How to Set Up a Facebook Account Safely

Setting up a Facebook account only takes a few minutes, but doing it safely requires a proactive approach. This guide will walk you through creating your account step-by-step and show you exactly which settings to adjust from the very beginning to protect your privacy and secure your personal information.

Creating Your Account: The Secure Foundation

First things first, head over to Facebook.com to begin the signup process. While it looks simple, each field has security implications. Let's get it right from the start.

Step 1: Use Your Real Name and Information

Facebook's Terms of Service require you to use the name you go by in everyday life. This isn't just about following the rules, it's a huge factor in account security. If you ever get locked out of your account, proving your identity to regain access is much easier if the name on your account matches the name on your identification. Resist the urge to use a nickname or fake name, as it could lead to permanent account loss down the road.

When entering your birthday, use your actual birthdate. Facebook uses this for age verification and to help tailor your experience, but as we'll see later, you will want to hide this information from the public.

Step 2: Choose Your Login Wisely (Email or Phone Number)

You'll be asked for either a mobile number or an email address. This will be your username and the primary way Facebook communicates with you for security alerts. Here's how to think about it:

• Email Address: This is often the better choice. A dedicated email address for your social media accounts keeps important notifications separate from your personal or work inbox. It also reduces the likelihood of people finding your profile just by knowing your phone number.
• Phone Number: While convenient, using your phone number opens you up to being found more easily. It also makes you more susceptible to SIM swapping attacks, a type of account theft where someone tricks your mobile carrier into transferring your number to their device.

Whichever you choose, be sure you have immediate and reliable access to it. You will need to verify it instantly.

Step 3: Craft a Strong, Unique Password

This is your first line of defense. A weak, reused password is the most common reason accounts get compromised. Don't recycle the same password you use for your email or your bank. A strong password should be:

• Long: Aim for at least 12-15 characters. Length is often more important than complexity.
• Complex: Use a mix of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
• Unpredictable: Avoid dictionary words, common phrases, names, or easy-to-guess sequences like "12345678" or "password."

The best way to manage this is with a password manager (like Bitwarden, 1Password, or LastPass). It can generate and store impossibly complex passwords for you, so you only have to remember one master password.

Your First 10 Minutes: Essential Clicks for Privacy Control

Once you've verified your email or phone number, Facebook will guide you through some initial profile setup steps. It’s tempting to rush through these, but this is a golden opportunity to establish a private foundation *before* you even add your first friend.

Take a Pause on Adding Friends and Photos

Facebook will immediately ask you to upload a profile picture and find friends by scanning your email contacts. Skip these steps for now.

Why? Because your initial privacy settings are likely set to "Public." Anything you upload or do can be seen by everyone on the internet. It’s much safer to lock everything down *first* and then start building your profile and friend list. You can always add a photo later.

Go Directly to the Privacy Checkup

This is the single most important tool for a new user. It’s a guided wizard that walks you through critical security and privacy settings in plain language. To find it:

1. Click the downward arrow in the top-right corner of your screen.
2. Select "Settings &, Privacy."
3. Choose "Privacy Checkup."

There are several modules, but we’re going to focus on the essentials for a new account.

1. Who can see what you share?

This setting controls the default visibility of your posts, profile information, and stories. Go through it step-by-step.

• Default Audience: As a new user, change this from "Public" to "Friends." This means only people you have accepted as a friend will see your future posts. You can still make an individual post public if you want, but your default will be private.
• Profile Information: Here, you'll manage who sees your birthday, hometown, phone number, and email. For maximum safety, set your birth year, phone number, and email address to "Only me." For your friends list, consider changing it from "Public" to "Friends." A public friends list can be scraped by scammers for phishing attacks.

2. How to keep your account secure

This section helps you beef up your password and add extra layers of security.

• We've already talked about passwords, but this is where you can change it if you had second thoughts.
• The most important action here is to turn on Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). We’ll discuss this in more detail below, but you can set it up right from this screen.

3. How people can find you on Facebook

This controls whether people can look you up using your contact information.

• Phone number and email: Who can look you up using the email address or phone number you provided? Change this from "Everyone" to "Friends" or, even better, "Only me." This prevents a stranger from finding your profile just because they have your phone number.
• Search engines: Do you want search engines (like Google) outside of Facebook to link to your profile? For a personal account, the answer should almost always be no. Toggling this off adds a major layer of privacy from the outside world.

A Deeper Dive into Critical Security Settings

The Privacy Checkup is an excellent starting point, but there are a few other settings buried in the main "Settings &, Privacy" menu that offer fortress-level security for your account.

Set Up Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Now

If you only do one thing from this guide, make it this. Two-factor authentication means that even if someone steals your password, they can't get into your account without a second piece of information - usually a temporary code sent to your phone. It's the single best way to prevent unauthorized access.

You can find it under Settings & Privacy >, Settings >, Security and Login.

You have a few options for receiving your code:

• Authentication App (Recommended): This is the most secure method. Apps like Google Authenticator, Authy, or Duo generate a rotating code on your device that isn't connected to your phone number.
• Text Message (SMS): This is better than nothing, but it's less secure due to the risk of SIM swapping.

Take the five minutes to set this up. It’s worth it.

Enable Login Alerts

Right below the 2FA settings, you'll see "Get alerts about unrecognized logins." Turn this on. Facebook will send you a notification via email or your app if someone logs into your account from a device or location it doesn't recognize. This gives you an early warning system to take action if your account is ever compromised.

Manage Your Timeline and Tagging

Safety on Facebook isn't just about data, it's also about controlling your online reputation. Your friends can tag you in photos and posts, which automatically makes them appear on your own timeline. A silly photo from a party ten years ago might not be what you want a potential employer to see.

Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Profile and Tagging.

In the "Reviewing" section, you will find two powerful options:

• "Review posts you're tagged in before the post appears on your profile?" &mdash, Turn this ON!
• "Review tags people add to your posts before the tags appear on Facebook?" &mdash, Turn this ON!

Enabling these two settings gives you total veto power. When someone tags you in a photo or post, it won't appear on your timeline or be associated with your account until you manually approve it. This is a game-changer for maintaining a professional and curated online persona.

Final Thoughts

Building a secure Facebook account is about layering on protections. It starts with a strong, unique password and two-factor authentication to lock the front door. Then, you use privacy settings and tagging reviews to control exactly what people see and associate with you, turning your profile into a private space that you manage completely.

Once you’ve established a secure profile, you're well-equipped to use Facebook personally or expand into a business presence. For anyone running social media for a brand, an organized workflow is essential. We built Postbase to streamline that process, giving you a beautiful visual calendar to plan your content and a simple way to schedule posts - especially modern formats like video and Reels - across all your platforms. It helps you focus on creating great stuff without juggling a dozen different apps.