Facebook was, at one time, a great platform where friends and family could reconnect, stay in touch, and share their adventures with others. In today’s hyperpoliticized culture, many Facebook users have taken the social media platform to another, less pleasant dimension.
Aside from the negativity and the constant aggravation of information overload, many users are beginning to question their online privacy and security. Facebook is no stranger to controversy, as seen with the Cambridge Analytica catastrophe.
If you are looking to permanently delete your Facebook account and all the data the company has on you, this article will help you!
How to temporarily deactivate Facebook
Some users have had their Facebook accounts for a long time. That’s a lot of memories, friends, memes, and other important information to say goodbye to. If you are worried about losing your account or needing something from it later, you can temporarily deactivate it.
- Click the account menu at the top right of any Facebook page.
- Select “Settings & Privacy” and then “Settings” again.
- Click ‘Your Facebook Information’ in the left menu.
- Next to “Deactivation and Removal,” click “View.”
- Make sure “Deactivate account” is checked and then click “Continue to deactivate account.”
If you deactivate your account, your profile will no longer be visible. You will no longer appear on your friends lists and people will not be able to search for you. But your Facebook Messenger account will remain intact.
To reactivate an account at any time, you can log back into your account on any device. If you do not want to accidentally reactivate your account, you will need to log out of all devices, including the mobile app.
Control Facebook privacy
If your issue with Facebook comes from a privacy perspective, there are a few things you can do to control what information the company shares with other companies.
In addition to turning off location permissions and browsing incognito on the social media site, Facebook gives users some power over their data within the website.
If you want more control over your privacy on Facebook, do this:
- Follow the steps above by clicking the arrow icon in the upper right corner. Then click “Settings and privacy.”
- Click “Privacy Shortcuts.”
- Click ‘Manage your information’.
- A new web page will open. Here you can follow the path ‘Facebook’ > ‘I want to manage my data’.
Some of the options only give you links to instructions or Facebook’s privacy policy. But others do let you control connected apps, ad preferences, and the sharing of information the company stores/shares.
To help you protect your online data without deleting Facebook, Adblock Plus has a tool that allows you to disable the social media (Like) buttons integrated into sites outside the social network. These buttons allow Facebook to track users’ browsing behavior beyond Facebook, and this data may be open to advertisers.
How to delete Facebook permanently
There are several ways to get to the “Delete your account” button. First, you can follow the steps above to deactivate your account and select the “Delete Account” option.
You can also follow the steps in the “Control your Facebook privacy” section and select the Delete account option at the bottom of the page. But, if you need more help, here are more specific instructions:
1. Log in to Facebook
For security reasons, you will need to log in to delete your Facebook account. If you are deleting an account that you haven’t used in a while and have forgotten your password; you will need to reset it.
- Go to theFind your account page.
- Enter the email, phone number, full name, or username associated with your account, and then click “Search.”
- Follow the guide step by step.
- If you cannot get a verification code, click the No longer have access to these? option at the bottom of the pop-up window. Then, follow the steps to recover your login information.
You can find complete instructions on how to reset your Facebook passwordhere.
2. Download your Facebook data
As you look to delete Facebook permanently, you may want to save your data first. You can do this by clicking the down arrow in the top right corner of the screen and selecting Settings.
You will be presented with a list of general account settings. At the bottom there is a link to “download a copy of your Facebook data”, where you can do exactly that.
Note: It is important to do this before proceeding to delete your account. Once your account is deleted, you will need to reactivate it to download your Facebook data. After a 30-day retention period, your Facebook data will be gone forever.
3. Permanently deactivate your Facebook account
Now that you have logged into your Facebook account and saved all your data, it is time to deactivate your account. Here’s what you should do:
- Open Facebook and click the arrow icon in the top right corner. Then click “Settings and privacy.”
- Click ‘Settings’ again.
- Click on ‘Your Facebook Information’ on the left side.
- Click “View” next to “Deactivation and Removal.”
- Click the bubble next to “Delete.” Then, click ‘Continue with account deactivation’.
A pop-up should appear saying: “If you think you will never use Facebook again and want to delete your account, we can take care of this for you. Please remember that you cannot reactivate your account or recover any content or information you have added. If you still want to delete your account, click “Delete my account”.
A pop-up window will now appear warning you, once again, that this is a permanent decision. To delete Facebook permanently, re-enter your password. You will also need to enter a CAPTCHA and then click “OK.”
4. The reflection period
Clicking OK on the removal pop-up is not the end of the process. Instead, the previous pop-up will be replaced with this message: “Your account has been deactivated from the site and will be permanently deleted within 30 days. If you log into your account within the next 30 days, you will have the option to cancel your request.”
After clicking OK on this message, you will have 30 days to change your mind. After that time, your account will disappear. forever with no way to reactivate it or recover unsaved data.
To reactivate your account, log back into your account.
Frequent questions
Permanently deleting your Facebook account is a big deal. That’s why we’ve included this section to ensure you can make a fully informed decision before clicking the “Delete” button.
How long will Facebook keep my information after deleting my account?
Facebook’s official word on the matter is that they retain your information for 30 days after confirming account deletion.
Is Facebook safe?
While the website is quite secure if you have a strong password and two-factor authentication setup, Facebook is not necessarily secure.
The website/app has some issues that expose it to unknown threats (like almost everything else on the Internet). If you’ve ever read one of our online security guides for other services, you’ll no doubt be familiar with the philosophy that your accounts are only as secure as you made them. This means that much of your security is in your own hands, regardless of the brilliant privacy strategies included by the developers.
First, Facebook is less secure because the company shares your information with other companies. While Facebook may not make this information public, the other company could have security vulnerabilities that make it easier to access your personal data. This includes information about your location, your devices, and more.
Then, oversharing can become a serious problem. Maybe your friend tells you you’re at a local restaurant or you post a photo with your child’s school in the background. Be aware of everything he posts on Facebook (including the background of his photos) to reduce the likelihood that someone will know something about you that you’d rather keep private.
How do I delete Facebook Messenger?
As stated above, when you delete your Facebook account, your Facebook Messenger account remains. To delete your Messenger account, do this:
1. Open Facebook Messenger and tap your profile icon in the top right menu to access the drop-down options.
2. Click “Legal & Policies”.
3. Click ‘Deactivate Messenger’.
4. Enter your password.
5. Click ‘Deactivate’.
How do I delete my Facebook account if I can’t log in?
If, for some reason, you are unable to log into your Facebook account, the first step will be to try to reset your password and gain access. The best case scenario in this situation is that you can log in and complete the steps above.
However, if your account has been hacked or hijacked, you can regain access by reporting your own account to the Facebook support team. Visit this website to complete the necessary steps to report your account. Once you have logged back in, you can follow the steps above to permanently delete your account.
Are you considering permanently deleting your Facebook account? Did our tutorial help you achieve your goals? Let us know in the comments below!
