Hi there! This post is certainly a little out of the ordinary for my blog, but it is such valuable information that I wanted to make sure to share it for anyone that may need. Since Facebook is absolutely one of my favorite places to hang out with the amazing KCAT Community (and all of your adorable pets!), I suppose it IS relevant to pet training. I want you to be able to hang out with us on the King's Creatures Facebook page and in the KCAT Club Facebook community so we can celebrate #successtails and so you can learn more about how to strengthen your relationship with your pet so you can calmy and confidently enjoy all of life's adventures with your pet a your side!
So now you know why I'm telling you about this topic:
What to do you when you can't log into Facebook at all because the Facebook Code Generator isn't working!
I'm going to tell you about my recent Facebook drama (with a happy ending!) just in case it can help one of you in the future!
In the middle of July, I had to clear my cookies for some silly reason and got logged out of Facebook on my desktop. Since I have two factor authentication turned on, I was prompted to enter a code from the Facebook Code Generator when I tried to login.
Unfortunately, the Code Generator wasn't working in the app, nor did it work via the link provided for desktop. Ugh. Facebook did say they sent a notification to all the devices I was currently logged in on, but I never received it via the app.
After lots of tries to login and/or to contact Facebook help, I quickly realized I was likely never going to be able to log back in on my desktop. I already had my husband set as admin for most of my pages and groups, but I triple checked all of that just to be sure before I accidentally got logged out of the app! I also initiated a backup of all my Facebook data (it had been too long since I last did it, so I backed errything up to be safe).
I was still trying to contact Facebook help to talk to a real person but, MAN! That's hard! I could get ahold of Business Suite Help, and they were very sweet. They even called me! They can't do a single thing about logging in as they are contractors specifically for Meta Business, but if you do need help with your page/ads account, I highly recommend reaching out.
Then, I somehow got logged out of the app too 😭 I Google everything I could possibly think of to find a way to log back into Facebook. I tried all of the ways I could login that I could possibly imagine... and that resulted in Facebook emailing me to say that they hid my account because of suspect activity.
It was as if I never existed on Facebook. Comments, Messenger messages, everything... was just gone -- hidden from anyone and everyone.
I kept searching the internet and FINALLY found a way to contact real humans that actually work at Facebook. You have to email them and request access to your data.
SAVE THIS EMAIL, FRIENDS: datarequests@support.facebook.com
I sent them this email:
Hello!
I am unable to access my account or any of the data associated with it. The only option I am given to complete my login with 2 Factor Authentication is to use the Code Generator, but since I am not logged into Facebook on any device, I am unable to do so.
Please help me log back in so that I can access my data.
They directed me to this form: https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/180237885820953 (SAVE THAT LINK, FRIENDS!)
They then sent me a form email with all of the ways to login listed in the Facebook Help Center, that I had already tried many times. Boo. BUT that email had a case number in the subject line and the email ended with this line: “If you have more questions about accessing and downloading your information, please reply to this message.”, so I had hope!
I replied to that email saying:
I still cannot access my data, as I am unable to login to my account. The only instructions I am given when I attempt to login are to use the Code Generator. Since I am not logged into Facebook on any device, I am unable to do so. Please give me access to my account and my data. Thank you.
Facebook then went through the process of verifying my identity/account. I had to email them from other email addresses associated with my account and send them a copy of my phone bill showing the cell phone number associated with my account.
After that, Facebook sent me the same form email with all the ways to login (none of which work for me, because I couldn’t access the Facebook Code Generator, and I wasn't logged in on any device). I replied with this email:
I'm sorry, but that is an unacceptable answer. I need to be able to access my data, and the login and steps at the link you just shared are not working. The only option I am given is to use the Facebook Code Generator, which I cannot do because I am logged out of Facebook on every device. The link you sent me does not include any solutions for this. You need to connect me with someone that can help me login and access my account and data. Thank you.
And then sent 2 follow up emails over the next 24 hours to ensure they replied.
Facebook replied saying that I needed to send them a new, secure email address to associate with my account since all of my emails associated with Facebook account may not be secure.
...cool. (Trust me, my email addresses are all equally secure. I'm assuming this was because of all my failed login attempts.)
Thankfully I already had an email address up that wasn’t associated with my account so I gave them that address. The conversation then moved to that email. They asked me for a copy of an ID as well as a detailed explanation of my issue with screenshots, etc. I sent them a photo copy of my drivers license as well as a detailed breakdown of the problems over the past few weeks, including screenshots and screen recordings.
SUCCESS! Two days later they sent me an email stating they had secured my account and sent a password reset link to the new email which would allow me to regain access to my account!
I was skeptical, as I had tired reset links sent to my email throughout my many attempts to login and it had never worked, but this time IT WORKED!
AS SOON AS I logged in on my desktop, I connected the Google Authenticator App to my Facebook account so that I never have to rely on the Facebook Code Generator again!
To avoid ever encountering this problem with the Facebook Code Generator:
Go to your Facebook account's security/login settings.
In the 2 Factor Authentication area, connect a party authenticator app. This will allow you to avoid using the Facebook Code Generator all together.
I now have the Google Authenticator app linked to my Facebook and Instagram accounts (and have used it to login already), but there are other options out there if you prefer those. Just make sure you have something set up.
As a precaution in case you ever lose access to your Facebook account:
Make sure you have someone that you trust set as an admin for all of your Facebook pages and groups. If possible, choose someone that will let you log into their profile so you can run your business page from there for a while if you do get locked out. Shout out to my amazing hubby that let me access all of the King's Creatures and Living Creatures Ministry pages while I was unable to be on my personal profile!
Periodically back up your Facebook data! At the time of my writing this article, you can do so on desktop by clicking your profile picture in the top right corner > Settings & privacy > Settings > Privacy > Your Facebook Information > Download Profile Information. Make it a monthly or bimonthly habit to keep the files small and manageable, otherwise it may take Facebook several days to create your back up file. Luckily, I was able to do this from my mobile app when I was only logged in there. I will definitely be doing so more regularly from now on!
Save this email: datarequests@support.facebook.com
Save this link: https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/180237885820953
If you are a business owner/influencer and have a large following on Facebook, remember that you are operating on rented land! Remind your following to follow you on other social channels, direct them to your email list (where you can give them even more value and fun!), and even set up your own blog and send them there for information! The more ways to you have to engage and contact your audience, the less risk you have.
If you cannot log into Facebook because the only option you are given is to use the Facebook Code Generator and you can't access the Code Generator:
Head to https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/180237885820953 and fill out the form you'll find there.
Send an email to datarequests@support.facebook.com and tell them that you need to be able to log into your account to access your data.
Be persistent! If they send you a form email with basic login steps, simply reply and let them know those solutions don't work and you still need to be able to login to access your data.
Will I keep using Facebook? You bet! As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, you are there, my friends and family are there, and the rest of the KCAT Community is there. However, I would love it if you would:
Get your FREE training guide and join my email list: kingscreatures.com/kcat-club
Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/kingscreatures
Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/kingscreatures
Join me on Pinterest: pinterest.com/kingscreatures
And, of course, keep up with me here on the blog: kingscreatures.com/blog
That way, if Facebook does ever lock me out again and I can't get back in, I will still be able to connect with you and your pet and help you enjoy life's adventures together!
Hope you're all doing well and never get caught in the Facebook Code Generator trap! Love, purrs, and wiggle butts,
WOW! Thanks for all this great info!!! Hope I never have to use it, but if I do you've saved me countless hours & oodles of frustration.