With over 2 billion users, Facebook hosts an enormous number of photos that people have uploaded over the years. However, many users decide to delete their Facebook accounts at some point, which also deletes all of their uploaded photos. This leaves people wondering if it’s possible to get their photos back after deleting their account.
Can I retrieve photos after deleting my Facebook account?
Unfortunately, once you delete your Facebook account, it is extremely difficult to retrieve your photos. When you delete your account, Facebook removes all of your information from their servers, including your photos. They do this for security and privacy reasons.
However, Facebook does not immediately delete everything. They initially deactivate your account for 30 days, during which time all of your information remains in their system. This 30 day period gives you a chance to reactivate your account if you change your mind.
So in theory, you may be able to retrieve your photos if you are able to reactivate your account within 30 days of deletion. But after the 30 days, your account and all your data is permanently erased.
How long does Facebook keep my photos after I delete them?
If you simply delete your photos from Facebook without deleting your account, the photos are recoverable for a limited time:
- Deleted photos are moved to the trash folder for 30 days, after which they are permanently deleted
- If you delete a photo from Facebook that was uploaded from your phone, it will also be deleted from your phone within 30 days
So if you quickly realize you made a mistake in deleting a photo, you have 30 days to retrieve it from the trash folder. But after 30 days, deleted photos are gone forever.
How can I download all my Facebook photos?
If you want to save copies of all the photos you’ve uploaded to Facebook over the years, you can download an archive of your Facebook data before deleting your account. Here’s how:
- Go to your Facebook Settings
- Click on “Your Facebook Information” in the left column
- Click on “Download Your Information”
- Deselect everything except “Photos and Videos”
- Click on the blue “Create File” button
- Facebook will prepare a download of your photo archive and notify you via email when it’s ready, which may take several hours or days depending on how many photos you have.
- When ready, log back into Facebook and re-download your information. This time, your photo archive will be available for download.
This will give you a backup of all your Facebook photos that you can keep even after deleting your account.
Can I use data recovery software to retrieve deleted Facebook photos?
Using data recovery software or companies to try to retrieve deleted Facebook photos generally does not work:
- The photos are not on your device – they are stored on Facebook’s servers
- Facebook servers are proprietary and inaccessible to the public and data recovery companies
- Facebook protects user privacy by encrypting data and completely deleting accounts after 30 days
So unfortunately, there are no third party solutions to recover deleted Facebook photos at this time unless you can restore your account from backup within 30 days.
Are my old photos still on Facebook if I deactivated my account?
If you temporarily deactivated your Facebook account instead of permanently deleting it, your photos and other data remain stored in Facebook’s system. In this case:
- Your profile and photos will reappear intact when you reactivate your account
- You can reactivate your temporarily deactivated account at any time by logging back into Facebook
- Nothing is deleted and your account is saved in its existing state while deactivated
So deactivating your account just puts your account on pause – it preserves all your data including photos. But permanently deleting the account erases everything after 30 days.
Can I view my Facebook photos without an account?
Unfortunately, your Facebook photos are only accessible and viewable when logged into your account. There is no way to view your Facebook photos without having an active account.
Some options:
- You can download your photo archive before deleting your account to save copies
- If tagged by friends in their photos, you can sometimes see those but you cannot access photos you uploaded
- Any photos set to public visibility can be seen but most people’s photos are only visible to friends
But in general, your photos remain private and inaccessible without an active Facebook account.
Are my photos still on Facebook servers after account deletion?
No, Facebook completely removes all data including photos from their servers after an account is permanently deleted. Here is what happens:
- When an account is deleted, the data remains recoverable for 30 days in case the user reactivates their account
- After 30 days, the account data including photos is erased from Facebook servers
- No data remains on Facebook servers after the 30 day deletion period
This 30 day window allows users to change their mind, but after that Facebook ensures complete data removal for privacy. So you will not find your photos lingering on their servers.
Can Facebook customer service help restore my photos after account deletion?
Unfortunately, Facebook’s customer support cannot assist in recovering data like photos after your account has been deleted. Some key points:
- Facebook has automated systems that permanently erase accounts after 30 days
- Their support staff do not have the technical means to recover deleted data
- They cannot make exceptions to company policy and privacy standards
- You cannot contact former Facebook friends to attempt to restore deleted photos
So while their customer support may be able to help you reactivate your account within 30 days, they cannot assist in restoring data after permanent account deletion.
What are my options if I lost photos in a Facebook account deletion?
If you did not save copies of your Facebook photos before deleting your account, there are few options to try to recover them:
- Immediately contact Facebook to try to reactive your account within the 30 day window
- If tagged in other’s public photos, you may be able to save copies of those
- Check if you posted photos publicly visible to anyone, not just friends
- See if you shared photos on other sites like Instagram where they may still exist
- Use Google image search to find copies of public photos possibly saved by others
But ultimately, the only guaranteed solution is to download your entire photo archive from Facebook before deleting your account.
Can I delete my Facebook account but keep Messenger?
In most cases, deleting your Facebook account also deletes your Messenger account and messages. However, it is sometimes possible to deactivate your main Facebook profile while keeping Messenger active.
To do this:
- Go to your Facebook account settings
- Find the “Deactivate Account” option
- Follow the steps to deactivate your main Facebook profile
- When prompted, choose to keep your Messenger account active
This will deactivate your main Facebook account while allowing you to still use Messenger. However, all your Facebook photos, posts, and data will be erased after 30 days just as if you deleted your account.
Can I save my Facebook photos to Google Photos?
Fortunately, there is a way to automatically save all your existing Facebook photos to Google Photos for long-term storage even if you delete your Facebook account:
- Make sure you have a Google account and are logged into Google Photos
- Go to Facebook settings and under “Your Facebook Information” select “Transfer a copy of your photos and videos”
- Follow the instructions to transfer your Facebook photos to Google Photos
- This will save all your uploaded Facebook photos to your Google Photos library
You can then delete your Facebook account while still having copies of all your photos safely stored and accessible in Google Photos. Just make sure to complete the transfer before deleting your account.
Conclusion
While photos uploaded to Facebook may seem ubiquitous, they can be very difficult or impossible to recover after deleting your account. Facebook goes to great lengths to protect user privacy by completely erasing accounts shortly after deletion.
The only surefire way to preserve your Facebook photos is to download your archive or transfer them to another service like Google Photos before deleting your account. Otherwise, your photos will only be recoverable for 30 days after deletion by reactivating your account.
So if you have years of memorable photos on Facebook that you want to save, make sure to back them up before closing your account for good. Once those 30 days have passed, Facebook’s automated systems will permanently erase your account profile, photos, posts, and all other data from their servers.
In summary:
- Download your photo archive before deleting your Facebook account
- You have 30 days after deletion to reactivate your account and recover photos
- Use the tool to transfer Facebook photos to Google Photos for backup
- Contact Facebook immediately if you change your mind after deletion
- Do not count on being able to retrieve photos after 30 days
Following these steps will allow you to secure your Facebook photos before taking the step to delete your account and all its data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I download my photos if I deactivated my Facebook account?
No, you cannot download your photo archive after deactivating your account. You need to reactivate your account first and then download your photos before deactivating again.
Do my photos get deleted if my account is hacked?
If your account is hacked or disabled by Facebook for violations, your photos and data may be immediately deleted without the standard 30 day waiting period. So hacking or violations can result in instant photo loss.
Can friends share my old Facebook photos with me if I delete my account?
No, friends cannot directly share or send you photos you posted because they only had access to them through your account. But they could potentially screenshot or save photos you were tagged in and share those copies.
What happens to my WhatsApp photos if I delete my Facebook account?
Your WhatsApp messages and media will not be affected when deleting your Facebook account, as WhatsApp has a separate account system not linked to your Facebook profile.
Can I back up my Facebook photos to an external hard drive?
Yes, you can download your photo archive from Facebook and save the files to an external hard drive or other device. This provides an offline backup separate from online cloud services.
If I saved my Facebook photos to my computer, can I upload them to another platform later?
Definitely. Downloading your Facebook photos allows you to then upload and share them anywhere else even if you delete your Facebook account. Saving the files preserves your images.