls two-factor authentication, asks for a code or a security key as well as your password. Each person turns it on in Accounts Center, under Password and security. Save the recovery codes Meta offers somewhere safe.

   In a Business Manager, an admin can require it for everyone in Security Center, in business settings. Meta also offers Advanced Protection, a stronger setting for higher-risk accounts like Page admins, in the same Password and security menu.

9. 9

   Keep at least two trusted people with full control

   If one of you gets locked out, the other can still remove a hacker and keep the Page running. Meta deactivates a Page that has nobody with full control left, and schedules it for deletion.

   Give everyone else only the access they need, like task access for someone who only runs ads. And if a message ever says your Page broke a rule, don't click its link. Check Page status yourself instead.

Where to get help, and what it costs

If you still can't get back in

Start with the hacked Page form in step 4. While you wait for Meta's reply, these can help.

Ask the other people who manage the Page. Meta says someone else who manages the Page may have removed you. If anyone you trust still has full control, they can add you back. Ask past staff, contractors or your agency to check whether they still have access too.

Check the Business Manager. If a Business Manager owns your Page, an admin there can manage who has access to it. If the hacker took over the Business Manager too, secure it next (step 6 links to our guide).

Get your documents ready. Meta says it may ask for documents before it can help with a business Page. It accepts a utility bill, a tax filing, a local business license, Articles of Incorporation or a Certificate of Formation. Meta says it does not accept domain records, website screenshots, business cards, letterheads or photos of your shop.

Keep a record. Save screenshots of the Page, the hacker's posts and ads, and any charges, and keep every email from Meta. Write down the dates. Your ad receipts help with your bank.

Use business support if you advertise. Meta points advertisers to Meta Business Support Home, and Meta Verified subscribers get chat and email support. Meta still calls the hacked Page form the fastest route.

Meta makes the final call on every case. A reply can come within a day or take much longer, and nobody outside Meta can promise a result.

Questions people ask