For reasons best known to you, you may no longer want your Facebook account active for use. You can choose to delete or deactivate it – and it’s easy to do. So, if you are considering, ‘How to delete or deactivate your Facebook account,’ everything you need to know is unveiled in this article.
Once you deactivate your Facebook account, all your information on the platform will be completely taken out and no one will be able to contact you or check out things you’ve previously shared on the platform. Your status updates, timeline, and photos will be hidden.
But then, you can still choose to return when you have a rethink by reactivating your account to have your old information restored. However, this is not the case when you delete a Facebook account.
When you delete a Facebook account, all your stored or saved information – photos, timeline, friends list, new feed, etc – are gone forever! But if you took the action in less than 30 days, you can still cancel the account deletion to recover your information on the platform. Otherwise, it is gone permanently!
Removing all the items you have posted totally from the platform by Facebook, may take up to 90 days from the start of the deletion process. And when this deletion process commences, the items and account become inaccessible to all Facebook users.
HOW DO I DEACTIVATE MY FACEBOOK ACCOUNT?
Deactivating your account is only a temporary measure you can consider to keep away from the platform for a specific period of time, which you can reconsider and reactivate when you choose to return.
Follow the steps below to deactivate your account:
- Click the three horizontal lines at the top right corner of your news feed to open the Menu.
- Click on Settings & Privacy, and then select Settings.
- Locate Your Facebook Information tab in the list, after the Privacy option.
- In the options provided under Your Facebook Information, you’ll find Account ownership and control tab, open it.
- Open the second option – Deactivation and deletion – provided in the list.
- Choose Deactivate account and then continue by following the instructions to confirm the account deactivation.
What Happens When Your Facebook Account Is Deactivated?
1. Your profile becomes inaccessible to all Facebook users.
2. Your profile name may still be seen by your friends in their friends list.
3. Your old messages you sent to friends may still be visible to your friends.
4. In the groups you participated in, the group admins may still be able to find your name, posts, and comments.
5. If you choose to keep your Messenger active when deactivating your Facebook account, then, you’ll still be able to use the app.
6. With your account on Messenger still active, you’ll be able to chat with your friends on Messenger while your Facebook profile picture remains visible to them in your conversations. Friends will also be able to search for you on Messenger and drop messages for you.
To reactivate your account, you’ll simply be required to login back into your Facebook account through any device, and at any time. Your phone number or email address will be very much needed to complete the reactivation process.
HOW DO I PERMANENTLY DELETE MY FACEBOOK ACCOUNT?
If you’d rather delete your Facebook account permanently and not want to be able to access them any longer after 30 days of activating the deletion process, then follow the process below:
- Open the Menu page by clicking on the three lines at the top right corner of your news feed.
- Locate the Settings & Privacy and click on Settings.
- Find Your Facebook Information option, open it and click on Account ownership and control.
- Click the Deactivation and deletion option, choose delete account and then input your password to continue the deletion process.
What Happens When Your Facebook Account Is Deleted?
1. You will not be able to reactivate your Facebook account even when you have rethink.
2. Facebook Messenger will no longer be accessible to you.
3. Your saved items – videos, photos, posts, and profile – will be permanently deleted.
4. Messages you exchange with some contacts may still be visible after deleting your account.
5. You will be unable to use your Facebook log in details on apps you have signed up with them. These apps may be very important to you, hence you should critically consider your decision before going ahead to delete your account.
To cancel your account deletion, log in to your Facebook account before the end of 30 days and Cancel Deletion. This should fix it if you are having a second thought.