Can You Make a Facebook Without an Email?

When you visit Facebook's (facebook.com) homepage, you have the option of signing in to your current Facebook account or creating a new account if you don't already have one. When you create a new account, you're asked to provide several pieces of personal information: your full name, the email address you want to use, a password, your gender and your birthday. In fact, your email address is so important to Facebook it's the only piece of information you're asked to enter -- and then re-enter as confirmation -- upon sign up.

There are two reasons Facebook requires you to supply a valid email address when you sign up for a new account. The first reason has to do with security. Facebook allows only one account per email address; that means if you've already created an account using your email address, you won't be allowed to create a second using that same email. This protects Facebook from malicious users who would spam the site by creating multiple accounts using the same email address. Facebook even uses this email address to identify you; you must enter the email address, along with your password, every time you sign in.

The second reason Facebook requires all users to supply a valid email address is because it's the main way by which the social networking site communicates with its registered users. Whether you forget your password, receive a message in your Facebook inbox or have a new friend request, Facebook uses the email address you supplied when you signed up for your account to alert you by sending a message to your email inbox. Facebook even uses this email to help you set up your account, sending you a confirmation email to your inbox, which you must click to complete the Facebook registration process.

If you no longer use the email address with which you signed up for your Facebook account, you can remove it and replace it with a new contact email. Log in to your Facebook account and click on the "Account" tab in the upper right corner of the page. Click "Account Settings" from the drop-down menu. Scroll through the landing page until you see the email section; click on the "Edit" link on the far right of this section. Click on the link to "Add another email"; re-enter your Facebook password when prompted to complete the process. Select that new email address as your primary email for your Facebook account.