If you’re trying to delete your Facebook Business Manager account but are running into issues, you’re not alone. Many business owners have found that deleting a Business Manager can be tricky due to Facebook’s policies around these types of accounts.
What is a Facebook Business Manager?
Facebook Business Manager is a tool that allows you to manage your business’s presence on Facebook and Instagram. It lets you control Pages, ad accounts, apps, and more from one central dashboard. Some key things you can do with Business Manager include:
- Create and organize Facebook Pages and Instagram profiles
- Set up ad accounts and campaigns
- Gain insights into your business’s performance on Facebook
- Add team members and control access
- Integrate third-party apps and services
Business Manager provides a centralized way to publish content, track analytics, run ads, and collaborate across your business’s Facebook and Instagram presence. It’s designed for medium-to-large businesses who need advanced tools for managing multi-user accounts.
Why is it difficult to delete a Business Manager?
While Facebook provides the option to delete your personal Facebook account, deleting a Business Manager can be more complex. There are a few key reasons for this:
Business Manager “owns” connected assets
Your Business Manager acts as the governing entity that “owns” and manages all your connected Facebook Pages, ad accounts, Instagram profiles, apps, and more. When you try to delete the Business Manager, you may find the option disabled if any assets are still linked to it.
Other roles may still have access
If you have added any teammates like analysts, advertisers, or page admins to your Business Manager, they will retain access to your company’s Facebook and Instagram assets even if you leave or delete your account. Facebook does not allow you to fully delete a Business Manager if other roles still have access.
Ad accounts may have active campaigns
Trying to delete a Business Manager that has active ad accounts and campaigns can also pose issues. Facebook will not let you permanently delete a Business Manager that still has unpaid ads running through its attached ad accounts.
Steps to try deleting a Business Manager
If you wish to delete your Business Manager, you’ll need to complete the following preparatory steps:
- Remove any connected Facebook Pages and Instagram profiles by transferring them to another Business Manager or deleting them.
- Disable or delete any connected ad accounts.
- Remove all teammates and external partners from the Business Manager.
- Turn off any connected apps or third-party services.
Once all assets are disassociated and any other roles removed, you can try deleting the Business Manager again. Go to Business Settings > Business Information and look for the option to Delete Business Manager.
Transferring assets to another Business Manager
The easiest way to delete your Business Manager is to first transfer all your important Pages, ad accounts, and other assets to a new Business Manager owned by someone else at your company. Here are the steps to migrate assets:
- Have the other person create a new Business Manager from their personal Facebook account.
- In your Business Manager, go to Assets > Pages and click Transfer Assets at the top.
- Enter the ID of the new Business Manager and transfer your Pages/ad accounts.
- Remove your old Business Manager account from any Pages or ad accounts as an admin.
- Repeat steps for any Instagram profiles, apps, or other assets.
Once everything is transferred away from your old Business Manager, you can delete it.
Why you may want to delete your Business Manager
Here are some common reasons why you may want to fully delete your Facebook Business Manager account:
- You’re closing your business – If you are shutting down your company entirely, you’ll want to remove its presence on Facebook/Instagram by deleting all assets including Business Manager.
- Account security – In cases of a compromised Business Manager account, deleting it and starting over may be the best solution.
- Role changes – If the Business Manager admin leaves your company, it can be easier to just create a new account rather than transferring everything.
- Rebranding – If your business has gone through a major rebrand, it may be cleaner to start fresh with new branded assets.
What to do if you can’t fully delete it
In some cases, you may go through all the proper steps but still find yourself unable to permanently delete your Business Manager due to issues on Facebook’s end. If that happens, here are some options:
- Contact Facebook support – Reach out to Facebook’s customer support channels to see if they can force a deletion of your Business Manager.
- Disable the account – If you can’t delete it, disabling the Business Manager can at least restrict access.
- Hide connected assets – Unpublish Pages and turn off ad accounts so the assets are hidden even if you can’t delete the Business Manager.
- Create a new Business Manager – Try making an entirely new Business Manager from a different personal account and migrate assets there.
Best practices for deleting a Business Manager
To ensure the process goes smoothly, keep these best practices in mind when preparing to delete your Facebook Business Manager:
- Remove ALL connected assets first – Don’t leave any Pages, ad accounts, or other items associated.
- Take away teammate access – Delete or demote any other teammates in the Business Manager beforehand.
- Create a backup – Export your data and save any important campaign history or creatives beforehand.
- Double check for any active ads – Ensure no unpaid ad campaigns are still running.
- Confirm you have permanent ownership – If transferring assets, make sure you retain ownership after leaving the Business Manager.
The risks of deleting your Business Manager
While deleting your Facebook Business Manager can provide a “clean slate” in some cases, there are risks to be aware of:
- You will lose access to your historical Facebook business data and insights.
- Any content on associated Pages or ad accounts will be removed.
- You may disrupt any active ad campaigns and analytics tracking.
- It can be cumbersome to set up new branded profiles and assets.
- If not done properly, you may lose permanent ownership of your Pages, ad accounts, and Instagram profiles.
Conclusion
Deleting your Facebook Business Manager can be a complex process due to Facebook’s policies about retaining access to business assets. The key steps are removing all connected Pages, ad accounts, apps, teammates, and active ads. Work to transfer important assets to a new Business Manager if needed. While deleting Business Manager can allow a fresh start, it also comes with the risk of losing data and disrupting activities, so proceed with care.