How to Get Facebook App ID and App Secret

Need to grab your Facebook App ID and App Secret for a website plugin, third-party tool, or custom integration? You’ve come to the right place. This guide will walk you through every step of the process, from creating your first app in the Meta Developer Center to finding the exact credentials you're looking for. We'll skip the technical jargon and give you a clear, straightforward path to get it done.

What Are a Facebook App ID and App Secret, Anyway?

Before we jump into the "how," let's quickly cover the "what." Think of the App ID and App Secret as a unique username and password for your application. They allow your website, plugin, or software to securely communicate with Facebook's platform, formally called the Graph API.

• The App ID (also called the Client ID) is a public identifier for your app. It’s safe to share and is often visible to users or embedded in website code. It tells Facebook, "Hi, I'm the 'Super Cool Website Login' app."
• The App Secret (or Client Secret) is a private, confidential key. It should be treated exactly like a password. Never share it, expose it in your website's front-end code, or commit it to a public code repository. It's what proves to Facebook that API requests are genuinely coming from your application and not an impersonator.

You’ll commonly need these credentials to enable features like:

• Facebook Login: Letting users sign up or log into your site with their Facebook account.
• Connecting Marketing Tools: Allowing social media management platforms, analytics software, or ad tools to access your Facebook Page or Group data.
• Website Integrations: Powering comment widgets, page feeds, or share buttons on your blog or website.
• Custom Automations: Building your own bots or scripts that interact with the Facebook platform.

Getting these keys is the first step to unlocking a whole world of powerful integrations. Let's get started.

Step 1: Get Ready - Log In and Register as a Developer

To create a Facebook app, you first need to be registered as a Meta Developer. Don't let the title intimidate you, it doesn't mean you need to be a professional programmer. It's a simple, one-time setup that gives you access to the developer tools.

How to Register as a Meta Developer:

1. Go to the Meta for Developers website.
2. In the top right corner, log in using your personal Facebook account credentials.
3. Once logged in, click the blue "Get Started" button.
4. Follow the quick on-screen prompts. You’ll be asked to agree to the Platform Terms and Developer Policies. You may also need to verify your account with a phone number and a confirmation code sent via SMS.

That's it! The registration process usually takes less than a minute. Once you complete it, your personal Facebook account is now enabled as a developer account, and you’re ready to create your app.

Step 2: Create a New Facebook App

With your developer account ready, it's time to generate your app. This is where you’ll define what your app is for and give it a name.

1. Navigate to your Apps dashboard. You can usually find a link labeled "My Apps" in the top right menu once you're logged into the Meta for Developers portal. If you just registered, you might be taken straight there.
2. Click the big green button that says "Create App." This starts the setup wizard.

Choose Your App Type

Facebook will ask you to select an app type. This helps them understand what you're building and pre-configure some settings for you. Here’s a quick breakdown of the common options:

• Business: This is the most common and versatile choice for most users. Select this if you're building something for your own business, like an app to manage your Facebook Page, Groups, or ad accounts. It's ideal for connecting marketing tools, scheduling platforms, or analytics dashboards.
• Consumer: Choose this option if your app is primarily for public users and doesn't manage business assets. A great example would be an app for a game, a utility, or anything needing permissions like user profiles or their friends' lists.
• Gaming: As the name suggests, this is specifically for creating games that integrate with Facebook Gaming features.
• Other: A catch-all category for things that don't fit perfectly into the others. If you’re connecting a third-party plugin or another common type of integration with no business asset requirements, 'Consumer' tends to be the better starting point. Most social management activities will fit best into 'Business'.

For this tutorial, let's select Business and click "Next." This is the best choice for managing your brand's presence, which is a very common reason for needing an App ID.

Add Your App Details

On the next screen, you’ll need to provide some basic information:

• App Display Name: This is the name people will see when they interact with your application (for example, in a "Login with Facebook" permission prompt). Choose a clear name that represents your website or company, like "My Awesome Website Login."
• App Contact Email: This should be an email address where Meta can contact you about your app. It defaults to the email on your Facebook account, but you can change it to a work address.
• Business Manager Account (Optional but Recommended): If you have a Meta Business Manager account for your ads and Pages, it's a very good idea to associate your app with it. This keeps all your business assets organized under one roof. You can select it from the dropdown menu. If you don’t have one or don’t need it, just leave it as "No Business Manager account selected."

After filling in the details, click "Create App." For security purposes, Facebook will likely pop up a box asking you to re-enter your Facebook password. Do that, and your app will be created!

Step 3: Find Your App ID and App Secret

Once your app is created, you’ll land on its dedicated dashboard. You’re just a couple of clicks away from the keys you need.

1. On the left-hand navigation menu, look for App Settings. Click on it, and then select the Basic sub-menu option.
2. You are now on the Basic Settings page, where your credentials live.
3. The App ID is displayed right at the top of the page in plain view. You can copy it directly from here.

Next to the App ID, you'll see a field for the App Secret, with the key hidden by asterisks.

1. Click the Show button next to the App Secret field.
2. Once again, you will be prompted to re-enter your Facebook password to confirm it’s you.
3. Your App Secret will be revealed. You can now copy it.

Congratulations, you've found them! Now, here’s a word of caution:

Your App Secret is extremely sensitive. Think of it as the master password to your application's connection with Facebook. Never share it with anyone untrustworthy, and absolutely never embed it in your website’s public HTML, JavaScript, or mobile app code. If anyone gets their hands on it, they could potentially misuse your app’s permissions. It should only be stored securely on a server or in the backend configuration of trusted third-party tools.

Step 4: Configure Your App Before Going Live

Just having the keys isn't enough, for your app to work, you need to tell Facebook a few more things about it, especially where it will be used.

Still on the App Settings >, Basic page, scroll down to fill out these important fields:

• App Domains: Enter the domain name of your website here (e.g., yourwebsite.com). Don’t include http:// or www. just the root domain. This tells Facebook that only requests from this specific domain are allowed to use your App ID, adding a layer of security.
• Privacy Policy URL: Apps need a privacy policy. Facebook requires you to provide a link to a page on your website that explains how you collect and use user data. Even a simple, basic policy will work as long as the link is valid.
• Terms of Service URL (Optional): If your site has a terms of service page, you can link it here.
• App Icon: Upload a logo for your app. It should be a square PNG, JPG, or GIF file (1024x1024 pixels is recommended). This will be a great finishing touch if your users will ever have a public authentication interaction where the logo will be displayed for brand building.

Looking for a tool to make this faster? Here are a few great image AI image editors we can happily recommend.

Setting an App as "Live"

By default, every new Facebook app starts in Development Mode. This means that only you and any other admins or testers you’ve added to the App Roles can actually use it. It's a safe sandbox for you to build and test things without the public ever seeing it.

In development mode, your account will be limited to 100 API calls per hour until you've fully completed the App review and your application is approved.

This mode offers two environments: "Development" for real-time changes and "Staging" for team review without immediate public release, mirroring production settings closely.

Adding Team Members During Development

Do you want a teammate who isn't necessarily an admin to run some testing on new feature releases? You can assign five different roles within the developer center, based on specific access rights to the app.

To add a teammate to an app while still in development and keep the app secret safe from unnecessary exposure, you can grant the role of "Tester" with limited permissions to perform tests that don't require access settings or app statistics from your app in development.

How to Add a Teammate with Access as an "App Tester"

1. On the left-hand navigation menu on the developer dashboard, Click on Roles under the APP Roles tab. Then select the roles Subcategory.
2. Once on the Roles page, look for "Tester" on the right-hand navigation menu.
3. Click "Add testers" on the following dialog where you can enter the Facebook ID or username of the developer.
4. On Submit, your teammate or client will receive a notification inviting them to access the application.
5. You can see the request status at the bottom of the App's Role page. Once your request has been accepted, your additional team member can perform any required tests.

Once you've configured your app and everything is working, you need to switch it to Live Mode. At the top of your App Dashboard, you'll see a toggle that says "App Mode: Development." Clicking this will switch it over to Live.

Depending on what "permissions" your app needs (e.g., permission to post to a Facebook Page or access a user's email), you may need to submit your app for App Review. This is a process where Facebook verifies that your app follows its policies. For many simple integrations, like adding a share button or a basic login, you might not even need an extensive review.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, getting your Facebook App ID and App Secret is a pretty direct setup within the Meta for Developers dashboard. By following these steps, you’ve not only found your essential integration keys but you now have a solid foundation for managing your app’s settings and getting it ready for action.

Part of our mission at Postbase is to simplify workflows, and that starts with the initial connection. We know how frustrating it can be when a social media management tool constantly requires you to re-enter credentials or fix broken account authentications. We focused on building stable, persistent connections so that once you’ve done the work of linking your accounts, they just stay linked. It lets you focus on creating and scheduling great content, not fighting with your tools.