Facebook gives you two ways to stop using a page: deactivate it temporarily or delete it permanently

When you deactivate a Facebook page, it becomes invisible to the public but remains in your account. You can reactivate it later and restore everything — posts, followers, messages. Deletion is permanent: after 30 days, the page, all its content, and its history disappear and cannot be recovered.

Which one you choose depends on whether you might want to use the page again. A small business that's taking a seasonal break might deactivate. A page you're certain you'll never need again should be deleted. Both processes take just a few minutes from your computer or phone.

Key Takeaways

  • Deactivation hides your page from the public but keeps it in your account; you can turn it back on anytime within 30 days or longer.
  • Deletion removes the page permanently after a 30-day waiting period, and Facebook will not restore it after that window closes.
  • You must be an admin of the page to deactivate or delete it; regular members cannot perform either action.
  • Deactivating a page does not delete your personal account or any other pages you manage.
  • After you delete a page, the URL and page name become available for someone else to claim.

How to deactivate a Facebook page temporarily

Open Facebook on a computer and go to the page you want to deactivate. Click the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner of the page header. Scroll down and select Settings. On the left sidebar, click General. Scroll to the bottom and look for the option labeled Deactivate Page. Click it.

Facebook will ask you to confirm and may offer reasons to keep the page active. You can ignore these and click Deactivate again. The page will disappear from public view immediately. Your followers will not see it in search results or on your profile, and they cannot access it by typing the URL. Messages sent to the page will not be delivered.

The mobile app does not have a deactivate option. If you're using a phone, open Facebook in a mobile web browser, go to the page, and follow the same steps as above. Alternatively, you can wait until you have access to a computer.

How to permanently delete a Facebook page

Go to the page on a computer and click the three-dot menu in the top right. Select Settings, then General from the left sidebar. Scroll to the bottom and click Delete Page. Facebook will ask you to confirm that you want to delete it permanently and warn you that you cannot undo this action after 30 days.

Click Delete to proceed. The page enters a 30-day grace period during which it remains hidden from the public but still exists in Facebook's system. If you change your mind during these 30 days, you can cancel the deletion by going to your page settings and selecting Cancel Deletion. After 30 days pass, the page is gone for good.

During the waiting period, the page name and URL are locked and unavailable. Once the 30 days end, both become available, and another person or business can create a new page with the same name or claim the URL.

What happens to your page's content and followers

When you deactivate a page, all posts, photos, videos, and comments remain stored on Facebook's servers. Followers cannot see any of this content while the page is deactivated, but it all comes back exactly as it was if you reactivate. Messages sent to the page during deactivation are not delivered, but they may appear in the inbox once the page is active again, depending on when they were sent.

When you delete a page, all content is removed permanently after the 30-day waiting period. This includes posts, photos, reviews, comments, and the complete message history. Followers lose access to the page and cannot retrieve anything from it. If you had linked the page to your personal profile or other pages, those links are severed.

Differences between deactivating your page and leaving it

Leaving a page means you step down as an admin or member but the page continues to exist and operate. Other admins can still post, manage followers, and run the page. Deactivating or deleting a page stops all activity and removes public access, regardless of how many admins it has.

If you manage a page with other admins and want to step away without shutting it down, leaving is the right choice. If you want the page to stop functioning entirely, deactivate or delete it. Keep in mind that deleting a page affects all admins — any of them could have deleted it, and once it's gone, no one can recover it.

What you need to know before deactivating or deleting

You must be an admin of the page to deactivate or delete it. If you're a regular member or editor, you'll see the settings menu but not the deactivate or delete options. Ask the page owner or another admin to make the change, or request admin status first.

Deactivating or deleting a page does not affect your personal Facebook account, your profile, or any other pages you manage. Only the specific page you're working with is affected. If you want to close your personal account instead, that's a separate process with its own settings.

If the page is linked to a Facebook Shop, Instagram account, or other business tools, those connections will be severed when you delete the page. Deactivation does not break these links, but they remain inactive while the page is deactivated. Before you delete, check whether the page is connected to anything else you want to keep.

Reactivating a deactivated page

To turn a deactivated page back on, go to your Pages list on Facebook and look for the deactivated page. Click on it. You should see an option to Reactivate Page. Click it and confirm. The page will return to public view with all its content, followers, and settings exactly as they were before deactivation.

If you cannot find the deactivated page in your list, go to your page settings, click General, and scroll to the bottom. You may see a Reactivate option there. If the page was deactivated more than a few months ago, Facebook may have archived it, and you might need to contact Facebook Support to restore it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I deactivate a page without deleting my personal account?

Yes. Deactivating or deleting a page affects only that page, not your personal account. Your profile, friends list, and personal posts remain active. You can manage multiple pages separately from your personal account.

What happens to messages sent to a deleted page?

Once the 30-day waiting period ends and the page is permanently deleted, all messages are gone. During the 30-day grace period, messages are still stored but not delivered. If you need to save messages before deletion, take screenshots or download them before you delete the page.

Can someone else reactivate my page if I deactivate it?

No. Only an admin of the page can reactivate it. If you're the only admin and you deactivate the page, no one else can turn it back on. Other admins can reactivate a page you deactivated, but they cannot reactivate a page you deleted during the 30-day waiting period.

How long does it take for a deactivated page to disappear from search results?

A deactivated page disappears from public search results immediately. However, cached versions may appear in Google or other search engines for a few days or weeks. You can request removal from Google Search Console to speed this up, but Facebook itself removes the page from its own search right away.

Can I delete a page if I'm not the original creator?

Yes, as long as you're an admin. Any admin can delete a page, regardless of who created it. This means any admin can permanently remove the page, so be careful who you give admin access to if you want to prevent accidental deletion.