How to Deactivate or Delete Your Facebook Account

By: Nathan Chandler  | 
man on his smartphone
If you need a break from social media, it's pretty straightforward to delete or deactivate your Facebook account. 10'000 Hours/Getty

Maybe you're tired of cyber drama and nutty political posts. Or maybe you've had it with feeling like you're being spied on. Whatever the case, you've decided to get rid of your Facebook account.

There's just one more decision to make: Should you deactivate or delete your account?

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Deactivating your Facebook account means you're putting it into digital hibernation. No one can find your profile or see your timeline, but you'll still be able to use Facebook Messenger. Then, months or years down the road, if you decide that you miss those political spats between relatives, you'll be able to reactivate your account and continue using it.

If you permanently delete your account, it really is gone for good. All the content you uploaded, including your photos, will disappear into the ether of the internet. You won't be able to use Messenger either. And the only perceptible trace of your Facebook past will be old sent messages sitting in the inboxes of your friends. (BTW, Facebook doesn't notify your friends that you have deleted or deactivated your accounts.)

Facebook really, really doesn't want you to delete your account. So, after you issue the deletion command, it puts your account into a 30-day holding pattern. That way, if you change your mind, you'll be able to rescue your account from oblivion. (Logging in even once takes your account out of the "delete" queue as well.) After the 30 days is up, the company will finally delete your account, but it could take up to three months for all your personal information to be expunged from the site.

So, here's how to do both activities, per Facebook.

  1. On the upper-right side of any Facebook page, click the down arrow, then click Settings.
  2. In the left column, click Your Facebook Information.
  3. Click Deactivation and Deletion.

From here the steps vary depending on whether you want to deactivate or delete.

To deactivate your account:

  1. Click Deactivate Your Account.
  2. Click Continue to Account Deactivation.
  3. Enter your password, then click Continue.
  4. Your account is deactivated. If you want to reactivate it, all you have to do is log in again.

To delete your account:

  1. Click Permanently Delete Account.
  2. Enter your password, then click Continue.
  3. You're done – Facebook will place your account in the queue for deletion. You have 30 days to change your mind.

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Deactivate/Delete Facebook FAQ

How do you deactivate your Facebook account?
Log in to Facebook and locate the downward arrow – indicating a dropdown menu – in the top-right corner of the page. Click Settings > Personal Information > Manage Account > Deactivate. You’ll be asked to enter your password and give a reason for deactivation. Choose the best option and click “Continue to account deactivation.” Your Facebook account will be deactivated.
How do you permanently delete your Facebook account?
Deleting your account permanently will also delete all your posts, videos and photos. To delete, go to Settings > Your Facebook Information > Deactivation and Deletion > Permanently Delete Account > Continue to account deletion. Now, select Delete Account, type your password and Continue. Your account will be deleted.
Can I retain my deleted Facebook account?
You can only retain your Facebook account for 30 days after you delete your account. After 30 days, all your data and information will be permanently deleted. To retain your deleted account, simply Log In to retrieve your information.
Can I undo my Facebook account deactivation?
Yes. Unlike deletion, a deactivated Facebook account does not have to be reactivated within a fixed time period of 30 days. You can keep it deactivated for as long as you want and can reactivate it whenever you wish to. Simply Log In to your Facebook account and your account will be reactivated.
Does deleting the Facebook app from my phone delete my account?
Deleting the Facebook app from your mobile phone will not delete or deactivate your account. It is only the application that will be erased from your phone’s memory; your Facebook account will remain intact.

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