When a Facebook user decides to delete their account, one of the biggest questions is what happens to all of the likes they’ve made on the platform. Facebook likes can feel deeply personal and act as an extension of someone’s identity. Naturally, users want to know if deleting their account also deletes the trail of likes they’ve left behind.
The Short Answer
The short answer is: Yes, when you delete your Facebook account, all of the likes you’ve made on Facebook posts, photos, and other content are also deleted. Facebook removes all traces of your account when it is permanently deleted, including your profile information, photos, posts, comments, and likes.
Looking at the Details
Now let’s get into the specifics of what happens when you delete your Facebook account and likes. There are a few key things to understand:
Likes are connected to your account
On Facebook, likes are associated with your account profile. When you like a post or photo, it gets added to the list of things your account has liked. So when your account is removed, Facebook deletes the entire record of your likes.
Likes remain visible until account deletion is complete
When you first request account deletion, your likes will remain visible to others until the deletion process is complete. This is usually within 30 days. Once your account is fully deleted, all likes associated with your account will disappear.
Number of likes on posts decrease
When your likes are removed, any posts, photos, or pages that you’ve liked will see the number of likes decrease. For example, if you liked a friend’s post that had 50 likes, once your like is deleted that post will show 49 total likes.
No notification about deleted likes
Facebook does not directly notify users if your likes are removed from their posts or photos. The number of likes will simply decrease by 1 per item you’ve liked.
What Happens to Likes When You Deactivate Account
Separate from fully deleting your Facebook account, you also have the option to temporarily deactivate your account. So what happens to your likes if you do this?
When your Facebook account is deactivated:
- Your likes remain visible to other users
- You cannot like any new posts or photos
- Your past likes are not deleted
Deactivating pauses your account without erasing any of your activity. If you later choose to reactivate your account, all of your information – including likes – will reappear.
A Recap – Does Deleting Facebook Remove Likes?
To recap the key points:
| Action | What happens to likes |
|---|---|
| Delete Facebook account | All likes are deleted and removed from Facebook |
| Deactivate account | Likes remain visible but no new likes can be made |
When you permanently delete your Facebook account, all traces of your profile including your likes are erased. Deactivating your account just pauses your profile so likes remain.
Why Likes Get Deleted
Now that we’ve covered what happens to likes when you delete your Facebook account, you may be wondering why this occurs. There are a few reasons why Facebook removes all of your likes when your account is deleted:
Privacy
Deleting your likes helps protect your privacy after leaving Facebook. It removes your digital footprint and activity from the platform.
Remove inactive data
Once your account is gone, Facebook no longer needs to store or track your past likes. Deleting this data declutters their systems.
Comprehensive account deletion
Fully removing an account requires wiping all associated data. Likes are directly tied to your account profile.
Legal obligations
Facebook’s terms of service and privacy policies likely require them to delete user data like likes when an account is closed.
How to Download Your Facebook Likes Data
If you want a record of the Facebook posts, photos, and pages you’ve liked over the years, you can download this data before deleting your account. Here’s how:
Request your Facebook data
On Facebook, go to Settings > Your Facebook Information > Download Your Information. Select likes from the options.
Enter your password
You’ll need to re-enter your Facebook password to confirm your identity.
Receive likes data
After requesting your like info, Facebook will compile and email you a download link within a few days. It may be a large file with each of your likes listed.
Review and save data
Once you receive the file, be sure to review and save your likes data if you want to keep a record before deleting your Facebook account.
Other Data Facebook Deletes
When you delete your Facebook account, likes are not the only data erased. Here are some of the other things Facebook permanently removes:
- Photos and videos you’ve shared
- Personal info like bio, work, education, location, etc.
- Status updates and posts you’ve shared
- Comments made by your account
- Messages and conversations
- Groups and events you’ve joined
- Facebook reactions like WOW, haha, sad, angry
Essentially, Facebook wipes its systems clean of your entire account details and online interactions. So if there’s any data you want to keep a personal record of, make sure to download it before deleting your profile.
Conclusion
When you decide to permanently delete your Facebook account, all of your likes will be removed from the platform as well. This makes sense since likes are directly connected to your account profile and activity. Just be aware that deleting Facebook deletes your likes too – so if you want a record of your Facebook likes, download the data before your account is erased.