How do I recover my Snapchat account?

It is always such a frustrating thing when you intuitively go to launch your Snapchat account, or any other account for that matter, and find out that you cannot get access to it. Sometimes recovering an account is an easy process, sometimes it means giving up on an account for good. Here is a short guide to recovering a Snapchat account.

Like every other time you get locked out of whatever account, it is paramount to understand why you have been locked out. Here are common reasons for not being able to access your Snapchat Account and solutions to them:

Lost Password

This is usually the most common occurrence. Snapchat makes it relatively easy for you to recover your account in such circumstances.

1. Open the application from your phone and type in your username and email.
2. Select the "Forgot Password" option.
3. Snapchat will give you options to recover your account. It normally is via email or via phone. Choose the option that is most suitable for you and type in the details.
4. A link or message will be sent to you, depending on the option you choose. Click on the link or message.
5. Get your verification code and you will be good to go

Forgotten Username or Email

The process for recovering your account in cases of forgotten usernames or emails is very similar to when you have forgotten your password. If you have forgotten your username:

1. Launch the application.
2. Type in your password and email instead of your username.
3. Your account will open and you will be able to see what your username is.

If you have forgotten your email:

1. Start the application
2. Type in the email and your password
3. Your account will open

Sounds easy right? However, most people have two or more emails and they cannot remember which particular one they used to create their account. You'll have to use a trial and error method to see which email you have is associated with a Snapchat account. When you type in the correct email, you will no longer see "email address is invalid".

Stolen Account

Here are some signs that your account has been stolen or hacked:

1. There are spam messages being sent from your account. Perhaps your friends are calling you in concern of what messages they have been receiving but you have no idea what they are talking about.
2. If you receive a notification that someone has logged into your account and it definitely wasn't you.
3. Snapchat requires you to keep on putting in your log in details. It never occurs to people that this is a red flag.
4. You notice that you have contacts that you don't remember adding and you don't know who they are.
5. You realize that your username or email has changed.

This is only possible in circumstances where the "thief" has not changed a lot of detail about your account. If only the password has been changed, you can use the above process to recover your account. If everything else has been changed, your only option is to directly contact Snapchat for help.

How to Avoid Losing Your Account Again

1. Choose a secure password. It is common knowledge that hackers, other than using spyware to get your password, most likely just guess your password based off of personal information. More so, the shorter and simpler your password is, the easier it is to crack it. An ideal password would be one devoid of any personal information, and one with a good mix of alphanumeric characters.
2. Avoid sharing your information

By following these steps, you should be able to recover your Snapchat account.