How do I deactivate my Facebook account?

Click your profile picture, then Settings and privacy, then Settings. Open Meta Account and go to Personal details, then Account ownership and control. Choose Deactivation or deletion, pick your profile and choose to deactivate. Facebook says you can come back by logging in, as long as you can still reach the email or phone number you sign in with.

Is it better to delete or deactivate a Facebook account?

Deactivate if you want a break or want to keep Messenger. Facebook says Messenger can stay active while you are deactivated. Delete if you want your posts and photos off Facebook for good. Facebook says a deleted profile cannot be brought back after the 30 day window.

How long does it take Facebook to delete your account?

Facebook gives you 30 days to cancel. After that, it says the account is deleted for good. Facebook also says it can take up to 90 days to fully remove your content, and copies in backups can last longer.

Does deleting Facebook delete Messenger?

Yes. Facebook says you lose access to Messenger when you delete your profile. Messages you already sent may stay in your friends' inboxes. If you want to keep Messenger, deactivate instead of deleting.

What happens to my Facebook Page if I delete my account?

Facebook says Pages that only you control are deleted along with your profile. To keep a Page alive, give another person full control of it before you delete.

Can I delete my Facebook account without logging in?

Facebook's delete steps all start from inside your account, so you need to get back in first. PCMag says you cannot delete someone else's account unless you can sign into it. There are separate Facebook forms for an underage user, a person who is medically unable to use the account and a person who has died.

Delete Your Facebook Account for Good, but Save These Five Things First

You have had enough of Facebook. You are on the settings screen with your thumb over the button. Stop for five minutes before you press it.

Deleting the account is easy. Facebook's own path takes about two minutes. The problem is what goes with it. Your photos, the apps you sign into with Facebook and any Page you run can all go too. So save what you need first, then delete.

Delete or Deactivate

Facebook gives you two choices. Pick the right one before you start.

Deactivate is a pause. Facebook says no one else can see your profile while it is deactivated. Friends may still see your name in their friends list. Group admins may still see your posts and comments. Facebook says Messenger stays active if you keep it on, so friends can still message you. To come back, you just log in.

Delete is the end. Facebook says you cannot reactivate a deleted profile. Your photos, posts and videos are removed for good. You also lose Messenger.

Want a break? Deactivate.
Want to keep Messenger? Deactivate.
Want your data off Facebook for good? Delete.

Save These Five Things First

Do these in order. Number one has a catch that trips people up.

1. Export Your Photos and Posts

Do this before anything else. Facebook says a profile that is deactivated or scheduled for deletion must be reactivated, or have its deletion canceled, before you can export. So export first, delete second.

The steps from Facebook:

Click your profile picture, then Settings and privacy, then Settings.
Click Meta Account, then Your information and permissions.
Click Export your information, then Create export.
Pick your profile, then Export to device.
Choose what to include, the date range, the format and the media quality.
Click Start export.

Pick HTML if you want to open the file in a browser and look through it. Pick JSON if you plan to move your data to another service. Facebook says high quality video makes the file bigger.

You will get an email and a Facebook alert when the file is ready. Facebook says you then have 4 days to download it. Do not let it expire. Store it somewhere safe, too. Our guide on backing up photos and files covers good places to keep it.

2. Move Your App Logins

Look at every app and site you sign into with the Facebook button. Facebook says those logins stop working when you delete, and names Spotify and Pinterest as examples. It says you may need to contact each app to get your account back.

Facebook's steps show the list. Go to Settings and privacy, then Settings, then Apps and websites. Before you delete, open each app on the list. Add an email and password in that app's own settings. Then remove it from Facebook.

A new password for each app is a good idea. Our guide on how to make a strong password shows a fast way to do it.

3. Hand Off Your Pages

Facebook says Pages that only you control are deleted along with your profile. If a business, club or church Page should live on, give someone else full control of it first.

4. Check Your Meta Quest

This one surprises people. Facebook says if you use Facebook to log into a Meta Quest, deleting your profile also deletes your Quest info. That includes app purchases and achievements. Facebook says you can no longer return apps, and store credits are lost.

5. Save the Chats You Care About

Facebook says messages you sent to friends may stay in their inboxes. Your copy goes away, along with Messenger. If a thread matters to you, make sure it is in your export before you delete.

How to Delete the Account

Once the five things are done, the delete itself is quick. These are Facebook's steps.

Click your profile picture at the top right.
Click Settings and privacy, then Settings.
Click Meta Account.
Click Personal details, then Account ownership and control.
Click Deactivation or deletion.
Pick the profile you want to delete and continue.
Choose delete, then follow the prompts to confirm.

Some accounts show Manage account at the bottom of Meta Account instead. In that case, Facebook says to click Manage account, then Manage, then Deactivation or deletion.

On a phone, PCMag says to tap the menu at the lower right, then the gear icon at the top, and follow the same path. PCMag also points to a direct link, facebook.com/help/delete_account.

Facebook says deleting one profile does not affect the other profiles in your Meta Account.

What Happens After You Press Delete

The account does not vanish at once. Facebook lays out the timeline.

Day 1 to day 30. You can change your mind. Log back in and click Cancel deletion. Facebook says the window can vary by region.
After 30 days. Facebook says the account and its info are deleted for good.
Up to 90 days. Facebook says content can take up to 90 days to be fully removed. Copies in backups can last longer. Some info can be kept for legal reasons or to enforce its rules.

Some of you stays behind. PCMag says a comment you left on a friend's post remains after you delete your own profile. Messages sent to friends can stay in their inboxes too.

Changed your mind? Facebook says to log in within those 30 days and click Cancel deletion. Wait until day 31 and there is nothing left to cancel.

Advice to Ignore

"Deleting the app deletes your account." It does not. Removing Facebook from your phone just removes the app. Your profile stays up until you delete it in settings.

"Deactivating is basically deleting." It is not. Facebook says Messenger can stay on, friends may still see your name and you can come back by logging in. If privacy is the goal, deactivating keeps all your data on Facebook.

"Download your data later." Later may be too late. Facebook says a profile scheduled for deletion has to cancel the deletion before it can export. Export first.

When the Account Is Not Yours

You cannot delete someone else's account unless you can sign into it. PCMag says there are other routes. You can report an account that belongs to a child under 13. There is a separate form for a person who is medically unable to use Facebook. For someone who has died, a legacy contact can manage a memorial profile or ask for the account to be removed.

If a stranger is using your account, secure it before you delete it. Turn on two factor authentication so you are the only one who can sign in.

From the Inbox

How do I deactivate my Facebook account?: Click your profile picture, then Settings and privacy, then Settings. Open Meta Account and go to Personal details, then Account ownership and control. Choose Deactivation or deletion, pick your profile and choose to deactivate. Facebook says you can come back by logging in, as long as you can still reach the email or phone number you sign in with.
Is it better to delete or deactivate a Facebook account?: Deactivate if you want a break or want to keep Messenger. Facebook says Messenger can stay active while you are deactivated. Delete if you want your posts and photos off Facebook for good. Facebook says a deleted profile cannot be brought back after the 30 day window.
How long does it take Facebook to delete your account?: Facebook gives you 30 days to cancel. After that, it says the account is deleted for good. Facebook also says it can take up to 90 days to fully remove your content, and copies in backups can last longer.
How do I delete one of my accounts on Facebook?: Use the same path and pick the profile you want to remove at the Deactivation or deletion step. Facebook says deleting one profile does not affect the other profiles in your Meta Account. Deactivating your main profile can also deactivate the others, so pick carefully.
Does deleting Facebook delete Messenger?: Yes. Facebook says you lose access to Messenger when you delete your profile. Messages you already sent may stay in your friends' inboxes. If you want to keep Messenger, deactivate instead of deleting.
What happens to my Facebook Page if I delete my account?: Facebook says Pages that only you control are deleted along with your profile. To keep a Page alive, give another person full control of it before you delete.
Can I delete my Facebook account without logging in?: Facebook's delete steps all start from inside your account, so you need to get back in first. PCMag says you cannot delete someone else's account unless you can sign into it. There are separate Facebook forms for an underage user, a person who is medically unable to use the account and a person who has died.

Dig Deeper

Facebook Help Center, Permanently delete your Facebook profile, accessed October 2026
Facebook Help Center, Temporarily deactivate your Facebook profile, accessed October 2026
Facebook Help Center, Export a copy of your Facebook information, accessed October 2026
Facebook Help Center, Remove apps and games from your Facebook account, accessed October 2026
Facebook Help Center, Deactivating or Deleting Your Account, accessed October 2026
PCMag, How to Delete Your Facebook Account (updated February 6, 2026), accessed October 2026