Facebook Dating is a feature within the Facebook app that allows users to match and chat with potential romantic partners. If you decide to delete your Facebook Dating profile, there are a few things that will happen:
Your profile is removed
When you delete your Facebook Dating profile, all of the information, photos, and details you added to the dating section will be permanently removed. Your profile will no longer appear to other users in Facebook Dating.
Your conversations are deleted
Any conversations, connections, or matches you made in Facebook Dating will also be deleted when you remove your dating profile. You will no longer be able to message or interact with people you matched with.
You stop appearing as a potential match
Once your dating profile is deleted, you will no longer show up as a potential match for other Facebook Dating users. You essentially remove yourself from the Facebook Dating pool.
Your Facebook profile is unaffected
Importantly, deleting your Facebook Dating profile does not delete your main Facebook profile or any information on it. Your regular Facebook account and data remains intact. Only the profile and activity within the Facebook Dating section is removed.
How to delete your Facebook Dating profile
If you decide Facebook Dating isn’t for you, deleting your profile is simple:
Via Mobile
1. Open the Facebook app on your mobile device and tap on the menu icon in the top right.
2. Scroll down and tap on “Settings & Privacy”.
3. Select “Settings”.
4. Tap on “Facebook Dating”.
5. Tap on “Delete Profile”.
Via Desktop
1. Go to facebook.com and log into your account.
2. Click on the downward arrow in the top right corner.
3. Choose “Settings & Privacy” > “Settings”.
4. Click on “Facebook Dating” in the left sidebar.
5. Click on the three dots beside your dating profile name.
6. Select “Delete Profile”.
On both mobile and desktop, you will get a confirmation screen to verify you want to delete your dating profile. Click “Yes, Delete Profile” to confirm.
What happens to your matches when you delete Facebook Dating?
When you decide to delete your Facebook Dating profile, your existing matches and conversations are also deleted at the same time. Here is what happens on the other user’s end:
Your profile disappears from their matches
Once you delete your dating profile, your profile will immediately disappear from the list of your matches’ current connections. They will no longer be able to view your profile or photos.
Conversations are deleted
Any messaging conversations you had with other users through Facebook Dating will be erased. They will see a notification saying the conversation was deleted.
They can no longer message you
Since your dating profile no longer exists, other users will have no way to send you new messages or react to your profile. All communication abilities are removed.
You won’t appear as a potential match
After deleting your dating profile, you will not come up as a suggested match for any other users. You are removed from the pool of dating candidates.
Can you reactivate a deleted Facebook Dating profile?
If you change your mind after deleting your Facebook Dating account, is it possible to restore it?
Unfortunately, once you delete your Facebook Dating profile it is permanently erased. There is no way to retrieve or reactivate a dating profile after it has been removed.
However, you can create a brand new dating profile using the same Facebook account. Here is how:
On mobile:
1. Open the Facebook app and tap the menu icon.
2. Tap on “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings”.
3. Scroll down and tap “Facebook Dating”.
4. Tap “Create Profile”.
5. Follow the steps to set up a new dating profile.
On desktop:
1. Go to facebook.com and log into your account.
2. Click the down arrow and select “Settings & Privacy” > “Settings”.
3. Click “Facebook Dating” in the left sidebar.
4. Click on “Create Profile” and follow the setup steps.
Even though your old dating profile and matches can’t be restored, creating a new profile will allow you to start fresh with Facebook Dating if you choose to use it again.
Should you fully delete your Facebook account?
If you’re ready to give up Facebook Dating permanently, you may be wondering if you should delete your entire Facebook account. Here are a few pros and cons to weigh:
Pros
- Increased privacy and security of your data
- Avoid impulse scrolling and frequent social media use
- More control over how people can access and contact you
Cons
- Lose connections with friends and family
- Miss out on events, invitations, and information sharing
- Deleting the account permanently erases all data and photos
Other options
Instead of fully deleting your account, you could:
- Deactivate account temporarily
- Limit ads and app permissions
- Unlike pages and unfollow friends
- Restrict visibility of posts and photos
Carefully evaluate if you still find value in Facebook outside of dating before making the decision to delete your entire account. Adjust privacy settings if your main concern is data security.
Data Facebook retains when you delete your account
If you do decide to fully delete your Facebook account, what data does Facebook retain afterwards?
Things deleted
- Your profile information
- Posts, photos, videos you’ve shared
- Comments and reactions you’ve made
- Your friend list and followers
- Group memberships
- Messages and chat history
Things retained
- Data already used for analytics and measurement reports
- Data shared with third party apps and services
- Backup copies for a limited time in case you reactivate account
So while much of your personal data is erased, some analytics data may remain in Facebook’s systems. And any data you already shared outside of Facebook would persist.
How long does it take to delete your Facebook account?
When you initiate a Facebook account deletion, how long until the process is complete?
- Account is disabled immediately
- It takes up to 90 days for all data to be permanently deleted
- Information is inaccessible during the deletion period
- Account can be reactivated within 30 days by logging back in
So the account disablement is instant, but the platform gives itself up to 3 months to fully carry out the data erasure process.
In most cases though, the majority of your data and profile will become inaccessible within just a few days or weeks at most.
Getting data from Facebook before deleting account
Before fully deleting your Facebook presence, you may want to download a copy of the data Facebook has about you. Here’s how:
On mobile:
1. Tap the menu icon > “Settings & Privacy” > “Settings”
2. Scroll down and tap “Your Facebook Information”
3. Tap “Download Your Information” and select data types
4. Enter your password and tap “Request Download”
On desktop:
1. Click the down arrow > “Settings & Privacy” > “Settings”
2. Click “Your Facebook Information” on left sidebar
3. Click “Download Your Information” and select data types
4. Enter password and click “Request Download”
Downloaded data will be in a zip file containing info like posts, photos, messages, and more. Allow a few minutes up to a few hours to prepare the file.
Steps to permanently delete Facebook account
Ready to take the plunge and delete your Facebook account for good? Here are the steps:
On mobile:
1. Open the Facebook app and tap the menu icon
2. Scroll down and tap “Settings & Privacy”
3. Tap “Settings”
4. Scroll down and tap “Account Ownership and Control”
5. Tap “Deactivation and Deletion”
6. Choose “Delete Account” and tap “Continue”
7. Select “Delete Account” to confirm
On desktop:
1. Go to facebook.com and click the down arrow
2. Select “Settings & Privacy” > “Settings”
3. Click “Your Facebook Information” in the left sidebar
4. Click “Deactivation and Deletion”
5. Click “Delete Account” and then “Continue”
6. Click “Delete Account” to confirm
It may take up to 90 days for the account deletion to fully process. You have 30 days to reverse it by logging back in.
Conclusion
Deleting your Facebook Dating profile removes your information and conversations from the dating platform, but does not affect your core Facebook account. Fully deleting your Facebook account erases your data over time, though some analytics data may remain. Consider downloading your data before deleting. Evaluate your reasons to determine if leaving Facebook entirely is the right choice for you.