Facebook was once at the top of social media, taking over from MySpace as the cool place. But since then he has certainly fell a little out of favor. Scandal after scandal, the social media giant has been hit, and it would make sense to be wary of your personal data being in its hands. As such, you might want to get rid of Facebook completely – and to do that, you’ll need to know how to delete a Facebook account.
Should I delete or deactivate my Facebook account?
First, it’s important to decide whether you want to delete your Facebook account entirely or simply deactivate it. Deactivating your account essentially means that your profile will no longer be public, but your friends may still see your name in their friends list, and messages you have sent to friends may still be visible. And, you can reactivate your account simply by logging in.
Pages you control will also be deactivated when you deactivate your Facebook account. But, you can choose to keep Facebook Messenger active even with your account deactivated.
Deleting your account is a bit more permanent. After deleting your account, you will no longer be able to delete it, it will be gone forever. Your personal data will also be mostly deleted from Facebook’s servers – although the company says it may retain some copies of material “disassociated from personal identifiers”. And, if you use your Facebook account with an Oculus or Meta VR device, your account on those devices will also be deleted.
The deletion of your account is delayed for a few days after your request. If you log in after requesting deletion, and it has not yet been deleted, the deletion will be undone. When you delete your account, the pages you control will also be deleted.
How to delete a facebook account
How you delete your Facebook account may vary slightly depending on whether you’re doing it on a desktop computer or a mobile device. We will review deleting your account on both.
How to Delete Facebook Account on Desktop
If you’re on a computer, follow the instructions below to delete your Facebook account.
- Open the Facebook website and log into your account.
- Tap the Arrow button in the upper right corner.
- Click on “Settings and privacy”, then click on “Settings”.
- Next, click on “Your Facebook Information” in the side column.
- Click on “Deactivation and deletion”.
- Select the “Delete Account” option, then click “Continue to Account Deletion”.
- Click “Delete Account”. Enter your password and click “Continue”.
Your account will then be deleted after 30 days. If you log in before the 30 days are up, your account deletion will be undone.
How to Delete a Facebook Account on Mobile
If you prefer to delete your account through the mobile app, you can do so by following the instructions below.
- Open the Facebook app and tap the “Menu” button in the lower right corner.
- Scroll down and tap on the “Settings & privacy” option, then “Settings”, then under the Account section, tap on “Personal and account info”.
- Tap on “Account Ownership and Control” and then tap on the “Disable and Delete” option.
- Select the “Delete Account” option, then tap the “Continue to Delete Account” button at the bottom of the screen.
- Facebook will ask you for a reason why you want to delete your account, and if you choose one, it will try to provide you with alternative options. To skip this, just hit the “Continue to Account Deletion” button.
- You will be presented with a few options that you may want to consider before deleting. For example, you will be able to download your information or transfer it to another service.
- At the bottom of the page, click on the “Delete account” button.
Your account will be deleted after a certain number of days. If you log in before the time runs out, the deletion will be undone.
How to deactivate a Facebook account
Maybe you just want to take a little break from Facebook or delete your Facebook profile while retaining access to things like Messenger. In this case, it’s worth considering deactivating your Facebook account instead of deleting it. The process of deactivating versus deleting is very similar, so make sure you choose the right option for your needs.
How to deactivate a facebook account on computer
If you’re using a desktop computer and want to deactivate your Facebook account, it’s pretty easy to do. Here’s how.
- Open the Facebook website and log into your account.
- Tap the Arrow button in the upper right corner.
- Click on “Settings and privacy”, then click on “Settings”.
- Next, click on “Your Facebook Information” in the side column.
- Click on “Deactivation and deletion”.
- Select the “Deactivate account” option, then click “Continue with account deactivation”.
- Enter your password and click “Continue”.
Your account will now be deactivated. You can always turn it back on if you want.
How to deactivate a Facebook account on mobile
If you prefer to use a mobile device to deactivate your Facebook account, you can do so. Here’s how.
- Open the Facebook app and tap the “Menu” button in the lower right corner.
- Scroll down and tap on the “Settings & privacy” option, then “Settings”, then under the Account section, tap on “Personal and account info”.
- Tap on “Account Ownership and Control” and then tap on the “Disable and Delete” option.
- Select the “Deactivate Account” option, then tap the “Proceed with Account Deactivation” button at the bottom of the screen.
- Enter your password, then press “Continue”.
Your account will now be deactivated. You can reactivate it if you wish, by logging back into your account.
At that time, yes. Facebook’s parent company Meta said it would eventually allow users to use its VR products without a Facebook account, but that hasn’t happened yet. For now, if you have a Quest or Quest 2 and want to continue using it, you will need a Facebook account.
