When you deactivate your Facebook account, it goes into a disabled state where your profile and information are hidden but not deleted. This means you can reactivate your account at any time and restore all of your data. However, some Facebook features will no longer work during the deactivated period.
What happens to Messenger when you deactivate Facebook?
Messenger will remain active when your Facebook account is deactivated. You can continue using Messenger normally to chat with friends and contacts. This is because Messenger and Facebook are separate products with separate accounts systems behind the scenes. Deactivating your Facebook profile does not affect your Messenger account.
So in summary, no, Messenger does not get deleted or disabled when you deactivate Facebook. You’ll still have full access to Messenger and all your message history, contacts, and chat features.
Can you still use Messenger normally with a deactivated Facebook profile?
Yes, you can continue using Messenger normally even while your Facebook account is deactivated. Here are some of the key things you can still do in Messenger with a deactivated Facebook profile:
- Chat with friends and contacts
- Send and receive messages
- Send stickers, GIFs, photos, videos, voice messages
- Make video and audio calls
- Create group chats and rooms
- Use Messenger on your smartphone, tablet, or computer
- Receive notifications and alerts
The only limitation is that some Messenger features rely on integration with your Facebook account and friends list. For example, you may not be able to see active status indicators for friends or use some social features like polls and group chats with Facebook friends. But core messaging works normally.
What Messenger features won’t work with a deactivated Facebook account?
Here are some of the Messenger features that require integration with your Facebook account and therefore may not work fully during the deactivated period:
- Active status indicators and typing indicators for Facebook friends
- Shared media, posts, and stories from Facebook friends in Messenger
- Facebook friend list and contact syncing
- Facebook group chats and rooms
- Facebook notifcations and alerts in Messenger
- Facebook profile integration in Messenger settings
Other than those limitations, the core messaging functionality of Messenger will remain fully active even when your Facebook account is deactivated. So you can continue chatting normally.
Can other people still message you on Messenger if Facebook is deactivated?
Yes, your contacts can still reach you in Messenger even if your Facebook profile is deactivated. Since your Messenger account remains intact, anyone who has you as a contact can continue to chat with you and send messages as normal.
The only caveat is that Messenger contacts who only know you via Facebook may not realize your account is deactivated. So they may try messaging your Facebook profile instead of Messenger directly. But any messages sent directly to you in Messenger will come through.
Do your Messenger chats and history get deleted when Facebook is deactivated?
No, Messenger chats and message history are not deleted or lost when you deactivate your Facebook profile. Because Messenger maintains its own separate account system and database, the message history remains intact even while Facebook is disabled.
So any chats, photos, videos, files, audio messages, call history, and other Messenger data will still be there when you reactivate Facebook. Nothing will be lost or deleted.
Can you deactivate Facebook without deactivating Messenger?
Yes, when you choose to deactivate your Facebook account in the settings, Messenger is not deactivated. Facebook and Messenger operate as separate products so deactivating your Facebook profile does not affect your Messenger account.
This means you can deactivate Facebook but keep Messenger active without losing access. All your Messenger functionality remains so you can continue chatting with friends and contacts.
Does deactivating Facebook remove you as a Messenger contact?
No, deactivating your Facebook profile does not remove you as a contact or friend in Messenger. Your Messenger account remains fully intact, so friends still see you in their contact/friend lists within Messenger and can continue messaging you.
You simply appear as “inactive” or “deactivated” on Facebook. But within Messenger itself, your contacts and profile remain active so people can still reach you in Messenger.
Can you reactivate Messenger if you change your mind after deactivating Facebook?
Messenger does not get deactivated when you deactivate Facebook, so there is nothing for you to reactivate. Messenger will remain fully functional the whole time your Facebook account is disabled.
To restore your Facebook access, you simply need to reactivate your Facebook profile in the settings. This will re-enable your Facebook account and restore all your data and friends. Messenger will still be there intact.
Does deactivating Facebook Messenger delete your chat history?
Deactivating your Facebook profile does not deactivate or delete your Messenger account and chat history. Messenger remains a separate, active account when Facebook is disabled.
Your chats, messages, media, files, and call history within Messenger will not be deleted or lost while Facebook is deactivated. Everything is restored when you reactive your Facebook account later.
Can you sign back into Messenger after deactivating Facebook?
You do not need to sign back into Messenger after deactivating Facebook because you remain logged into Messenger automatically. Messenger is a separate app and account system not affected by Facebook deactivation.
All you need to do is reactivate your Facebook account when ready. You may need to sign into Facebook again, but Messenger will still be logged in.
Conclusion
In summary:
- Messenger remains fully active when you deactivate Facebook
- You can continue using Messenger to chat with friends and contacts
- Your Messenger chats, history, media are not deleted or lost
- The only limitations are some Facebook-integrated Messenger features
- People can still reach you in Messenger during Facebook deactivation
- Reactivating Facebook restores your profile but Messenger is unchanged
So deactivating Facebook does not affect your Messenger account or delete your Messenger data. You can keep chatting as normal, with just minor limitations on some Facebook-integrated features while your Facebook profile is deactivated.
| Messenger Feature | Works with Deactivated Facebook? |
|---|---|
| Basic messaging | Yes |
| Media sharing | Yes |
| Voice and video calls | Yes |
| Mobile and desktop apps | Yes |
| Facebook friend syncing | No |
| Typing indicators | Limited |
| Facebook notifications | No |
Key takeaways
- Messenger remains fully functional when Facebook is deactivated
- You can keep chatting with friends normally
- Your Messenger data is not deleted
- Some Facebook-integrated features may be limited
- Reactivating Facebook restores your profile but Messenger is unchanged
In conclusion, deactivating your Facebook account does not affect your access to Messenger or erase your Messenger data. Aside from a few limitations, Messenger functions normally so you can keep chatting with friends seamlessly while your Facebook profile is deactivated.
Deactivating Facebook simply disables your profile temporarily while Messenger remains an independent, active account for continuous messaging. Your Messenger presence, chats, history, and data are preserved.