How to delete Facebook account

How to Permanently Delete Your Facebook Account (2026)

Ready to quit Facebook for good—or just thinking about it? Either way, you’ve come to the right place.

This guide covers everything you need to know before pulling the plug: what happens to your data, how to save it, and the exact steps to delete your account on any device.

Facebook has over 3 billion monthly active users, but millions of people choose to leave the platform every year. The reasons vary—privacy concerns, mental health, too many distractions, or simply outgrowing it. Whatever’s driving your decision, it’s worth understanding exactly what you’re getting into before you go.

Deleting a Facebook account is permanent, but the process isn’t instant. There’s a 30-day window to change your mind, some data sticks around longer than you’d expect, and connected apps can cause headaches if you don’t handle them first.

This guide walks you through it all, step by step.

Deactivating vs. Deleting: What’s the Difference?

Before anything else, it helps to know your options. Facebook gives you two ways to step back from the platform, and they work very differently.

Deactivating your account is a temporary pause. Your profile disappears from search, your name is removed from most places, and you stop receiving notifications. But your data stays intact—photos, posts, messages, and friends lists—and you can reactivate at any time simply by logging back in. Messenger still works during deactivation, too.

Deleting your account is permanent. Once the 30-day grace period passes, Facebook begins removing your data from its servers. Your profile, photos, posts, and connections are gone. You can’t log back in or recover anything.

Still not sure which is right for you? If you’re taking a break but might come back, deactivation is the safer choice. If you’re done for good—and especially if privacy is a concern—deletion is the way to go.

Pre-Deletion Checklist: Save Your Data First

Once your account is deleted, there’s no getting it back. Before you take that step, download a copy of everything Facebook has stored about you.

How to Download Your Facebook Data

Log into Facebook and click your profile picture in the top right corner
Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings
Click Your Facebook Information in the left-hand menu
Select Download Your Information
Choose the date range, format (HTML is easier to read; JSON is better for importing), and the types of data you want to include
Click Request a Download

Facebook will notify you when your file is ready—this can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days, depending on how much data you have.

What to save before you delete:

Photos and videos
Posts and timeline content
Messages and conversations
Contact information for friends
Pages or groups you manage
Events you’ve created

It’s also worth checking if any important accounts use your Facebook login. More on that below.

How to Delete Your Facebook Account on Desktop

Once you’ve downloaded your data and you’re ready to proceed, here’s how to delete your account from a computer:

Click your profile picture in the top-right corner of Facebook
Select Settings & Privacy, then click Settings
In the left menu, click Your Facebook Information
Choose Deactivation and Deletion
Select Delete Account, then click Continue to Account Deletion
Click Delete Account, enter your password if prompted, and confirm

You’ll then be logged out and given the option to cancel within 30 days.

How to Delete Your Facebook Account on Mobile

The steps are slightly different on the Facebook app:

Tap the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) in the bottom-right corner (iOS) or top-right corner (Android)
Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy > Settings
Tap Personal and Account Information (or Account depending on your app version)
Select Account Ownership and Control > Deactivation and Deletion
Choose Delete Account and tap Continue to Account Deletion
Tap Delete Account and confirm

The process is the same from here—you have 30 days to reverse the decision before it becomes permanent.

Managing Connected Apps and Accounts

This step is easy to overlook, but it’s important.

Many people use their Facebook account to log into other apps and websites—Spotify, Pinterest, online stores, and more. When your Facebook account is deleted, those logins stop working.

Before you delete, do this:

Find connected apps: Go to Settings > Security and Login > Apps and Websites to see everything linked to your Facebook account
Update your login method: For each important app, create a new username and password (or log in with Google) before deleting Facebook
Download data from connected services: If you’ve shared data with third-party apps through Facebook, download what you need

What About Your Meta Quest (Oculus) Account?

If you have a Meta Quest headset tied to your Facebook account, this is critical. Deleting your Facebook account will also delete your Oculus account and all associated purchases, game progress, and achievements. Before proceeding, check Meta’s current policy on separating these accounts, as the process has changed over recent years.

The 30-Day Grace Period: What Actually Happens

Facebook doesn’t delete your account the moment you click confirm. Here’s the timeline:

Days 1–30: Your account is deactivated. Your profile is hidden, but nothing is permanently deleted. You can cancel the deletion at any time by logging back in.
After 30 days: Facebook begins permanently deleting your data. Some information may take up to 90 days to be fully removed from Facebook’s backup systems.
Exceptions: Copies of messages you sent to others may remain visible in their inboxes. Information shared with third-party apps may not be deleted automatically.

To cancel a deletion request within the 30-day window, simply log back into your account. Facebook will prompt you to confirm that you want to keep it.

Alternatives to Deletion: Reclaim Your Privacy Without Leaving

Not quite ready to delete everything? You can make Facebook significantly less intrusive without deleting your account entirely.

Tighten Your Privacy Settings

Go to Settings > Privacy and set your future posts to Friends Only or Only Me
Limit who can see your past posts under Limit Past Posts
Turn off face recognition and location services
Review and remove apps under Settings > Apps and Websites

Manage Notifications

Go to Settings > Notifications to mute emails, push notifications, and in-app alerts
You can essentially go silent on Facebook without losing your account

Take a Structured Break

Deactivate temporarily and set a date to reassess
Remove the app from your phone to reduce passive scrolling
Keep your account active only for specific purposes, like staying in a group or managing a page

These options won’t give you the same clean break as deletion, but they can dramatically reduce Facebook’s presence in your daily life.

Reclaim Your Digital Footprint

Deleting Facebook is a bigger deal than it might seem at first.

It’s not just about closing an account—it’s about deciding how much of your personal data you want floating around the internet, and who gets to use it.

The good news? The process is straightforward once you know the steps. Download your data first, sort out any connected apps, then follow the steps for your device. Give yourself the full 30-day window before the deletion becomes permanent, just in case you change your mind.

If you’re not ready for the full exit, tightening your privacy settings is a solid middle ground. But if you’ve made up your mind, the steps above have you covered. Your data, your decision.