Facebook account temporarily unavailable

Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world. Even with bad press and occasional technical issues, they stay on top. Over the years, Facebook has improved its approach to security issues to protect its users.

This is why Facebook may restrict access to your account due to specific types of activity. However, there is a difference between temporarily unavailable your Facebook account and locking your account.

So, to prevent this from happening, we are going to tackle both issues. Additionally, we'll go over all the potential solutions that can allow access to your Facebook again.

What does it mean when your Facebook account is not available?

Suppose you tried to log in to your Facebook account and saw the message "Account temporarily available". Below this message, you will also read a suggestion to try again in a few minutes.

In most cases, seeing this message means that Facebook itself is going through something. They may be fixing a problem on the website or their servers may be down.

In October 2022, Facebook was down for more than seven hours. Although rare, these things do happen, and when they do you might see this post on your Facebook homepage.

Another potential cause for discovering that your Facebook is temporarily unavailable can be your browser's cookies and cache. Sometimes not erasing these files and data will cause problems with certain websites such as Facebook.

How to solve the problem of temporary unavailability of the account?

If Facebook is showing you this message because the problem is on their end, there is nothing users can do. You can ask a friend or family member to log into their account to confirm the problem.

Often you will also find an update on this on other social media platforms. Try refreshing your page every few minutes until you have access to your account again.

On the other hand, if Facebook is available to others around you, it's time to do some decluttering on your browser. If you're using Chrome, here's how to clear cache and clear cookies:

1. Launch your Chrome browser and click on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner.
   
2. Select "More tools" followed by "Clear browsing data".
   
3. Check the "Cookies and other site data" box and the "Cached images and files" box when a pop-up window appears.
   
4. Click on "Clear data".
   

Make sure to reload Chrome and check if your Facebook account is now available.

Mozilla Firefox users can clear their browser's cookies and cache by following these steps:

1. Open Firefox and click on the menu button.
   
2. Select "Settings" followed by "Privacy and Security".
   
3. Check the “Cookies and site data” box and the “Cached web content” box.
   
4. Select "Delete".
   

Also, if you are using a Facebook app, you can clear your device's cache for that specific app. But if you're accessing Facebook on your phone through a mobile browser, clear the browser's app cache.

How to unlock your Facebook account?

A locked Facebook account is another story than your account being temporarily unavailable. If your Facebook is disabled or locked, you'll either receive a different message or you simply won't be able to log into your account.

As the reasons for locking vary, the solutions to the problem also vary. We'll go over a few potential reasons why this could have happened and if there's anything you can do about it.

You have forgotten the e-mail or password

If it's been a while since you logged into your Facebook, it's quite possible that you misremember the email address or password you used for the platform.

Repeatedly entering the same information will cause Facebook to ask "Forgot account?" under the login fields. What you need to do is click on the question and fill out the form that appears by following these steps:

1. Enter your full name and Facebook will present a list of profiles.
2. When you see your account, click on the "This is my account" button. Facebook will text a six-digit code to recover the account.
3. You will be prompted to select a new password.

This can be tricky if lots of other people are sharing your name on the platform. However, you can enter your phone number instead and complete the process even faster.

Suspicious activity has been detected

If you use Facebook every day, it's unlikely that you'll be locked out due to a forgotten login email or password. At some point, you might read a message that says, "We detected suspicious activity on your Facebook account and have temporarily locked it for security."

This is not a pleasant message to read and may cause users to wonder what they did to stop being able to access their accounts. As Facebook continually updates its security guidelines, relatively innocuous activity can sometimes be considered offensive.

Certain behaviors on the platform, such as spamming, using a fake name, befriending too many people at once, or liking too many posts, are considered problematic. They can trick Facebook's algorithm into believing that you are using Facebook for malicious purposes or intentionally misidentifying yourself.

However, account lockout can also be caused by posting false information or offensive content in photos and memes. Finally, if someone reports suspicious behavior on the platform, Facebook can block them until they investigate the issue.

But if you think it's a mistake or someone else has abused your account, you can appeal to Facebook. Here's how:

1. Click on this form which is used if you believe your account has been deactivated by mistake.
   
2. Enter your phone number, full name, and add a JPEG copy of a government-issued ID.
   
3. Click on "Send".
   

Can you be permanently blocked on Facebook?

The answer is yes – you can. Once locked, Facebook will give users 30 days to submit the aforementioned complaint before their account is permanently disabled.

This does not guarantee that you will recover your account, but that Facebook will investigate your complaint and give you a response. This isn't an uncommon problem, as some activity can be considered suspicious, but you might just have liked a hundred photos from your best friend's wedding in 10 minutes.

Also, if you can't access your Facebook account for some other reason, you can fill out this form and add screenshots, explain the situation in your own words how the problem manifests itself.

Never lose access to your Facebook account

Finding out that you have been blocked on your Facebook account can be confusing and embarrassing. If you're sure your activity falls within the platform's guidelines, it's likely a misunderstanding you'll need to resolve with Facebook.

But if your Facebook account is temporarily unavailable, you may face cookie and cache issues, or Facebook is down for some reason.

Also, if you want to increase the chances of never losing access to Facebook, make sure your full name is listed, along with your date of birth. Also, including a phone number and choosing a friend to be your trusted contact can be very helpful.

Have you ever lost access to your Facebook account before? Let us know in the comments section below.