How Do I Delete a Facebook Account I Do Not Want?

There are a lot of social media platforms these days, and keeping up with them all can be quite a hassle. You may want to delete your Facebook account to help simplify your online life. Deleting your account will permanently make it impossible for people to contact you or read any of the information you had in it. Deactivating your account may be a better option.

Adam Goldkamp is the editor / author responsible for this content.
Dec 9, 2022

Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms. However, it is not the only social media option. If you feel you need to cut back on your social media presence by deleting your Facebook account, read on to find out how.

Deleting Your Account

To delete your Facebook account, follow these instructions:

  1. Log into your Facebook account.
  2. Download any photos, videos, and posts that you would like to save.
  3. Click on the downward pointing arrow in the upper right corner. A dropdown menu will appear.
  4. Click on Settings & Privacy.
  5. Click on Settings.
  6. Select Your Facebook Information from the menu on the left.
  7. Click on Deactivation and Deletion.
  8. Click on Permanently Delete Account.
  9. Click on Continue to Account Deletion.
  10. Click on Delete Account.
  11. Enter your password in the text field provided.
  12. Click on Continue.
  13. Follow any additional instructions you are given to confirm your account deletion.

Undoing Your Account Deletion

If you're having second thoughts about deleting your account and it's been no more than 30 days since you did it, you can undo the deletion. If you choose to, copies of your account information that temporarily remain in backup storage will be used to recreate your account, although the process may take several weeks to complete. To undo your account deletion, just log in to your Facebook account and click on Cancel Deletion.

What Are the Consequences of Deleting Your Facebook Account?

If you permanently delete your account, your posts, photos, videos, and everything else that you have uploaded will be permanently deleted. You will not be able to use Facebook Messenger anymore. You will also no longer be able to use Facebook to log into other apps and sites. If you wish to stop using Facebook but do not wish to suffer these consequences, you could try deactivating your account instead. This will keep your account in existence, but turned off, so you can still reactivate it at a later date.

Deactivating Your Account

Want to deactivate your account. Follow the steps below:

  1. Log in to your Facebook account.
  2. Click on the downward-pointing arrow in the upper right corner. A dropdown menu will appear.
  3. Click on Settings & Privacy.
  4. Click on Settings.
  5. Click on Your Facebook Information from the menu on the left.
  6. Click on Deactivation and Deletion.
  7. Click on Deactivate Account.
  8. Click on Continue to Account Deactivation.
  9. Follow the instructions you are given to confirm deactivation.

Need Help?

If you need any help canceling your account, you can contact its customer service for help. Phone, email, chat, and help desk options are available.

Further questions?

Ask a followup or related question and we will try to provide an answer in seconds.
Adam has been tirelessly trying to help customers find the best tips and tricks to get through phone trees and writing many guides for prickly customer service problems. He's been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Inside Edition and Bloomberg.
How Do I Delete a Facebook Account I Do Not Want?

Help from Real People

We partner with a US-based company with live tech support experts available 24/7. Take advantage of a $5 one-week trial membership and chat with an expert now.
Chat with an expert

Why does GetHuman Write How-to Guides for Facebook Problems?

GetHuman has been working for over 10 years on sourcing information about big organizations like Facebook in order to help customers resolve customer service issues faster. We started with contact information and fastest ways to reach a human at big companies. Particularly ones with slow or complicated IVR or phone menu systems. Or companies that have self-serve help forums instead of a customer service department. From there, we realized that consumers still needed more detailed help solving the most common problems, so we expanded to this set of guides, which grows every day. And if you spot any issues with our How Do I Delete a Facebook Account I Do Not Want? guide, please let us know by sending us feedback. We want to be as helpful as possible. If you appreciated this guide, please share it with your favorite people. Our free information and tools is powered by you, the customer. The more people that use it, the better it gets.

Facebook

Asked 4 years ago
Updated 2 years ago
Viewed 678,757 times
Facebook
delete Facebook account
deactivate Facebook account

Speak to An Expert Now

We partner with a US-based expert help site to provide you with tech support 24/7. Enjoy a $5 one-week trial membership and chat with a live expert now.
Get Live Expert Help
Was this page helpful?YesNeeds work
Sharing is what powers GetHuman's free customer service contact information and tools. You can help!