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How to Delete Your Facebook Account Permanently

by Suzanne Kantra on December 15, 2023

Updated on 12/15/2023 with the latest instructions.

Ever think about deleting your Facebook account? Perhaps you don't want to worry about the various privacy threats. Or maybe you want to delete your account just to make more time for your offline life.

Whatever your reason for ditching Facebook, you should know that deleting your account is a relatively easy thing to do. There are two ways to quit – one that’s reversible in case you change your mind, and the other permanent, for those who are certain they want out.

Deleting your Facebook account is only an option for people who are absolutely sure they’re never coming back to Facebook and don’t mind the idea of starting from scratch in the event they do change their minds. If you're sure, read on. If you're unsure, read my story on How to Deactivate Your Facebook Account to get a temporary reprieve.

Steps for deleting your Facebook account

When you delete your account, Facebook permanently removes it. Facebook says the deletion process typically takes about one month although “some information may remain in backup copies and logs for up to 90 days.”

Deleting your account on your computer

On Facebook.com, select your profile icon in the upper right corner.
Select 'Settings & Privacy' and then 'Settings.'
Click on the 'Meta Accounts Center' box.
Select 'Personal details.'
Select 'Account ownership and control.'
Select 'Deactivation or deletion.'
Select your account.
Select 'Delete your account' and select 'Continue.' You'll be asked enter your password and then click on 'Continue' and follow the prompts to complete the process.

Deleting your account through the Facebook app

Open the Facebook app.
Tap your profile icon in the lower right corner.
Select Settings (cog icon) in the upper right corner.
Select 'Meta Accounts Center.'
Select 'Personal details.'
Select 'Account ownership and control.'
Select 'Deactivation or deletion.'
Select your account.
Select 'Delete your account' and select 'Continue.' You'll be asked enter your password and then click on 'Continue' and follow the prompts to complete the process.

Deleting your account information only applies to content you've created for your own timeline. If you've sent messages to other people or posted in groups, they'll remain on Facebook after you've left.

How to download your Facebook data

Before permanently deleting your account, you may want to see all the information the Facebook has stored about you and your activities and receive a copy for use off Facebook. To check it out everything Facebook has collected, go to the Facebook Your Information page.

If you decide you want copies of photos, messages, or other information, you can easily request a copy. I detail how to use the 'Download your information' tool in our story How to Download Your Pictures, Posts and Other Data from Facebook. And if you just want your photos and videos, follow the instructions in on our story How to Export Your Facebook Photos and Videos to Cloud Storage.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: If you can no longer access your Facebook account because you don't remember the login, read our article on How to Delete an Old Facebook Account When You Can't Log In]

[Image credit: screenshots via Techlicious, laptop image via Smartmockups]

For the past 20+ years, Techlicious founder Suzanne Kantra has been exploring and writing about the world’s most exciting and important science and technology issues. Prior to Techlicious, Suzanne was the Technology Editor for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and the Senior Technology Editor for Popular Science. Suzanne has been featured on CNN, CBS, and NBC.

Topics

Tips & How-Tos, Computers and Software, Facebook, Privacy, Tech 101, Social Networking

Discussion

From Wapi on March 27, 2018 :: 11:28 am

Would be great to know how to remove all the remaining things tracking you after you leave. Would appreciate an article about that.

From Sierra Schmidt on April 21, 2022 :: 8:59 pm

I am in the same boat I have an account I no longer have access to because it was hacked and they will not delete that account I can’t Access it and I am restricted on my new account

From Megan Jennings on May 17, 2024 :: 12:22 am

Same here I deleted it and haven’t used it since 2008 and I get a email saying someone hacked into my acct on a iPhone 11. You can’t call them, contact customer service nothing.

From Marilyn on March 27, 2018 :: 1:10 pm

Hi,

Thank you for the article but suggest you show how to get to General Account Settings, I had to Google it to find mine.

Thank you
Marilyn

From cant delete facebook! on April 18, 2018 :: 3:56 pm

tried the delete facebook option, looks like they have taken it down. Everytime i click on the link to request a form to delte it just takes me to my facebook account main page. What now?

From Josh Kirschner on April 18, 2018 :: 5:08 pm

You should just see a page on Facebook with a button to delete your Facebook account, there’s no form to request. Try this link: https://www.facebook.com/help/delete_account

From Fed up on August 17, 2024 :: 9:04 am

Facebook has disabled my account 3 times because of something on IG. I’m never on IG. I have NO ACCESS to my Fb..How do I delete my profile ??... I’m over it..I had my original account for over 20 yrs..All my fam8ly who have passed..sister..brother. I can’t get to that account .

From Rayla Kuykendall on April 22, 2018 :: 10:49 am

I have so many facebook accounts because I always gave my old phone to 1 of my grandchildren @they log me out@I forget password, can you please help me to delete them, I have logged out, and tried in ever way to delete accounts nothing has worked, I just got a new phone, but because I used my picture on his profile, I can’t get back to mine, I do know the password to last facebook, but won’t let me log in!Please help, Sincerely Rayla Kuykendall

From Josh Kirschner on April 23, 2018 :: 12:16 pm

I’m not following you completely, when you say it won’t let you log back in, what message are you getting? Is it a wrong password? I which case you just need to rest it if you’ve forgotten it.

Also, Facebook only allows one account per email address. So unless you created multiple accounts with multiple email addresses, you should only have one Facebook account in your name.

From Emily Downton on May 07, 2018 :: 8:02 am

Guys, I’d like a simple answer to this question.
If I deactivate Facebook, does it also deactivate nearby friends or can other people still see My approximate location?

From xsnake on May 10, 2018 :: 9:47 am

Title says it all.
Signed up ONLY because many “news” sites require facebook account to login, if you wish to use their comment section.
Apparently someone (or more?) had a problem with one or more of my comments.
Refused entry to ALL sites that use the facebook login function.
“Problem?” We’ll send you a number to use to get into your account…“94336”....use it….get a message that there’s some tech problem…“try again later.”
“Later.”...months so far.
Like I said,“can’t get out, if you can’t get in.”
By the way…..the cretins still send me update crap, no less than half a dozen times a day.

From FB fail on May 25, 2018 :: 3:03 pm

As long as you have your email, you can always log in it. There is no permanent deletion. That’s the shit part about FB. Once you make one, it’s there forever. They keep your messages and comments in case you do someone illegal and cops need to dig shit up on you. The best way to get rid of FB is to never make one. If you have one, you’re SOL.

From Josh Kirschner on May 25, 2018 :: 3:18 pm

You can deactivate your Facebook, and then reactivate it later. But if you delete your account, it’s gone forever, along with all of the information in your account. However, you are right that information tied to others’ accounts (e.g., comments you’ve made on other people’s posts, messages you’ve sent to others) don’t disappear. This isn’t so someone can “dig stuff up on you”, but because that data is controlled by the other account, not yours.

For more on the difference between deleting and deactivating your Facebook account see: https://www.facebook.com/help/125338004213029?helpref=related

From Richard on July 05, 2018 :: 4:19 am

I have multiple Facebook accounts from when I was younger and I don’t know the email addresses nor passwords to log into them to permanently delete them. These Facebook’s have pictures of me and my family and I want them removed from Facebook.

Please can you advise how I go about permanently deleting these accounts there are about 8-9 accounts.

Thank you

Richard

From Josh Kirschner on July 05, 2018 :: 9:05 am

Not clear why you would set up 8-9 Facebook accounts, but you will need to know the email address or phone number associated with each of them (and be able to access that email) in order to regain access to the account for deletion. That’s the only way Facebook can verify that the accounts belong to you. Try your best to remember those old email addresses….

From Richard on July 11, 2018 :: 4:58 am

Hi,

I was young and followed what everyone else did. I have no clue as to what the email addresses are, is there any way I can contact facebook directly to confirm my identity for them to be able to deactivate the accounts?

I am desperate to get them all off facebook.

Thank you

From Josh Kirschner on July 17, 2018 :: 11:45 am

I just published a new article on how to delete your Facebook account if you don’t remember your login. See if that helps you out.

Best,
Josh

From anu on March 31, 2019 :: 11:25 am

if I block everyone from my Facebook and then delete my Facebook account, will still my messages be visible to my friends.

From Josh Kirschner on April 01, 2019 :: 5:28 pm

Deleting your Facebook account won’t affect the messages you’ve sent to others in the past - they will still be able to see them in Messenger.

From ardeen hunt on May 07, 2019 :: 5:38 pm

I get notifacaions in my email to view on facebook when I go there nothing shows. how can I view?

From Jimmie Roan Sr. on May 22, 2019 :: 6:24 pm

it does no good to deactivate facebookaccount to protect your information. someone using their facebook stole my debit card info and through facebook made large purchases. im still working on how the got info. i recently had deactivated my account for other reasons, did the same a few years ago, i have never given them any but the basic info on me,so last night i spent hours on facebook looking at all the data they collect, its no wonder people hate facebook, and they have no dept to handle a theft like that, only childish crap, the bank even gave me the name of the intended recipient fora large transfer that was blocked, she has a facebook page and i can’t get facebook to get involved, and if she is the right person she works for att, which i use for my internet.

From Bill doe on September 05, 2019 :: 2:32 pm

If I deactivate or delete my Facebook and messenger will my name be removed from previous messenger conversations?

From Josh Kirschner on September 05, 2019 :: 2:57 pm

Deleting your Facebook account will not remove your name from other’s Messenger conversations.

According to Facebook: “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.”

From Bill Dow on September 05, 2019 :: 3:04 pm

I have been told that a deactivated or delete account replaced your name with “Facebook user”

From Josh Kirschner on September 05, 2019 :: 3:56 pm

I researched this further and looked through past data in my own Messenger timeline. The answer appears to be (though nothing is ever definite with Facebook) that if you “deactivate” your account, you have the choice of deactivating your Messenger account, too. If you do, your picture disappears, but your name does not. Otherwise, you can keep using Messenger even though your Facebook account is deactivated and your picture will still appear. If you “delete” your account, your picture disappears and your name is replaced with “Facebook user”. In neither case do your messages get deleted.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there are exceptions to these rules…

From Alex J. Roberts on November 27, 2019 :: 12:54 pm

Hi, i created multiple Facebook account because i lost my password, now i have one Facebook account that i am using and i am not using the other three, so how can i delete them permanently?

thanks

From Josh Kirschner on November 27, 2019 :: 1:14 pm

If you can no longer access your other Facebook accounts login, read our article on how to Delete an Old Facebook Account When You Can’t Log In.

From facebook user on December 15, 2019 :: 12:21 pm

my facebook account was scheduled to be deleted on Dec 12. I logged in today (Dec 15) to check if its deleted. It took me to the page where it says that account is scheduled for deletion on Dec 12 and click on continute to facebook if I want to keep it active or simply logout if I want to keep account scheduled for deletion. As per Facebook terms and conditions,account should be deleted in 30 days. But my account has not been deleted even though its more than 30 days. Is this normal?

From Fb user on November 25, 2021 :: 10:16 pm

Hello. Same thing with me. My fb was suppose to have scheduled deleted 2 days ago but when I login it still gives me an option to continue or cancel deletion. Were u able to get ur fb deleted for good? Please advise me. Appreciate it.

From Ellie on December 18, 2020 :: 8:59 pm

I need to delete my facebook account Because of hackers, but I run a Mental health Support Group. How can I save my Support Group from disappearing ? I’m active on it every day and I’ve posted hundreds of Topics. Will they disappear if I delete my personal facebook account ? I can’t use this account any longer, and despite changing my password every day, I’m still being hacked.
Can anyone give me some advice please ?
I’ve set up a new account and I’m Admin on my support group but if my informational topics disappear I don’t know what I’ll do.
Thank you

From Josh Kirschner on December 19, 2020 :: 3:56 pm

If you are having your Facebook account continuously compromised, you likely have a bigger issue than your Facebook account. There may be a keylogger or some other sort of spyware on your PC or whatever device you are using to access Facebook. So that is the issue you need to resolve. Else, you are mistaking some other activity on Facebook as hacking, which really isn’t. If you tell me more about what you are experiencing, that would help. Also, given your concerns, I would suggest turning on two-factor authorization for Facebook. That makes it far harder to compromise your account, even if someone gains access to your login.

From Eric Wright on February 02, 2021 :: 4:08 pm

If you delete your account and later change your mind 100% of your data was retained, so it was never actually deleted, only hidden.

You can’t ever delete your Facebook account or data.

I tried, more than once, and going back years later all my posts and photos were back.

The best you can do is deactivate your account, which isn’t what’s implied by Facebook.

Try it yourself. Delete, wait a while, sign up with the same account details and all your old stuff will be there already…

You are a commodity they won’t give up without a lawyer and more money spent than it’s worth. Facebook owns all the data they collect on you, including abything uploaded by you.

From Andrew on March 04, 2021 :: 3:43 pm

Thank goodness I found this article after trying again and again to permanently delete my Facebook account!

Facebook has the Permanently Delete Account link hidden, and I’ve only been able to do it through your direct link to the page.

From Demo on October 22, 2022 :: 11:40 pm

Exactly. There is no link under settings. Only way I could delete mine was through the link.

From Andrew Hughes on April 03, 2021 :: 12:19 pm

I had my Facebook profile was permanently deleted and now I can’t get it back now back in may 18th 2020 I lost touch with everyone who I known and I was unable to cope without my old Facebook profile because there was no one who would add me on my new account. That was why I was upset about. 😞

From Nida Lachica Gregas on April 15, 2021 :: 6:03 pm

Sir good.morning. What if the chat messages you sent in the past to your friend were already deleted by the person which I sent my messages, can I still retrieve online. Thank you.

From Nida Lachica Gregas on April 15, 2021 :: 6:06 pm

Or even pictures posted in my account that were deleted can still be retrieved by any IT expert?

From Josh Kirschner on April 17, 2021 :: 4:35 pm

If you deleted content on your Facebook account, there’s no way to retrieve it. And an IT “expert” can’t help you because they would not have access to the Facebook servers or backups where that information is potentially still be stored.

From Eric Wright on September 25, 2021 :: 9:53 am

What sorcery is this?
How can all the “DELETED” posts and pictures suddenly show up? The answer, Facebook makes backups, and backups are NEVER deleted because Facebook is an advertising and human metadata company first, and social media second.

Facbook NEVER really destroys THEIR data about YOU.

It’s in the terms of use quite clearly that abything you type or upload becomes THEIR property.

Deleting your data only deletes the live instance, not the archived instances, which is why signing up for a new account with the same name, phone number, and email address will restore the supposedly “deleted” files from your “deleted” account.

I have done this more than once.

All that deletion does is removes your data from the live instance so that your posts and media isn’t visible to anyone else, butit is never truly deleted while you are a live human thst they can sell metadata of to interested parties, such as advertisers.

Anyone who believes this article is talking about truly delting irrevocably your account and data, try what I have said. They will restore your data from backups as soon as you create a “new” account with the same credentials…

Delete = Hide well… but it’s fully recoverable because your data has monetary value to them as long as you are alive.

Try it and you will see that I, and the terms of service, are both correct.

From Geddes on May 02, 2022 :: 2:59 am

Few years ago suspicious activity was detected on Facebook account. In attempting to deactivate the account, access was denied. only able to access the following

Your account has been disabled
You can’t use Facebook because your account, or activity on it, didn’t follow our Community Standards.
We can’t review this decision because too much time has passed since your account was disabled.
To learn more about the reasons why we disable accounts, visit our Community Standards.
Go to Community Standards

However the site appears now to been used by others that are no me.

How can this site be deactivated

From Tahir omar on July 18, 2022 :: 4:53 pm

‎Take a photo of your ID on the Facebook app‎
‎You must use the Facebook app (not FB Lite) on your mobile to submit your ID. This helps keep your ID more secure and protect your identity.‎

From s on August 20, 2023 :: 6:31 pm

THANK YOU ... it appeared impossible to delete Facebook dispite carefully following their guidence and that of others in Google searches… after many attempts that led to fictitious ‘next steps’ your link below was the only correct step that took me to the ‘cancel routine’. https://www.facebook.com/deactivate_delete_account
BIG THANKS!

From Julie Rentz on January 05, 2024 :: 11:12 am

My email was hacked years ago and the old email is still linked to my FB account. So when I go to enter my password, FB does not recognize it. I have tried to reactivate the email with my carrier but it has been purged. Any ideas on how to delete my FB account now?

From Alan Ernesto Phillips on January 17, 2024 :: 3:26 pm

I’ve been trying to DELETE my FB/Meta account for a couple of weeks. Going through their deletion process, they claim to have sent me a “password” for completing my deletion but despite many attempts and their indication of transmittal, the “password” never arrives at my registered email account. WTH?!

From Katrina Hill on June 21, 2024 :: 9:09 pm

I don’t know why Facebook suspended my account just because I don’t want it visible. My last account got hacked and that’s why I made a new one. I never used a social media app where they can suspend your account for no reason. I wanna report Facebook but don’t know how