It can be frustrating when you delete your Facebook account, but it still seems to be visible in some places online. There are a few reasons why your deleted account may still be viewable.
Your profile may still appear in search engine results
After deleting your Facebook account, it can take some time for your profile to be completely scrubbed from search engine results like Google and Bing. This is because search engines need to recrawl impacted pages and update their indexes.
Even after your profile is removed from search results, cached copies of your profile may still be viewable if people click on outdated links. Most search engines will eventually update their caches as well, but it’s not an instant process.
How long does it take for my deleted profile to disappear from search?
It can take up to 90 days for your deleted Facebook profile to be fully removed from Google’s search results. Bing and other search engines may take longer since they recrawl less frequently than Google.
Can I speed up the removal process?
Unfortunately there is no way to instantly remove your deleted profile from search engine results. The best approach is to be patient and wait for search crawler bots to do their work. If you had a lot of profile links out there on the web, it will understandably take more time.
Your profile picture and cover photo may still appear
Facebook removes your profile picture and cover photo when you delete your account. However, if any third-party websites or people embedded your photos on other pages, they will not automatically disappear.
For example, if you previously posted your Facebook profile pic on a forum or dating site, that older photo can still show up even if the source image was deleted.
Can I request removal of my pics from other sites?
If you find your Facebook photos are still appearing on third party websites, you can request their removal but the site owners are not obligated to delete them. The best approach is to contact the webmaster of each site and politely ask them to take down your pics.
Friends may still tag you in posts
If your friends tagged you in status updates, photos, or other content on Facebook before you deleted your account, those tags will not automatically disappear.
Your name will still show up in older posts where friends tagged you. However, the links attached to your tagged name will no longer work since your account no longer exists.
What happens if I get tagged in new posts?
Once your account is deleted, friends should no longer be able to tag you in new Facebook posts. If someone tries to tag your deleted profile, they will get an error message that the profile cannot be tagged.
You may still appear in Facebook Messenger contact lists
If you had conversations with friends over Facebook Messenger, your old Messenger contact will remain visible in their contact list even after you delete your Facebook account.
Friends will still see your past chat history, your name, and profile photo within Messenger. This persists so people are not confused why old message threads seem to be from an unknown contact.
Will my Messenger contact eventually go away?
Over time, Facebook will delete Messenger contacts from people’s lists if they do not interact with your old account. But if friends continue chatting with your old contact, it may persist indefinitely.
Unfortunately there is no way to speed up removal of your Messenger contact info that appears in other people’s apps.
You may remain visible in Facebook Photos
If you were tagged in photos posted by friends, those pics and tags will not be deleted automatically when you close your account.
Friends will still see photos you are tagged in, but your name and profile link will no longer display. Essentially you become an anonymous “tagged face” in others’ photos.
Can I untag myself from all past photos?
Before deleting your account, you can manually untag yourself from friends’ photos. However this is time consuming and you may miss some untagging if you were tagged in a lot of pictures.
An easier option is to ask friends to untag you from their photos after you delete your account. But they are not obligated to do so.
You still exist in Facebook Site Metrics
Facebook Business accounts that run ads can view aggregated metrics to analyze their audience demographics and engagement. These metrics persist even if some users delete accounts.
So Facebook’s internal site metrics will still indicate information like “35 people between 18-35 from California liked your page.” Even if some of those specific people deleted their accounts, the aggregated metrics remain intact.
Will I stop contributing to site metrics?
Once you delete your account, you will stop contributing new metrics data to Facebook’s analytics and demographics. However you essentially leave a footprint in any metrics that were aggregated prior to your account deletion.
Ways you can minimize your lingering online presence
While fully wiping out your Facebook existence takes time, there are some tips to minimize your lingering presence:
- Remove profile and cover photos before deactivating your account. This leaves nothing for others to embed.
- Untag yourself from friends’ posts and photos before deleting.
- If you have a lot of profile links around the web, use Google Remove URLs tool to speed up scrubbing of search results.
- Use BrandYourself or other reputation sites to push down outdated search content about you.
- Request search engines like Bing and Yahoo to remove your cached profile if it lingers too long.
- Ask friends to untag you from their old posts and photos after you leave Facebook.
Should I delete or deactivate my account?
If your goal is to temporarily disable your Facebook account while minimizing your lingering online presence, deactivating is better than fully deleting:
| Deactivate account | Delete account |
|---|---|
| – Profile not visible to other users | – Profile completely removed |
| – Can reactivate account later | – No option to restore account |
| – Keeps data like posts, photos, messages | – Permanently erases all account data |
| – Prevents being tagged in new posts | – Lingers in old posts where still tagged |
In summary, deactivating your account is reversible and preserves your data, while still minimizing your ongoing visibility. Deleting is permanent and begins scrubbing your presence, but the process takes more time to complete.
Should I download my Facebook data before deleting?
Before permanently deleting your Facebook account, you may want to download an archive of your profile data for your records:
- Photos and videos you uploaded
- Your posts and status updates
- Messages and chat conversations
- Info from your profile and about section
- Ads and pages you’ve engaged with
- Your lists of friends and followers
To download your Facebook data archive:
- Go to your Facebook Settings.
- Click on “Your Facebook Information” in the left menu.
- Select “Download Your Information” on the next page.
- Select date range and media types to download.
- Click to request download of your archive.
- Facebook will assemble zip files of your data and email download links when ready.
Is my data still on Facebook servers after I delete my account?
According to Facebook policies, your account data is permanently erased from their servers after an account is deleted. However, some metadata like your User ID may be retained for security purposes.
Can I delete my Facebook account through email or phone?
Facebook’s preferred method for account deletion is through their website interface. However, you can also delete your account via email or mobile:
Delete by Email
- Send email to [email protected]
- Subject line should say “Permanently delete my account”
- In the body, include your full name and the email/password for your Facebook account
- Facebook support will initiate permanent deletion of your account via email
Delete via Mobile
- Open Facebook app on your iPhone or Android
- Go to your profile settings within the app menu
- Scroll down and select “Delete Account”
- Follow prompts to permanently delete your account
Can I delete someone else’s Facebook account?
No, only the original account holder can initiate deletion of their own Facebook profile. For security reasons, Facebook does not allow other people to delete accounts they do not own.
If the account holder is deceased, immediate family members may be able to memorialize or permanently delete the account by providing proof of death and relationship.
Can Facebook delete accounts due to inactivity?
Facebook may disable accounts that are completely inactive for prolonged periods of time. However they will not permanently delete accounts simply due to inactivity.
Typically accounts must be inactive for over 1 year before Facebook initiates any kind of disabling. Even then, the account can be reactivated by logging back in.
Should I create a new Facebook account after deleting?
If your goal is to permanently leave Facebook, it is not advisable to create a new account after deleting your old one. Here are some risks:
- Facebook may link the new account to your old profile
- You have to re-build your network and contacts
- Difficult to use new name if friends look for your old account
- algoritically more likely to show your new profile to old connections
Rather than returning to Facebook under a different identity, it may be better to try an alternative social network that better aligns with your privacy preferences.
Good Facebook account deletion alternatives
If you still want some social media presence after leaving Facebook, here are some alternative platforms to explore:
| Platform | Key Benefits |
|---|---|
| – More ephemeral sharing – Professional networking |
|
| – Focused on visual content – Less political arguing |
|
| Snapchat | – Temporarysharing – Smaller close network |
| NextDoor | – Local neighborhood hub – Buy/sell groups |
| Tumblr | – Topical microblogging – Niche fan communities |
Conclusion
In summary, a deleted Facebook account can stubbornly persist in small ways as search engines, caches, and friends’ accounts update. But over time your profile and contributions will be scrubbed from Facebook’s network.
Deactivating accounts is reversible and minimizes your ongoing presence. Permanently deleting begins removing you more aggressively. Downloading your archive provides a snapshot before you go.
Be patient as Facebook’s systems purge your account data. And consider alternative social platforms if you want to maintain an online presence after leaving Facebook behind.