How to Deactivate a Facebook Account: Complete Guide (2024) (2024)

Written byHannah Dillon

Last Updated: April 20, 2024Fact Checked

Deactivating Your Facebook: Quick Overview

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1. 1

   Check your settings to see which deactivation method to use. The instructions for deactivating your Facebook account vary depending on where the Accounts Center is in your settings.^[1] Follow these steps to see which method to use:

   • Tap the ☰ menu button on mobile (in the upper-right for Android and bottom-right for iPhone/iPad) or your profile picture in the upper-right on PC and Mac.
   • Select Settings & Privacy.
     • On desktop, click the Settings option inside the Settings & Privacy menu.
   • Look for the Accounts Center. The location of the Accounts Center dictates which deactivation method you can use:
     • If Accounts Center is at the top (top-left on desktop) of your settings, you can deactivate your account via the Accounts Center.
     • If Accounts Center is at the bottom (bottom-left on desktop) of your settings, you can deactivate your account via your Facebook settings.
   • Follow the method in this article that matches your platform (mobile or desktop) and deactivation method (Accounts Center or Facebook Settings).

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1. 1

   From the Settings & Privacy menu, tap Accounts Center. If you exited your Facebook settings after completing the Getting Started section of this article, you can get back to this point by going to Facebook's main page and tapping ☰ > Settings & Privacy.

2. 2

   Tap Personal details. This option is under the "Account settings" heading and has an icon that looks like a badge with a person on it.

3. 3

   Tap Account ownership and control. It's the last option in the "Personal details" settings menu.

4. 4

   Tap Deactivation and deletion. It's the second option.

5. 5

   Select the account you want to deactivate. If you have an account with another Meta product (like Instagram), you'll see those accounts here, too.

   • You may not see this screen if you don't have multiple Meta accounts. Continue to the next step if so.
6. 6

   Select Deactivate account. This is the option that will preserve your account name and data in case you want to reactivate again in the future. Tap Continue to progress to the next step.

   • If you'd rather permanently delete your account, you can select Delete account here. This action, unlike deactivating, is permanent.
   • Deactivating your Facebook account will not deactivate Facebook Messenger.
7. 7

   Enter your Facebook password and tap Continue. This confirms that you are the owner of the account.

8. 8

   Choose why you want to deactivate and tap Continue. This is just for Facebook's own records. If you're coming back later, just select This is temporary, I'll be back.

9. 9

   Choose when to reactivate your account. If you still want to deactivate, scroll down to the bottom and choose when you want Facebook to reactivate your account automatically. If you'd rather reactivate it yourself by signing back in when you want to, choose Don't reactivate automatically from the menu.

10. 10

    Tap the blue Deactivate my account button. This deactivates your account and signs you out of Facebook.

    • You can re-activate your account by logging back into Facebook the next time you open the app.

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1. 1

   From the Settings & Privacy menu, tap Settings. If you exited your Facebook settings after completing the Getting Started section of this article, you can get back to this point by going to Facebook's main page and tapping ☰ > Settings & Privacy.

2. 2

   Tap Personal and account information. It's near the top of the screen. If you don't see this option, tap Profile Access and Control instead, then skip the next step.

   • Facebook is in the process of updating their settings to align with the new Pages experience, so you may or may not see this option.^[2]
3. 3

   Tap Account ownership and control. It'll be under "Personal and Account Information."

   • If you had to tap Profile Access and Control you can skip this step.
4. 4

   Tap Deactivation and deletion. It's the second option.

5. 5

   Select Deactivate account. This is the option that will preserve your account name and data in case you want to reactivate again in the future.

   • If you'd rather permanently delete your account, you can select Delete account here. This action, unlike deactivating, is permanent.
   • Deactivating your Facebook account will not deactivate Facebook Messenger.
6. 6

   Tap Continue to account deactivation. It's the blue button at the bottom of the screen.

7. 7

   Enter your Facebook password and tap Continue. This confirms that you are the owner of the account.

8. 8

   Choose why you want to deactivate and tap Continue. This is just for Facebook's own records. If you're coming back later, just select This is temporary, I'll be back.

9. 9

   Choose when to reactivate your account. If you still want to deactivate, scroll down to the bottom and choose when you want Facebook to reactivate your account automatically. If you'd rather reactivate it yourself by signing back in when you want to, choose Don't reactivate automatically from the menu.

10. 10

    Tap the blue Deactivate my account button. This deactivates your account and signs you out of Facebook.

    • You can re-activate your account by logging back into Facebook the next time you open the app.

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1. 1

   From the Settings menu, click Accounts Center. If you exited your Facebook settings after completing the Getting Started section of this article, you can get back to this point by going to Facebook's main page and clicking your profile picture > Settings & privacy > Settings.

2. 2

   Click Personal details. This option is under the "Account settings" heading, and has an icon that looks like a badge with a person on it.

3. 3

   Click Account ownership and control. It's the last option in the "Personal details" settings menu.

4. 4

   Click Deactivation and deletion. It's the second option.

5. 5

   Select the account you want to deactivate. If you have an account with another Meta product (like Instagram), you'll see those accounts here too.

   • If you don't have multiple Meta accounts, you may not see this screen. Continue to the next step if so.
6. 6

   Select Deactivate account. This is the option that will preserve your account name and data in case you want to reactivate again in the future. Click Continue to progress to the next step.

   • If you'd rather permanently delete your account, you can select Delete account here. This action, unlike deactivating, is permanent.
   • Deactivating your Facebook account will not deactivate Facebook Messenger.
7. 7

   Enter your Facebook password and click Continue. This confirms that you are the owner of the account.

8. 8

   Choose why you want to deactivate and click Continue. This is just for Facebook's own records. If you're coming back later, just select This is temporary, I'll be back.

9. 9

   Choose when to reactivate your account. If you still want to deactivate, you can choose when you want Facebook to reactivate your account automatically. If you'd rather reactivate it yourself by signing back in when you want to, choose Don't reactivate automatically from the menu.

10. 10

    Click the blue Deactivate my account button. This deactivates your account and signs you out of Facebook.

    • You can re-activate your account by logging back into Facebook the next time you open the website.

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1. 1

   From the Settings menu, click Your Facebook Information. If you exited your Facebook settings after completing the Getting Started section of this article, you can get back to this point by going to Facebook's main page and clicking your profile picture > Settings & privacy > Settings.

   • If you don't see this button, instead click Privacy > Your Facebook Information.
   • Facebook is in the process of updating their settings to align with the new Pages experience, so you may have the Your Facebook Information button or the Privacy button.^[3]
2. 2

   Tap Deactivation and deletion. It's the second option.

3. 3

   Select Deactivate account. This is the option that will preserve your account name and data in case you want to reactivate again in the future. Click Continue to progress to the next step.

   • Deactivating your Facebook account will not deactivate Facebook Messenger.
   • If you'd rather permanently delete your account, you can select Delete account here. This action, unlike deactivating, is permanent.
4. 4

   Type your Facebook password and click Continue. This is to confirm your identity.

5. 5

   Choose a reason why you're deactivating your account. You have several options here:

   • If you want to keep your account deactivated until you decide you want to log back in, choose I don't find Facebook useful or I spend too much time on Facebook. When Facebook tries to get you to make changes to your account instead, click Cancel to continue.
   • If you want Facebook to automatically reactivate your account for you in anywhere from 1 to 7 days, you can select This is temporary, I'll be back. Then, choose how many days you want to wait until your account is automatically reactivated. There's no option for manually reactivating if you select this option.
6. 6

   Click the blue Deactivate button. It's at the bottom of the page. A confirmation message will appear.

7. 7

   Click Deactivate now. This deactivates your account and signs you out of Facebook.

   • When you want to sign back in, you can do so by going to Facebook.com and logging in with your username and password.

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