Deactivating or Deleting Your Account
If you deactivate your account:
- You can reactivate whenever you want.
- People can't see your timeline or search for you.
- Some information may remain visible to others (example: messages you sent).
If you delete your account:
- You can't regain access once it's deleted.
- We delay deletion a few days after it's requested. A deletion request is cancelled if you log back into your Facebook account during this time.
- Some information, such as messaging history, isn't stored in your account. This means friends may still have access to messages you sent after your account has been deleted.
- Copies of some material (example: log records) may remain in our database but are disassociated from personal identifiers.
You can deactivate your account temporarily and choose to come back whenever you want.
To deactivate your account:
- Click
at the top right of any Facebook page.
- Click Settings, then 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.
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. Learn how to deactivate Messenger.
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.
Reactivating your account:
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.
Learn how to permanently delete your account.
You can reactivate your Facebook account at any time by logging back into Facebook or by using your Facebook account to log in somewhere else.
Remember that you'll need to have access to the email or mobile number you use to log in. If you can't remember your password, you can request a new one. If you can't access the email associated with your account, learn how to reactivate your account.
What happens if I permanently delete my 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.
What if I don't want all my content deleted, but I want to take a break from Facebook?
You can take a break from Facebook and temporarily deactivate your account. 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 can choose to come back whenever you want.
Learn how to temporarily deactivate your account.
How do I permanently delete my account?
Before deleting your account, you may want to log in and download a copy of your information (like your photos and posts) from Facebook. After your account has been deleted, you won't be able to retrieve anything you've added.
To permanently delete your account:
- Click
- Click Settings then click Your Facebook Information in the left column.
- Click Deactivation and Deletion.
- Choose Delete Account, then click Continue to Account Deletion.
- Enter your password, click Continue and then click Delete Account.
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 we use to recover in the event of a disaster, software error, or other data loss event. We may also keep your information for things like legal issues, terms violations, or harm prevention efforts. Learn more about our Data Policy.
To cancel your account deletion:
- Log into your Facebook account within 30 days of deleting your account.
- Click Cancel Deletion.
If your friend or family member is irreversibly mentally or physically unable to maintain their Facebook account, we may be able to help you remove it.
- For a child under 13: We require our members to be at least 13 years old. If you believe there is a child under the age of 13 using Facebook, please report the account to us.
- For someone over 13: Please submit a request here. We'll review the information you provide and let you know what action we can take. Keep in mind this form should only be used to report medically incapacitated users. Learn what to do if you've lost access to your account, or how to report a hacked account or deceased user.
Note: We don't consider someone who is in rehab or prison to be incapacitated. If you're a member of law enforcement and would like to report someone on Facebook who is currently imprisoned, please submit a request.
