How to Get Started with Facebook: Desktop & Mobile

With over 3 billion monthly active users, Facebook remains the world’s largest social network in 2026. Yet for anyone signing up for the first time whether you’re a senior, a student, or someone returning after years away the platform can feel overwhelming. The interface has menus inside menus, privacy options scattered across different sections, and features that weren’t there five years ago.

This guide cuts through all of it. You’ll find clear, numbered steps for both desktop (PC/Mac) and mobile (iPhone/Android), covering everything from signing up to making your first post and locking down your privacy. No jargon. No assumptions. Just what works.

What Is Facebook?

Facebook is a free social media platform owned by Meta Platforms, Inc. It allows you to create a personal profile, connect with friends and family, share photos and videos, join interest-based Groups, buy and sell in Marketplace, and communicate through Messenger all from one place.

Originally launched in 2004 as a college network, it has evolved into a comprehensive platform used by people of all ages across the globe. You can access it via a web browser at facebook.com or through the official Facebook app on iOS and Android. Both use the same account, so you can switch seamlessly between devices.

What You’ll Need Before You Start

Getting started with Facebook requires very little. Make sure you have the following before you begin:

• A smartphone, tablet, or computer with internet access
• An active email address or a mobile phone number (for account verification)
• Your full name as you’d like it to appear on your profile
• Your date of birth (you must be at least 13 years old)
• A strong password you haven’t used elsewhere
• A profile photo (optional at first, but recommended)

Use a personal email address rather than a work or school email. If you ever lose access to that email account, recovering your Facebook account becomes much harder.

Step 1: Create Your Facebook Account

Follow the steps below depending on whether you’re on a desktop computer or a mobile device.

🖥️ On Desktop (Web Browser)

1. Open any browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge)
2. Go to facebook.com
3. Click Create new account below the login fields
4. Enter your first name and last name
5. Enter your email address or phone number
6. Create a strong password
7. Enter your date of birth
8. Select your gender
9. Click Sign Up

📱 On Mobile (iPhone or Android)

1. Open the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android)
2. Search for “Facebook” and install the official app
3. Open the app and tap Create new account
4. Enter your first and last name
5. Enter your phone number or email
6. Create a password
7. Enter your birthday and gender
8. Tap Sign Up

Use your real name.
Facebook’s Community Standards require that you use the name people know you by. Fake names can result in your account being temporarily disabled for identity verification.

Step 2: Verify Your Account

After signing up, Facebook will send a 6-digit verification code to the email address or phone number you provided. This confirms that your account is valid and helps keep Facebook secure.

1. Check your email or SMS: Look for a message from Facebook. It usually arrives within 60 seconds. Check your spam/junk folder if you don’t see it.
2. Enter the 6-digit code: Type the code into the box Facebook shows you on-screen. Do not share this code with anyone Facebook will never ask for it by phone or chat.
3. Click “Confirm” or “Continue”: Your account is now verified and active. You’ll be taken to your new Facebook profile or News Feed.

Step 3: Set Up Your Profile

Your Facebook profile is your digital identity on the platform. A complete, accurate profile makes it easier for friends to recognize and find you, and makes your experience more personal. Here’s what to set up first:

📸 Profile Picture

Click or tap your profile icon and choose Edit profile photo. Select a clear, recognizable photo of yourself a close-up headshot works best. This helps friends and family identify you when sending friend requests. You can update it anytime.

🖼️ Cover Photo

Your cover photo is the large banner image at the top of your profile. It’s a great place to showcase a favorite landscape, hobby, or group photo. Click the camera icon on the cover area to upload one. Recommended size: 820 × 312 pixels.

📝 Bio & Basic Info

Click Edit profile and fill in as much or as little as you’re comfortable sharing, including:

• A short bio (who you are in a sentence or two)
• Current city and hometown
• Work and education history
• Relationship status (optional)
• Interests and hobbies

Skip what you’re not comfortable sharing.
None of the extra profile fields are mandatory. You can always come back and fill them in later or leave them blank entirely.

Step 4: Configure Your Privacy Settings

This is the most important step most beginners skip and the one that matters most. Facebook offers granular control over who sees your content and how you can be found. Set these up before you start posting or adding friends.

How to Access Privacy Settings

Key Privacy Settings to Review

Use the Privacy Checkup tool.
Go to Settings & Privacy → Privacy Checkup. It’s a guided, step-by-step wizard that walks you through the most important privacy choices in about 3 minutes. It’s the easiest way to make sure nothing is left exposed by accident.

For a deeper dive, check out our complete guide on How to Make Your Facebook Profile Private covering every setting in detail.

Lock Your Profile (Optional)

Facebook offers a Lock Profile feature that quickly restricts what non-friends can see. Go to your profile, click the three-dot (…) menu next to Edit profile, and select Lock profile. This is especially useful if you’re in a region where digital privacy is a concern.

Step 5: Find and Add Friends

Facebook is most useful when you’re connected to people you know. Here are the main ways to find and add friends:

1. Search by Name: Type a person’s name into the search bar at the top of any Facebook page. Select their profile from the results and click Add Friend. They’ll receive a request to accept or ignore.
2. Use “People You May Know”: Facebook suggests friends based on mutual connections, shared workplaces, and schools. Go to your profile → Friends tab → Find Friends to browse suggestions.
3. Import Contacts: You can import your phone or email contacts so Facebook can show you which of your existing contacts already have accounts. This is done during setup or in the Find Friends section.

Only accept requests from people you know.
Accepting friend requests from strangers gives them access to your posts, photos, and potentially your contact information depending on your privacy settings.

Step 6: Make Your First Post

Ready to share something? Here’s how to create your first Facebook post on both desktop and mobile:

Types of Content You Can Post

Facebook lets you share more than just text. From the post composer you can also share:

• 📷 Photos & Videos: Share moments from your camera roll or take a new photo directly in the app.
• 🎭 Feelings & Activities: Tag what you’re doing or how you’re feeling to give posts more context.
• 📍 Check-In: Tag your location to let friends know where you are.
• 📖 Stories: Share temporary content (photos or short videos) that disappears after 24 hours.

Step 7: Explore Facebook’s Key Features

Once your profile is set up, take some time to explore what makes Facebook more than just a status-update platform. Here’s a quick overview of the features beginners find most useful:

Once you’re comfortable with the basics, learning Facebook keyboard shortcuts can save you significant time navigating the platform.

Step 8: Secure Your Account

Beyond privacy settings, take these additional steps to make your Facebook account much harder to compromise:

1. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Go to Settings & Privacy → Settings → Accounts Center → Password and Security → Two-factor authentication. Choose SMS, an authenticator app, or a security key. This means even if someone steals your password, they can’t log in without your second device.

2. Turn On Login Alerts

Facebook can notify you any time someone logs into your account from a new device or browser. Go to Settings → Security and Login → Get alerts about unrecognized logins.

3. Review “Where You’re Logged In”

Under Security and Login, you can see all devices currently logged into your account. If you see one you don’t recognize, click Log out and change your password immediately.

4. Create a Strong, Unique Password

Use a password that’s at least 12 characters and includes a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Never reuse a password from another site. A password manager like Bitwarden or 1Password can help.

While securing your account, you may also want to learn How to Turn Off Meta AI on Facebook it’s enabled by default for all users.

Beginner Tips & Common Mistakes to Avoid

Best Practices for New Facebook Users

• Set your default post audience to “Friends” before you post anything not Public
• Review your privacy settings at least once every 6 months, as Facebook occasionally resets some defaults
• Use Messenger for private conversations instead of posting personal information publicly
• Follow Pages and join Groups relevant to your interests to make your feed more engaging
• Keep your recovery email and phone number up to date so you can always regain access to your account
• Use Facebook’s Privacy Checkup tool any time you feel uncertain about what’s visible

If you ever need a break, our guide on How to Temporarily Disable Your Facebook Account walks you through pausing without losing your data.

Mistakes New Users Make

• Don’t leave your profile public: The default Facebook settings can be more open than you might expect. Always customize privacy before sharing personal information or photos.
• Don’t click suspicious links in Messenger:Phishing scams often arrive as messages from hacked friend accounts saying things like “Is this you in this video?” Never click unexpected links, even from people you know.
• Don’t accept friend requests from strangers: Scammers create fake profiles to gather personal information. If you don’t recognize someone, don’t accept the request.
• Don’t share your password or verification code: Facebook will never contact you by phone or Messenger and ask for your password or a code sent to your phone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick-Start Checklist: Everything in One Place

Use this checklist to confirm you’ve completed every important step for a safe, well-set-up Facebook account:

• Created account at facebook.com or via the app
• Verified email address or phone number
• Uploaded a profile photo and cover photo
• Filled in basic profile info (bio, location, work)
• Reviewed and adjusted privacy settings (Audience & Visibility)
• Completed the Privacy Checkup tool
• Set default post audience to “Friends”
• Disabled search engine indexing of your profile
• Added Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
• Enabled login alerts for unrecognized devices
• Connected with at least a few friends or family members
• Made your first post
• Explored at least one Group or Page related to your interests

Conclusion

Getting started with Facebook doesn’t have to be complicated. As you’ve seen in this guide, the entire process from creating your account to locking down your privacy and making your first post takes less than 15 minutes and costs absolutely nothing.

The key steps to remember:
Create → Verify → Personalize → Protect → Connect → Post → Explore.

Follow that sequence and you’ll have a fully set-up, secure Facebook account that works seamlessly on both your desktop and your phone. Don’t rush the privacy settings step it’s the one most beginners skip and later regret. Take five minutes with the Privacy Checkup tool before you do anything else, and you’ll start your Facebook journey on solid footing.

From there, the platform opens up naturally. Add a few friends, join a Group around something you love, browse Marketplace, or just scroll the News Feed and get a feel for how it works. There’s no pressure to do everything at once.

Facebook has connected billions of people across generations and geographies. Now it’s your turn.

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