There is no doubt in the fact that in today’s world Facebook is one of the most popular and preferable social networking platforms. In this new generation, one might not have a bank account, but it is very common to have a Facebook account. However, all that glitters is not gold. In recent times, there have been many cases where there have been many safety and privacy issues related to Facebook. The following are some of the quick steps to temporarily deactivate or permanently delete your Facebook account.
How To Temporarily Deactivate or Permanently Delete Your Facebook Account
In this post, we will talk about three things. Deactivating Facebook account for a while, Deleting Facebook Account permanently and immediately, and lastly, the difference between permanent deletion and deactivation.
Note: Before you delete the Facebook account on Phone, it is always better to keep a copy of your data for future reference as once your account is deleted, you cannot get it back.
How To Permanently Delete Your Facebook Account
STEP 1. Download a copy of your Facebook information
- Open the Facebook app on your mobile phone or computer and log into your Facebook account.
- Tap the three lines at the top right corner.
- Scroll down and open Settings and Privacy > Settings.
- Search for Download Your Information
- Tap to open, and then remove any information you do not wish to download
- At the end of the page, click on the Create File button to request the data.
Once the process is over, you will receive a confirmation mail. You can also come back to the same page, and then switch to the requested data to access and download it.
STEP 2. Delete Your Facebook Account
- Open Facebook App and go to Settings and Privacy
- Find Account Ownership and Control and tap to open it.
- Next select Deactivation and Deletion.
- Tap Delete Account
You will have to give a final confirmation when deleting the Facebook Account. However, there may be a specific restriction that may not allow you to remove the Facebook account.
STEP 3. Delete or disable your Facebook app from the phone
Sometimes, the Facebook app is pre-installed on your phone. All you need to do is go to your phone’s settings and disable the application.
You can always long-press the Facebook App icon, and then choose to uninstall it. It may differ a bit, depending on the phone.
Steps to Deactivate your Facebook account temporarily
If you want to skip Facebook for some time, then deactivating is a better option.
- Open the Facebook app on your mobile phone or computer and log into your account by entering your Username and Password.
- Tap the three lines at the top right corner.
- Navigate to Settings and Privacy > Settings > Account Ownership and Control
- Tap on Deactivation and Deletion.
- Choose the Deactivate Account option by following the instructions to confirm.
Difference between deleting and deactivating Facebook Account
Many people have this confusion or misconception that both the concepts of deleting and disabling your Facebook account are the same. But apparently, that is not the case. Following are the fundamental difference between the two:-
| Deactivating your account | Deleting your account |
| One can re-activate the account as per the choice | Once removed, the account cannot be re-activated |
| When you deactivate your account, people are unable to either search you or see your timeline | When you put a request to delete your account, but in the meanwhile, you log in to your account, the request will be canceled automatically. It means people can easily search for you. |
| Some information, such as messages sent by you is visible to others during this period. | Even when the account is deleted, friends can still have access to the messages sent by you. |
| Group admin/friends can still be able to see your comments, posts along with your name. | Once your account is deleted, these things are not possible. |
I hope the post was easy to follow, and you were able to delete or deactivate the Facebook account from mobile or computer.
