In this Article: Learn how to delete Facebook account on iPhone, how to delete Facebook account on android, How to disable a Facebook account temporarily, how to delete Facebook account permanently, how to delete Facebook account on phone?
If in the end, you don’t like Facebook, there’s no point in keeping your profile, you can delete it. There are two procedures with different consequences. You can deactivate or delete your account. The deletion results in the total and final destruction of your account. The deactivation is reversible and allows you to recover your account intact at any time.
Whatever you do, remember to save your photos and contacts if you need to. However, some of your activity on Facebook is not stored only on your account. Your messages and comments on your friends’ pages will remain on the network, even after your account is completely deleted.
Here’s how to delete or deactivate your account from a computer. You can also find these manipulations in the Facebook security settings directly on your smartphone or tablet as well.
Deactivate or How to Delete a Facebook Account Permanently from a computer?
Here is the procedure to follow which is similar to temporarily suspend a Facebook account or permanently erase it from a computer via a web browser, whether you are on Windows, Linux, or macOS. Only the final choice differs depending on what you want to do with your account.
- Open your web browser, go to Facebook, connect to your account with your credentials
- When your news page displays, you will see a small black arrow to the right, at the top, towards the menu. Click on it.
- Then select Settings and privacy
- Then click on Settings, this should open a new full page for you
- You will see a menu on the left, click on the tab “ Your Facebook information ”
- Find the Deactivation and Removal section and click View
- All you have to do is make your choice: Deactivate the account or Delete the account permanently, then click on the blue button Continue deactivating the account or Continue deleting the account according to your choice.
- You will then need to enter your password to verify and confirm the identity of the requester.
- All you have to do is confirm your request by giving a reason for leaving and then click on the Deactivate or Delete button.
Note: the procedure and screenshots were taken during the summer of 2020. The interface and the procedure may change, we will try to update this article if necessary. Do not hesitate to let us know via the comments if the way of doing things has changed.
Deactivate or How to Delete Facebook Account on Android?
For a long time, it was not possible to deactivate or delete your FB account from the Android or iOS app. It is now possible and easy to do, here is the Android procedure carried out in the summer of 2020:
- Open your Facebook application for Android and click on the three lines at the top right to access the Facebook settings, then scroll down to the Settings and privacy section. Click on it and then click Settings.
- In Account Settings, click Account Properties and Control in the Your Facebook Info section.
- Then click on Deactivation and deletion
- Select the chosen option: Deactivate the account or Delete the account before clicking on the appropriate blue button at the bottom of the page.
Carefully read the explanatory warning message which varies depending on the action chosen:
Deactivate the account
Deactivating your account may be temporary. Your profile will be deactivated and your name and photos will be removed from most of the content you have shared. You will be able to continue using Messenger.Delete account
The deletion of your account is final . When you delete your Facebook account, you can no longer recover the content or information that you have shared on Facebook on it. Your Messenger, as well as all your messages, will also be deleted.
Just like on a computer, you will need to re-enter your password before Facebook will erase or deactivate your account.
Deactivate or How to Delete Facebook Account on iPhone or iPad (iOS)?
It is also very easy to delete or deactivate your Facebook account from the Facebook application on iOS, whether you are using an iPhone or an iPad. Here is the process to follow, step by step:
- Open the Facebook application for iOS (iPad / iPhone) and click on the top right on the small arrow to access your FB settings
- Then click on Settings in the menu that is opened
- As for Android, find in the settings of the Facebook application for iOS the section Your Facebook information then click on Account ownership and control.
- Click on Deactivate and delete
- You just have to choose between Deactivate the account or Delete the account
Once again, as with the tutorial for Android or computer, please read carefully what your actions involve, in order to make your choice with full knowledge of the facts. You will also need to enter your password to prove your identity before your account is temporarily deactivated or closed permanently.
Difference between Deactivating and Permanently Deleting an FB Account?
As we have just seen, the procedure to permanently delete and deactivate your Facebook account is the same. But there is a big difference between the two actions.
In the case of deactivating an FB account, the procedure only concerns those who want to take a break from Facebook. Indeed, when you want to disconnect a little from this social network (which can be sometimes heavy), you can suspend your account for a period of your choice. Your profile will be invisible during searches and your name and photos will disappear from posts. On the other hand, you will be able to keep all your data. You can access it by simply logging into your account.
Here is Facebook’s explanation of how to deactivate the account:
Your profile will be deactivated and your name and photos will be removed from most of the content you have shared. You will be able to continue to use Facebook Messenger.
In the situation where you want to terminate your Facebook account permanently, you will have to accomplish the permanent deletion method. You will make sure to back up your photos and videos. It is also advisable to delete all your activity on Facebook. Your account will be permanently deleted after this process. However, you can cancel the deletion of your account within 30 days.
In addition, your content has a visibility period of 90 days, from the time you start the process. It should be noted that when you do this deletion, you will no longer be able to use your Facebook account for other applications where you have registered with Facebook.
Here is what Facebook says about permanent account closure:
When you delete your Facebook account, you can no longer recover the content or information that you have shared on Facebook on it. Your Messenger, as well as all your messages, will also be deleted.
Why quit Facebook?
Facebook allows its subscribers to share content in the form of messages, images, video content, or photos. One of the major goals of Facebook is to connect users with their loved ones across the world. In addition, it also allows companies to communicate about their products. Even more open today, the social network is not unanimous for various reasons. Find out some reasons to opt-out of Facebook.
The protection of your personal data, a central reason
“If it’s free, then you are the product!”, this formula literally translates the consideration that you engage by using a free service like Facebook.
Indeed, when you use the Facebook social network, your personal data is made available and is used for commercial purposes. The advertising model uses this information to meet the marketing and promotional needs of businesses and other organizations.
Scandals such as that of Cambridge Analytica have shown the intrusiveness of the Facebook platform in the privacy of its users and the fragility of its policy on the protection of personal data.
You save precious time to devote it to the essentials
The social network Facebook consumes a large part of your time. Partly because of the extensive news feed, you usually spend more time there than expected. In the workplace, for example, the amount of time spent using Facebook can impact your productivity. Moreover, some companies restrict access to this network at their workplace.
Constantly connecting to Facebook can also impact your personal balance. When you spend time connected at home, it can make you forget about your most essential activities and tasks. The exposure of personal life on this network is very present: it is possible to be tempted to compare oneself with others which can become very harmful from a psychological point of view. Of course, this is not unique to Facebook, we encounter the same problem on other platforms like Instagram. This can lead an iPhone user for example to ask: How to deactivate or delete an Instagram account with your iPhone?
There are other networks more suited to your needs
When we make the list of the social networks that accumulate the most users, Facebook is the one that comes at the top of the ranking (more than 2.498 billion users). However, other social networks offer the same services like Facebook. Depending on usage, you will find alternatives to the Facebook social network such as Diaspora, a social network where you have full control. On this platform, you are in control of your data.
A second interesting alternative is the Ello social network. It is advantageous because it does not admit any advertising using your personal data. Also, you have the possibility on Ello, to remain anonymous and therefore not to use your real name. The third option to explore is the Wiser social network. If you are interested in green issues, this one is for you. Qualified as a responsible network, Wiser is a social network dedicated to ecological issues and actors of change.
A fourth alternative view for instant messaging is the application Signal. Thanks to its encryption protocol, it allows you to exchange messages securely while ensuring a maximum level of confidentiality, which is not necessarily the case with Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.
Here you must now know more about the reasons to close a Facebook account and especially how to proceed to the closure of your FB account!