If you no longer want your Facebook account connected to another app or website, unlinking it can give you more control over your information. Here’s a step-by-step guide to unlinking your Facebook account.
Why Would I Want to Unlink My Facebook Account?
There are a few common reasons you may want to unlink your Facebook account from an app or website:
- You don’t use the app anymore and don’t want it accessing your Facebook data
- You’re concerned about the app having access to too much of your Facebook information
- The app is posting unwanted content to your Facebook timeline
- You have privacy concerns about the app developer
- You have multiple Facebook accounts and want to control which one is linked
Basically, unlinking gives you more control over how your Facebook account interacts with other apps and sites. It’s a good idea to occasionally review linked apps and remove any you no longer use or trust.
How to Unlink Facebook from an App
Here are step-by-step instructions for unlinking your Facebook account from a connected app:
From the App
Many apps that connect with Facebook have settings where you can disconnect your Facebook account:
- Open the app and look for account settings
- Find the setting to disconnect from Facebook and select it
- Confirm you want to unlink your Facebook account
The app should no longer have access to your Facebook profile and the app should disappear from your Facebook account’s list of connected apps.
From Facebook Settings
You can also unlink apps directly from your Facebook account:
- Go to your Facebook Settings
- Select “Apps and Websites” in the left sidebar
- Click the “Logged in with Facebook” tab
- Locate the app you want to remove and click “Remove”
- Confirm you want to disconnect the app from Facebook
This will instantly remove the app’s access to your Facebook account.
If the App Doesn’t Have an Unlink Option
If an app doesn’t give you the ability to disconnect from Facebook, you can either contact the app developer and request they add an unlink feature, or you can remove the app’s access through your Facebook settings:
- Go to your Facebook Settings
- Click “Apps and Websites”
- Click the down arrow next to the app name
- Select “Remove App”
This will force the app disconnection.
How to Disconnect Facebook from a Website
Many websites allow you to sign in with your Facebook account. Here’s how to unlink your Facebook account from a website:
- Go to the website’s account settings or user profile
- Look for a “Disconnect from Facebook” or “Unlink Facebook” option
- Select the option and confirm you want to disconnect your Facebook account
If there’s no built-in unlink option:
- Go to your Facebook settings
- Click “Apps and Websites”
- Click the down arrow next to the website name
- Choose “Remove”
Your Facebook account will then be unlinked from the website.
Troubleshooting Facebook Account Unlinking
Here are some troubleshooting tips if you can’t figure out how to disconnect your Facebook account from an app or website:
- Check the app’s account settings thoroughly – unlink options are sometimes hidden away
- Google “How to unlink Facebook from [app name]” to find uninstall guides
- Contact the app developer/website support and ask how to disconnect Facebook
- As a last resort, delete the app from your Facebook settings
- For websites, remove any Facebook cookies and try logging in/connecting again
If you can’t find the setting, removing the app or website from your Facebook settings will force a disconnection.
Important Things to Know About Unlinking Facebook
Here are some key points to keep in mind when unlinking your Facebook account:
- Unlinking Facebook won’t delete your app account – it will just disconnect the app from your Facebook profile
- The app may still have access to data previously pulled from your Facebook account
- You may have to sign back into the app or website using an email/password after unlinking Facebook
- If reconnecting Facebook later, the app will likely ask to re-access your profile info
- Unlinking from one device won’t unlink it from other devices automatically
So unlinking Facebook removes future access but can’t erase any past account connections or data access.
The Benefits of Unlinking Facebook Accounts
While it takes a bit of work, unlinking your Facebook account can provide valuable privacy and security benefits:
- Prevents apps accessing your info if you stop using them
- Stops apps you don’t trust from getting more of your data
- Removes access by compromised or suspicious apps
- Limits profile info shared with websites you sign into
- Better control over who sees what personal data
- Reduces spam to your Facebook feed from apps
Basically, unlinking Facebook connections gives you more control over your privacy and who has access to your social media profile. It’s a good data hygiene practice.
Should I Unlink All Connected Apps and Websites?
You generally don’t need to unlink every app and website connected to your Facebook account. But you should periodically review your connected apps and remove any unused, outdated, or untrustworthy ones.
Here are some signs it may be time to consider unlinking an app:
- You never use the app anymore
- The app posts annoying/embarrassing content to Facebook
- An app requests intrusive permissions like posting or deleting Facebook content
- You see suspicious app behavior like spamming friends
- You don’t remember ever linking the app to Facebook
For websites, unlink if you no longer use the site regularly or have concerns about the security of their Facebook login. Or if you see the website posting content without your permission.
Can I Reconnect an Unlinked Facebook Account?
If you change your mind after unlinking an app or website from Facebook, you can reconnect your Facebook account in most cases. Just follow the app or website’s instructions for linking Facebook again.
However, any data previously imported from your Facebook profile will need to be re-accessed with your renewed permission. And some apps may create a new account when relinking rather than restoring your previous account.
So while relinking is usually possible, it may not restore the original connected state in full. You may have to reconfigure some settings.
Conclusion
While unlinking Facebook accounts takes a few steps, it’s worthwhile for controlling your privacy and security settings. Keep an eye on connected apps and websites and unlink any that are outdated, unused, or suspicious. Just be aware unlinking doesn’t delete historical connections. But it can keep untrustworthy apps from accessing more of your personal data going forward.
| App or Website | Data Access | Reason to Unlink |
|---|---|---|
| Old Game App | Profile info, friend list | Haven’t used the game in years |
| Quiz Website | Name, profile photo | Annoying quiz posts on my timeline |
| Fitness Tracker | Birthday, posts | Spamming all friends with promotional posts |
Here is an example of some common apps and sites you may want to consider unlinking from Facebook and why. Unlinking protects your data and stops unwanted content.
What happens when I unlink Facebook from an app or website?
When you unlink your Facebook account, here’s what typically happens:
- The app or site loses access to new data from your profile
- You may have to sign back in using an email/password instead
- The app won’t be able to post content to Facebook as you
- Your past Facebook data stays in their records unless deleted
- You can link your Facebook again in the future if wanted
So unlinking protects your current data, but doesn’t necessarily remove past access or content.
Can I permanently delete my data from unlinked apps?
In most cases, you’ll have to contact the app or website directly and request deletion of your Facebook-imported data:
- Check the app or site’s privacy policy for data deletion options
- Look for a “Request Data Deletion” link or form
- Email/message customer support asking to delete your FB-sourced data
- Deleting your entire app account may also purge Facebook data
Full data deletion isn’t always possible, but many apps and sites will remove it on request. Be specific that you want Facebook-imported data removed.