What is a Facebook UID?
A Facebook UID (User ID) is a unique numeric identifier assigned to every Facebook profile, page, and group. Facebook shows usernames and custom URLs publicly, but the UID is the permanent internal ID. It stays the same when someone edits their username, swaps their vanity URL, or changes their display name.
That permanence is the whole point. A username is a label the owner controls. A UID is an address the platform controls. Store usernames in a spreadsheet, come back six months later, and some rows no longer resolve. Store the UIDs and every row still points at the same account.
Developers need UIDs because most Graph API endpoints take an object ID in the path. Analysts use them to join datasets exported at different times. For a broader primer, read what a Facebook UID is and how it relates to Page IDs and Group IDs.
Facebook Identifiers Compared
Facebook attaches several different labels to one account, and the words get used loosely in tutorials. Here is what each one actually is.
| Identifier | Example shape | Can it change? | Mainly used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Numeric UID | Digits only | No | API calls, databases, long-term records |
| Username / vanity URL | facebook.com/name | Yes, by the owner | Sharing a readable link |
| Display name | Free text | Yes | What humans read, never an identifier |
| Page ID | Digits only | No | Page management, ads, Page endpoints |
| Group ID | Digits only | No | Group endpoints and group moderation tools |
| App-scoped ID | Digits only | Differs per app | Identifying a user inside one specific app |
The last row trips people up. Modern Facebook apps receive an ID scoped to that app, so the same person can appear under different numbers in two apps. If a number from an app does not match one from a profile page, that is usually why. Meta's reference is the Graph API documentation; there is a gentler walkthrough in our beginner's guide to Graph API user IDs.
How to Find Facebook UID
Copy the Facebook URL
Go to the Facebook profile, page, or group and copy the URL from your browser's address bar.
Paste the link above
Paste the copied URL into the input field at the top of this page.
Click "Get UID"
The numeric UID will be displayed instantly. Click the copy button to copy it to your clipboard.
Supported Facebook Link Types
Personal Profiles
facebook.com/username
Facebook Pages
facebook.com/pagename
Facebook Groups
facebook.com/groups/groupname
Locked Profiles
Usually works with locked and restricted profiles
Finding a Facebook UID Without a Tool
You do not need this page to get a UID. It is faster, but the manual routes are worth knowing, both because they still work when a tool breaks and because they show you where the number actually lives.
Read it from the page source
Open the profile in a desktop browser, view the page source, and search the HTML for a key that holds the account identifier. Facebook has used several key names over the years, so the practical approach is to search for the literal word userID or profile_id and look at the number next to it. Treat this as a general technique rather than a fixed recipe: the exact key names change when Facebook ships front-end changes, which is also the reason automated lookups sometimes need updating.
Use a URL that already contains the ID
Some Facebook URLs carry the number in plain sight. A link in the form facebook.com/profile.php?id= ends with the UID. Group URLs are often facebook.com/groups/ followed by the numeric group ID rather than a name. If you have such a link, no lookup is needed.
Ask the Graph API directly
With a developer account, the Graph API Explorer returns an object's id field given a valid access token. This is the route Meta supports, so it is the most stable of the three and the only one with a documented contract rather than scraped markup. The trade-off is setup: an app, a token and the right permissions.
Page owners have a fourth option that needs none of this. The Page ID appears in Meta Business Suite and in Page settings. See how to find a Facebook Page ID and how to find a group ID.
When a Lookup Fails, and What to Try
No lookup method works every single time. These are the usual reasons a Facebook UID does not come back, roughly in order of how often they turn out to be the cause.
The URL is not a profile link
Post permalinks, photo links, story links and search result URLs all live on facebook.com but do not identify one account the way a profile URL does. Open the account itself, copy the address bar, and strip anything after a question mark.
The account is gone or renamed
Deleted and deactivated accounts have nothing left to read. A rename is subtler: the old link stops resolving while the account itself is fine. Search Facebook for the display name and copy the current URL.
Facebook changed its markup
Any method that reads a public page depends on that page's shape. Front-end changes can make a lookup that worked yesterday return empty today until it is adjusted. A link that failed and then worked later, untouched, was probably this.
Restrictions or rate limiting
Pages restricted by country or age do not render normally for people outside that audience, leaving nothing to read. Separately, many lookups in a short burst get throttled upstream. Spacing them out clears the second case; the first has no workaround on our side. For genuine volume, use the Graph API with your own token.
What a UID Does Not Give You
A UID is an identifier, not a credential. Knowing the number tells you which account you are talking about and nothing more. It does not unlock private posts, friend lists, messages, email addresses or phone numbers. Those remain behind Facebook's own permission checks, and that is true for every tool, including this one.
Locked profiles are the clearest example. The lookup usually returns a number, because that number sits on a page Facebook serves publicly. What the owner chose to hide stays hidden. Any service claiming a UID lets it see private content is not telling the truth.
On data handling: lookups run on our server, and the link you submit is recorded along with the resulting ID. We never ask for your Facebook password and nothing here requires a Facebook login. The full statement is in our privacy policy, with background on the about page. If account security rather than identification brought you here, start with securing your Facebook account or the 2FA code generator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this tool free to use?
Yes, 2uid.net is completely free. No registration or login required, and there is no lookup quota.
Can I find the UID of a locked Facebook profile?
Usually. A locked or restricted profile still has a public page that carries the numeric UID, so the lookup generally works. It can fail if the profile is fully unavailable or the URL is wrong. Finding the UID does not reveal anything the profile keeps private.
Does the Facebook UID ever change?
No. The numeric UID is permanent and stays the same even if the user changes their username or vanity URL. That is the main reason tools store the UID rather than the username.
What can I do with a Facebook UID?
UIDs are used as stable references: Graph API requests, record keeping in a CRM or spreadsheet, matching an account across exports, and app development. Having a UID does not grant any access to the account.
Is a profile UID the same as a Page ID or a Group ID?
All three are numeric Facebook object IDs, but they identify different kinds of object and are not interchangeable. Sending a Group ID to an endpoint that expects a user returns an error.
Why does my lookup return nothing?
Usually a URL that is not actually a profile link, an account that was deleted, a renamed vanity URL, or a change on Facebook's side to the markup the lookup reads. Trying the plain profile URL without query strings resolves most cases.
Do you store the links I look up?
The site caches lookup results so repeat queries are faster. It does not ask for or receive your Facebook login. See the privacy policy for what is kept.
Can I find someone's email or phone number from a UID?
No. A UID is an identifier, not a key. Contact details, friend lists and private posts stay behind Facebook's permission checks whether or not you know the number.
Looking for a different platform? The same idea applies to Instagram user IDs, TikTok user IDs, Twitter/X user IDs and YouTube channel IDs, each with its own quirks. The blog goes deeper on individual questions.