Facebook has become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 2.8 billion monthly active users as of 2020. While many find it useful for connecting with friends and family online, others wish to delete their Facebook profiles entirely for privacy or other reasons.
Deleting your Facebook profile completely removes it from the platform, including all photos, posts, videos, comments, and other data associated with the account. However, the process is not straightforward and Facebook does make it challenging to delete your profile permanently.
Can I deactivate my Facebook account instead?
If you wish to take a break from Facebook, deactivating your account is an option. Deactivating your account hides your profile and removes your name and photos from most things you’ve shared on Facebook. You can reactive your account at any time by logging back in.
However, deactivation is not the same as completely deleting your account. Information from your profile remains stored in Facebook’s database even if it is no longer visible on the platform. If you wish to remove your data permanently from Facebook, deactivation is not sufficient.
How do I permanently delete my Facebook account?
To permanently delete your Facebook account, you must submit a special account deletion request. This will remove all of your data from Facebook’s servers so that your profile and information are gone for good.
Here are the steps to permanently delete your Facebook account:
- Log into your Facebook account and click on the arrow in the top right corner.
- Select “Settings & Privacy” from the dropdown menu.
- Click on “Settings” in the left sidebar.
- Click on “Your Facebook Information” in the left sidebar.
- Click on “Deletion and deactivation.”
- Choose “Permanently delete account” and then click “Continue to account deletion.”
- Select “Delete Account” to confirm.
Choosing a reason for deleting your account
When submitting your account deletion request, Facebook will ask you to provide a reason why you are deleting your account. You can choose from options like privacy concerns, too many emails/notifications, or that Facebook takes too much time.
While optional, providing a reason can help Facebook improve its services. However, if you do not wish to provide an explanation, you can select “Other” and continue with the deletion process.
Re-entering your password
For security purposes, Facebook will ask you to re-enter your account password before processing your deletion request. Re-entering your password confirms your identity and prevents unauthorized account deletions.
Solving a captcha
To prevent automated deletion requests, Facebook may ask you to solve a captcha before submitting your request. This involves typing in text or numbers displayed in distorted text images.
Selecting things to delete
Facebook allows you to select whether to also delete posts you’ve made in Facebook Groups and events you’ve created or are hosting. By default, these things will not be deleted, even if you delete your account.
If you wish to remove these as well, check the boxes before submitting your deletion request. Otherwise, leave them unchecked.
Messages about account deletion
Once you submit your account deletion request, Facebook will show several messages explaining the effects of deleting your account. This includes:
- You’ll no longer be able to recover anything you’ve added.
- Your messages will be deleted.
- You won’t be able to retrieve your photos and other information.
Read and confirm you understand each message before completing the deletion process.
How long does Facebook account deletion take?
After you submit your account deletion request, your account is scheduled for deletion. The amount of time before deletion varies:
- If you do not log into your Facebook account during the deletion period, your account will be deleted within 30 days.
- If you log into your account during the deletion period, it can take up to 90 days before your account is deleted.
Facebook provides a range to account for additional time needed to complete pending deletions. However, in most cases deletion happens on the quicker end within a month or less.
Canceling your account deletion request
If you change your mind, you can cancel your account deletion request by logging into your account during the deletion pending period. Simply click “Cancel Deletion” on your account settings page.
However, once the scheduled deletion date passes, you can no longer recover your account.
Getting a copy of your Facebook data
Before deleting your Facebook account permanently, you may want to download a copy of your Facebook data for your records. This allows you to save photos, posts, and other personal information from your account.
To download a copy of your Facebook data:
- Go to your Facebook Settings.
- Click on “Your Facebook Information”
- Click on “Download Your Information”
- Select date range and media types to download.
- Click “Create File”
- Once ready, Facebook will email you a link to download your archive.
Information included in your Facebook data archive
Your downloadable Facebook archive contains:
- Your posts and photos shared on your timeline
- Messages and chat conversations
- Info from your About section
- Ads you’ve clicked on
- Friends list and pending friend requests
- Pages and groups you follow or have liked
Downloading this data lets you retain copies of important information from your account before it is deleted.
Deleting Facebook Messenger
Deleting your Facebook account also deletes your messages and conversations in Facebook Messenger. However, you can choose to keep using Messenger while deleting your Facebook profile.
To delete just your Facebook profile but keep Messenger:
- Go to your Facebook Settings
- Click on “Your Facebook Information”
- Click on “Disconnect Messenger from Facebook”
- Confirm that you want to disconnect Messenger from your account
Once disconnected, you can continue using Messenger with just your phone number. Your Facebook profile can then be deleted without losing your Messenger app.
Can I reactivate my account after deletion?
Once your Facebook account is permanently deleted, there is no way to recover or reactivate it. The deletion is final, and all your data is removed from Facebook’s servers.
If you signed up again with the same name or email, you would not get your old account back. You would have to start fresh with a new profile and rebuild your network from scratch.
Conclusion
Deleting your Facebook account permanently removes your profile and data from the platform. While the process involves several steps, it allows you to take back control of your information.
Be sure to download a copy of your Facebook data before deletion if you want to retain any photos, messages, or other personal information from your account. Once your scheduled deletion date passes, even Facebook will no longer have access to your past data.
Deleting Facebook can help with privacy concerns or simply free up time once spent on the platform. Just be certain before you proceed, as there is no way to recover the account afterwards.