Having multiple Facebook accounts can be useful in some situations, but managing more than one account can also become a hassle. If you want to delete your second Facebook account and only keep your main account, here are some tips on how to do that.
Why Would You Have Two Facebook Accounts?
There are a few reasons why someone might end up with two Facebook accounts:
- You created a separate account for business or work purposes
- You wanted to keep certain aspects of your life separate from your main account
- You accidentally created a second account
- Someone created an account pretending to be you
Maintaining two accounts requires logging in and out of each one separately. It can also lead to duplicate friend requests and unnecessary complications. If having two accounts no longer serves a purpose for you, deleting the secondary account can help simplify your Facebook experience.
How To Delete Your Second Facebook Account
If you’re ready to delete your extra Facebook account, here are step-by-step instructions:
- Log into the Facebook account you want to delete. This is likely your secondary or spare account.
- Click on the down arrow at the top right of any Facebook page. Select “Settings”.
- On the General Account Settings page, click “Deactivate your account” at the bottom.
- Facebook will ask you for confirmation. Select “Continue to account deactivation”.
- Enter your password when prompted to confirm your identity.
- Click “Deactivate”. Your account will now be scheduled for deletion.
Once you deactivate a Facebook account, it is not immediately deleted. Facebook disables the account and schedules it for permanent deletion after 30 days.
How To Reactivate Your Deleted Account
If you change your mind and want to reactivate your second Facebook account within those 30 days:
- Log into your main Facebook account.
- Go to the Deactivated Accounts page under Settings.
- Click “Reactivate” next to the account you want to reactivate.
- Facebook will send a confirmation email. Click the link to fully restore access.
After 30 days, a deactivated account is permanently deleted along with all photos, posts, and data associated with it.
Removing A Fake Or Imposter Account
If your secondary account was created by someone else pretending to be you, here are some tips for getting it removed:
- Report the fake account using Facebook’s reporting tool.
- Submit proof of your identity such as a photo ID.
- List any differences proving it is not your account.
- Ask friends to report the impersonating account too.
Facebook prioritizes investigating accounts reported as fake or impersonating. Submitting multiple reports helps get the account reviewed and deleted faster.
Transferring Data To Your Main Account First
Before deleting your secondary Facebook account, you may want to transfer important data or memories over to your main account:
- Photos – Download photo albums from your secondary account to save them.
- Videos – Save any videos you want to keep to your computer or cloud storage.
- Posts – Screenshot or copy special posts or memories to repost on your main account.
- Friends – Add key friends from your secondary account to stay connected.
Doing this ensures you have copies of anything you want to save. All data left on the secondary account will be erased when it is deactivated and deleted.
Notifying Contacts
Letting your secondary account’s friends and connections know that it will be deleted is a courtesy:
- Post a status update that you are deleting the account and to connect on your main profile.
- Change the account name to “This Account Will Be Deleted”.
- Message key contacts directly about the change.
This gives people a heads up that your account is going away. They can then follow or friend your primary account if they want to stay in touch.
Logging Out On All Devices
Before deleting your spare Facebook account, log out on any digital devices that may have accessed it:
- Log out on your phone or tablet through Facebook’s app.
- Log out on your desktop web browser.
- If you used Facebook Login for other apps or sites, update the connected account in those as well.
This ensure your secondary account will no longer be accessible. All login sessions are ended across the various places it was used.
What Happens When You Delete A Facebook Account
Here’s an overview of what occurs after you permanently delete a Facebook account:
- Your profile, photos, posts, videos, and all other data is erased.
- Your Facebook messages are deleted.
- You are removed from all Facebook Groups.
- Your Facebook events are deleted.
- Friends will no longer see you in their contacts list.
- Your account will not show up in searches on Facebook.
In essence, it will be like your account never existed once the deletion is complete. All former connections, events, conversations, and more will be fully removed from Facebook.
Conclusion
Maintaining two Facebook accounts can create clutter. If you want to simplify by deleting your extra account, be sure to:
- Save any data you want to keep
- Notify contacts you will be deleting the account
- Log out on all devices before deactivating it
After 30 days, the account will be permanently deleted along with all associated information. With these steps, you can cleanly remove your secondary profile.