Deleting your Facebook account should be simple. Unfortunately, because the company is hesitant to let its users go, the process is lengthy and complicated. Whether you want to take a break from Facebook or completely delete your account, this step-by-step guide will assist you in doing so quickly and easily.
How to Permanently Delete Your Facebook Account
Before you decide to permanently delete your Facebook account, you can take several precautionary steps, such as limiting who can view your profile or regularly removing cookies collected by the platform. They won’t completely secure your data, but if you don’t want to give up Facebook just yet, these extra security measures will ensure that only the most important information is stored on the servers.
How to Delete Your Facebook Account on a Desktop Computer
- Navigate to “Settings” by clicking the tab in the top right corner’s drop-down menu.
- Go to deactivation or deletion on Facebook and select ‘permanently delete your account’ before pressing continue.
- The app will prompt you to save any of your data, including photos and posts, as well as edit any groups for which you are the administrator. You have the option of saving your data and then deleting it, or simply selecting “Delete Account.”
- A pop-up warning will appear informing you of Facebook’s 30-day deactivation period. If you change your mind, you will be able to log back in and cancel the process. To continue, select “Delete Account.”
How to Delete a Facebook Account from Your Phone
- In the bottom right corner of your screen, click on the three horizontal lines. Choose “Settings” from the “Settings & Privacy” menu.
- Scroll down to “Your Facebook information,” then select “Account Ownership and Control.”
- “Deactivation and deletion” should be selected.
- Click “Continue to account deletion” after selecting “Delete account.”
- Before proceeding, Facebook will give you the option to deactivate your account, download your files, and manage the pages for which you are an administrator. To confirm your decision, click “Delete Account.”
- Enter your password and press the “Continue” button.
- Finally, click “Delete Account” to finish the process.
Why Should You Download an Archive Before You Delete It?
When you delete your Facebook account, you permanently delete all of your data from the system. Because the platform is used to share and save precious memories, you should back up your data (such as photos and videos) before deleting your Facebook account. To do so, follow my instructions and save the archived files to your device.
Easy Guide to Download an Archive of Your Facebook Account
- From the drop-down menu, choose “Settings.”
- Go to “Your Facebook Information” and then “Download your information.” Alternatively, you can choose “Transfer a copy of photos or videos” to transfer your media files to Google Photos.
- Select which information you want to keep in the “Request a copy” tab. Depending on which data you want to save, you can check one or all of the boxes. Then, select “Create File.”
- Facebook will start making a copy of the files you’ve chosen for you. The “Available copies” tab allows you to track the progress of your archived files. When the file is ready to download, you will be notified.
Have You Changed Your Mind? Here’s How to Reclaim Your Account
Every person who decides to delete their account on Facebook has a 30-day grace period. You can reactivate your account at any time if you change your mind. Logging in with your credentials will instantly restore all of your data, allowing you to continue using Facebook as before.
However, if you change your mind after the grace period has passed, you will be unable to undo the process. If you are unsure whether you want to delete your Facebook account, consider deactivating it first.
How to Delete Your Facebook Account
- Navigate to “Settings.”
- Select “Deactivation and deletion” from the “Your Facebook information” tab.
- Select “Deactivate account” and then click “Continue to Account Deactivation.”
- Enter your password and press the “Continue” button.
- Facebook requires users to provide a reason for their deactivation. Because it is a required field, click on one or more reasons to proceed. Once you’ve decided on a reason, click “Deactivate.”
- Click “Deactivate Now” in the pop-up window.
- Your account has been disabled. Simply log in with your old login information to reactivate your account.
With “Off-Facebook,” you can protect yourself from third-party apps.
Because of Facebook’s ambiguous third-party policies, you may be disclosing more detailed information than you realize. When you use your Facebook credentials to log in to third-party apps, both platforms automatically exchange your collected data.
Off-Facebook, a security feature that allows users to choose which data from third-party apps can be stored and used by the platform, was released by Facebook in January 2020. All you have to do to increase data security is to clear your third-party activity regularly.
This feature is only available on the Facebook mobile app, so use your iOS or Android device to complete these steps.
How to Clear Your Off-Facebook Activity
- In the top right corner, select the menu. Go to “Settings & Privacy” and select “Settings.”
- Select “Off-Facebook activity” from the drop-down menu.
- Select “Manage your off-Facebook activity” to see all of your off-Facebook activity.
- Please enter your password. Then you can go through the list and remove the items you don’t want.
- Alternatively, you can clear all of your activity by selecting “Clear history.” This will delete all of the activities on the list.
Change Your Facebook Security Settings to Take Control of Your Security
Delete your Facebook account isn’t your only option for data protection. If you’re not ready to give up the platform just yet, but want to feel safer while using it, change your security settings.
How to Modify Your Facebook Security Settings
- Select “Settings” from the drop-down menu in the top right corner.
- Navigate to the “Privacy” tab.
- To change who can see your posts, go to “Your Activity” and click “Edit.” You can make your posts visible to everyone, just your friends, or completely private.
- By clicking on “Limit Past Posts,” you can restrict who can see your old posts on your timeline. This will automatically hide all of your previous posts, allowing only your friends to see them.
- Finally, specify how you want others to contact you. You can do so by clicking on each option and then selecting a category from the drop-down menu.
Deleting Facebook Content Makes You Feel Safer
You can improve your online safety by accessing your activity log and deleting any unnecessary data without deactivating or deleting your account.
Regrettably, there is no quick way to clear your entire activity log. You must choose each item, post, and photo individually.
To increase your Facebook safety, do the following:
- Remove any third-party apps that are linked to your Facebook profile. Delete any photos, videos, or albums.
- Remove your comments and posts from the platform and clear your search history.
- Turn off the Facebook app on your phone.
- Turn off Facebook Messenger.