Deactivating your Facebook account can be an appealing option if you want to take a break from the platform without deleting your profile and losing all of your data. When you deactivate your account, your profile is hidden until you decide to reactivate it. You can take a social media sabbatical while keeping photos, posts, friends list and other info intact.
However, deactivation does entail some temporary drawbacks. You lose access to certain features while your account is deactivated. Understanding exactly what deactivation does and does not impact can help you decide if it’s the right choice for your situation.
What happens when you deactivate Facebook?
When you deactivate your Facebook account, here are the key effects:
Your profile is hidden
Your profile, including posts, photos, friends list and other info, is no longer visible to other people on Facebook. It’s essentially hidden behind a curtain while deactivated. Other users will not be able to search for your profile or view any part of your account.
You cannot log in
While deactivated, you are logged out of Facebook and cannot access your account by logging in. If you try to login, you will receive an error message that the account is deactivated. You have to go through the reactivation process to use your account again.
Your name is removed
Your name is disassociated from any posts or photos you’ve been tagged in by friends. These posts and tags remain visible to other users, but your name is removed from them.
You don’t get notifications
Since you cannot log in, you do not receive any notifications from Facebook during the deactivation period. This includes friend requests, messages, event invites, comment alerts or anything else.
You cannot post or interact
Because your account is deactivated, you cannot post anything new or interact with existing content. Liking, commenting, sharing and other activities are temporarily disabled. Your past posts remain, but you cannot actively engage.
You are not findable
Friends cannot find or contact you on Facebook while your account is deactivated. You essentially become invisible to other users while keeping your account in a preserved state.
Pages and ad accounts are unaffected
If you manage any Facebook Pages or advertisement accounts, these are not deactivated. Pages you admin and ads you run will remain active even if your personal account is deactivated.
What happens when you reactivate Facebook?
When you follow Facebook’s steps to reactivate your account after deactivation:
Your profile returns intact
All your photos, posts, friends and other profile info will return as it was right before deactivation. It’s as if your account was simply dormant or hibernating temporarily.
You regain full access
You can log back in and fully use Facebook as normal. All functionality is restored and you can post, comment, interact and utilize all platform features.
Your name reappears
Your name will once again be visible on any posts or photos that friends tagged you in while your account was deactivated.
You receive notifications
Facebook will send you any notifications that accrued during deactivation, such as new messages, event invites or friend requests. You may log in to find a flood of alert icons.
You become searchable
Friends and other users can once again find and contact you by searching your name or profile on Facebook. Your privacy settings determine how visible your profile is.
Ad accounts remain unaffected
Any Facebook Pages or ad accounts you run are completely separate and will be in the same state as when you deactivated your personal profile.
What do you lose when deactivating Facebook?
Although your account data remains intact, deactivating your profile does entail some temporary downsides:
Loss of access
You cannot view your Facebook account or use any features while deactivated. If you want to check messages, view photos or interact, you cannot.
Missed notifications
You will not receive any notifications from Facebook during the deactivated period. So you could miss important messages, event invites or friend requests.
Disappearance from friends’ accounts
Since your name is removed from friends’ posts and photos, some content you appeared in becomes anonymous to other users while you’re deactivated.
Lack of active engagement
You cannot actively post, comment, like or participate in any Facebook groups or events while your account is deactivated. Only passive viewing is restored upon reactivation.
Temporary loss of contacts
Friends cannot find or contact you on Facebook when deactivated. So you temporarily lose touch with connections unless you have alternate contact info.
Ad account limitations
Although ad accounts remain active, you cannot access insights or make optimization changes while your personal profile is deactivated.
Apps stop working
Any third party apps linked to your Facebook account will cease working during deactivation, since they cannot access your profile. They will resume functioning once reactivated.
What do you keep when deactivating Facebook?
The main benefit of deactivating instead of deleting your Facebook account is retaining your key profile information:
Friends list preserved
Your friends, followers and any connections you’ve made remain linked and will be there when you restore your account. You don’t have to start over.
Photos stay stored
Unlike deleting Facebook, deactivating keeps all your existing photos stored and ready for you upon reactivation. You don’t lose cherished memories.
Posts are retained
Every post, status update, tweet and other content you’ve shared on your profile remains available after deactivation. You pick up where you left off.
Messages remain
Any private messages exchanged stay in your inbox, so important conversations are not lost. You can catch up on anything you missed during deactivation.
Profile info intact
Your bio, work/education history, interests and all other personal profile data is saved so you can restore it seamlessly.
Groups preserved
The Facebook groups you belong to will still have you as a member when you return. You don’t have to re-join your communities.
Events unaffected
Events you marked “Going” or “Interested” prior to deactivating will stay on your Facebook events list for when you reactivate.
Pages remain managed
If you oversee any Facebook pages for a business, brand or organization, you will stay as the page admin after reactivating.
How long can I deactivate my Facebook account?
You can safely deactivate your Facebook account for up to 28 days before it becomes reclassified as “disabled” and then faces permanent deletion:
0-14 days deactivated
Within two weeks of deactivation, you can quickly and easily reactivate your account whenever ready. Just log back in and everything is restored.
14-28 days deactivated
Your account remains in deactivated status for up to 28 days. But after 14 days deactivated, Facebook puts additional security steps in place before allowing reactivation.
28+ days deactivated
Once your account hits 28 days deactivated, Facebook permanently disables it. After being disabled for another 30 days, all your account data is deleted.
So you effectively have a 28 day window before your account is at risk of being disabled and eventually deleted entirely. Be sure to reactivate within this timeframe to avoid losing your Facebook presence.
Should I download my Facebook data before deactivating?
While deactivating does preserve your profile info, many experts recommend downloading an archive of your Facebook data before deactivating:
As a backup
Downloading your data acts as a backup, so you have copies of photos, posts and conversations stored outside Facebook. This adds a layer of redundancy.
In case of accidental deletion
If your account is accidentally disabled after 28 days before you reactivate, having a backup allows you to recover lost data.
For your records
It serves as useful records to have copies of your Facebook presence and conversations over the years for personal documentation.
For more control
You retain greater control over your data with local copies that don’t require Facebook access. The archive gives you independence.
Non-public info included
The download includes info that’s not publicly visible on your profile, like advertisers who uploaded your contact info and ad interests that Facebook inferenced.
Easy process
Downloading your Facebook data is simple and only takes a few minutes. So it’s low effort for additional peace of mind.
How do I download my Facebook data?
Downloading your Facebook data to archive before deactivating just takes a few steps:
1. Click the down arrow at top right of Facebook and select “Settings & Privacy.”
2. On the left menu, click “Settings.”
3. Click “Your Facebook Information” on the Settings page.
4. Select “Download Your Information” on the next screen.
5. Click the desired download options and then click “Create File.”
6. You will get a notification when the .zip file is ready to download.
The download allows you to back up your posts, photos, profile info, messages, friends list and more. The file may be large with years of accumulated data.
How do I deactivate my Facebook account?
If you decide deactivating your Facebook account is right for you, here are the steps to deactivate:
1. Click the down arrow at top right and select “Settings & Privacy.”
2. Click “Settings” on the left menu.
3. Click “Your Facebook Information” on the Settings page.
4. Select “Deactivation and Deletion” from the menu.
5. Choose “Deactivate Account” and click “Continue to Account Deactivation.”
6. Select a reason for deactivating and click “Deactivate.”
Your account will deactivate immediately. Just be sure to reactivate within 28 days to avoid unwanted deletion.
Can I change my mind after deactivating Facebook?
If you deactivate your Facebook account and then have second thoughts, you can easily undo it:
Within 14 days
Log back into Facebook anytime within two weeks of deactivating, and your account will instantly reactivate with everything intact.
After 14 days
You’ll have to confirm your password to reactivate more than 14 days after deactivating. Facebook institutes extra security to verify identity.
Up to 28 days
As long as you reactivate within 28 days, the process is relatively quick and painless. Just be sure to do it before hitting the 28 day limit.
28+ days
Once your deactivated account passes 28 days, Facebook disables it permanently and heads down the path toward deletion. Reactivating is not possible.
So you do have four full weeks after deactivating to change your mind and revive your account. Just don’t cut it too close to 28 days.
Conclusion
Deactivating your Facebook account allows you to temporarily hide your profile and take a break from the platform without erasing your profile data, friends, photos, posts and messages. It’s a preferable choice if you think you may return to Facebook again in the future.
Just be aware of the 28 day limit before your account risks getting disabled and deleted. Download your data or archive key info before deactivating as a backup. And if you change your mind within four weeks, you can simply log back in to restore your account.