There are over 2.7 billion people worldwide who use Facebook. The social networking giant isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, with an average of five new profiles created every second and 300 million photos uploaded daily. Because Facebook is such an integral part of people’s lives, the very thought of giving it up can be terrifying. But what if you wanted to step away? Here’s everything you need to know about deactivating or deleting your Facebook account in 2020.
To Deactivate Your Account
- Click DropDown icon in the top right of Facebook.
- Select Settings & Privacy, then click Settings.
- Click Your Facebook Information in the left column.
- Click Deactivation and Deletion.
- Choose Deactivate Account, then click Continue to Account Deactivation and follow the instructions to confirm.
When your account is deactivated:
- No one else can see your profile.
- Some information, like messages you sent to friends, may still be visible.
- Your friends may still see your name in their friends list. This is only visible to your friends, and only from their friends list.
- Group admins may still be able to see your posts and comments, along with your name.
- You will not be able to use your Facebook account to access Oculus products or your Oculus information.
Keep in mind that if you choose to keep Messenger active or are logged into Messenger when you deactivate your Facebook account, then Messenger will remain active.
When your Facebook account is deactivated, but you still have Messenger:
- You can still chat with friends on Messenger.
- Your Facebook profile picture will still be visible in your conversations on Messenger.
- Other people can search for you to send you a message.
If you’d like to come back to Facebook after you’ve deactivated your account, you can reactivate your account at any time by logging back into Facebook or by using your Facebook account to log in somewhere else. Remember, you’ll need to have access to the email or mobile number you use to log into complete the reactivation.
What Happens If You Permanently Delete Your Facebook Account?
- You won’t be able to reactivate your account.
- Your profile, photos, posts, videos, and everything else you’ve added will be permanently deleted. You won’t be able to retrieve anything you’ve added.
- You’ll no longer be able to use Facebook Messenger.
- You won’t be able to use Facebook Login for other apps you may have signed up for with your Facebook account, like Spotify or Pinterest. You may need to contact the apps and websites to recover those accounts.
- Some information, like messages you sent to friends, may still be visible to them after you delete your account. Copies of messages you have sent are stored in your friends’ inboxes.
- If you use your Facebook account to log in to Oculus, deleting your Facebook account will also delete your Oculus information. This includes your app purchases and your achievements. You will no longer be able to return any apps and will lose any existing store credits.
When You Temporarily Deactivate Your Account
- People won’t be able to see or go to your Facebook profile.
- Your photos, posts and videos won’t be deleted.
- You can still use Facebook Messenger. Your profile picture will still be visible in your conversations and people will still be able to search for you by name to send you a message. You will continue to appear to friends on Facebook in places where they can message you.
- You can still use Facebook Login for your other apps, like Spotify, Pinterest or Games.
- You will not be able to use your Facebook account to access Oculus Products or your Oculus information.
- You can choose to come back whenever you want.
To Permanently Delete Your Account
- Click DropDown Icon in the top right of Facebook.
- Select Settings & Privacy, then click Settings.
- Click Your Facebook Information in the left column.
- Click Deactivation and Deletion.
- Choose Permanently Delete Account, then click Continue to Account Deletion.
- Click Delete Account, enter your password and then click Continue.
Can I cancel my account deletion?
If it’s been less than 30 days since you initiated the deletion, you can cancel your account deletion. After 30 days, your account and all your information will be permanently deleted, and you won’t be able to retrieve your information.
It may take up to 90 days from the beginning of the deletion process to delete all the things you’ve posted. While we’re deleting this information, it’s not accessible to other people using Facebook.
Copies of your information may remain after the 90 days in backup storage that Facebook uses to recover in the event of a disaster, software error, or other data loss event. Facebook may also keep your information for things like legal issues, terms violations, or harm prevention efforts.
To cancel your account deletion:
- Log into your Facebook account within 30 days of deleting your account.
- Click Cancel Deletion.
