How Do Edit My Privacy Settings to Hide My Facebook Account?
This article outlines two methods to hide your account on Facebook. The article discusses deactivation and deletion, both of which will hide your content from the public either short-term or permanently. The article also touches on reactivation when you're ready to get back on Facebook. It provides two hyperlinks to Facebook customer service.
Facebook has been a very popular social media platform since it was made public in February 2012, giving people a chance to connect with others across the globe. There may come a time, however, when you wish to take a break from Facebook (or all social media). How do you edit your privacy settings to hide your Facebook account? You can contact customer service here, or use the steps below to hide or delete your account from public view.
Deactivating Your Account:
If you're just taking a short break from Facebook, and not a permanent break, you can deactivate your account by making it invisible to the public until you reactivate it. To deactivate your account, follow these steps:
- From your profile, click on the small circle with the down arrow in the upper right-hand corner.
- Select "Settings and Privacy."
- Choose "Settings."
- In the left-hand column, select "Your Facebook Information."
- Click "Deactivation and Deletion."
- Choose "Deactivate Account."
- Click "Continue to Account Deactivation."
- Follow the directions to confirm deactivation.
Completing these steps will completely hide your account from the public without closing the account entirely. When you're ready to jump back on the platform, you can reactive your account and pick up where you let off. Keep in mind, messages in messenger will still be visible, and your name may still appear on your friends' lists. If you have an Oculus attached to your Facebook account, those items accessed on Oculus via Facebook won't be available. If you also have pages attached to your Facebook page, they'll also be deactivated.
Deleting Your Account:
If you want to leave Facebook permanently and delete your account, you can do so by following these steps:
- From your profile, click on the small circle with the down arrow in the upper right-hand corner.
- Select "Settings and Privacy."
- Choose "Settings."
- In the left-hand column, select "Your Facebook Information."
- Click "Deactivation and Deletion."
- Choose "Delete Account."
- Select "Continue to Account Deletion."
- Click "Delete Account."
- Enter your password to complete the deletion process.
These steps will permanently delete your account on Facebook; however, the deletion does not go into effect immediately. If you change your mind within 30 days of requesting the deletion, you can cancel it and reactive your page (making it visible again). If it's after 30 days, the deletion cannot be canceled, and your content will be permanently removed from the platform. Facebook may take up to 90 days to totally delete all of your content.
Hiding your profile on Facebook can be accomplished by following the steps outlined above. Whether you're taking a short hiatus or a long-term/permanent break from Facebook, you have options to control public access to your account. For more information, contact Facebook customer service here.
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