How to Delete Your Facebook Profile: A Complete Guide
Deleting your Facebook profile is a permanent, irreversible action — and Facebook makes a clear distinction between deactivating and deleting your account. Understanding that difference is the first thing worth getting right before you take any steps.
Deactivation vs. Deletion: Not the Same Thing
Deactivation is a temporary pause. Your profile disappears from public view, your friends can't find you, but your data stays on Facebook's servers. You can reactivate at any time simply by logging back in.
Permanent deletion removes your account, posts, photos, videos, comments, and associated data from Facebook's systems — after a grace period. This is the option to choose if you genuinely want to leave the platform for good.
Facebook retains some information even after deletion — such as messages you sent to other users, which remain in their inboxes, and certain logs required for legal or safety purposes. That's worth knowing upfront.
How to Delete Your Facebook Account on Desktop
- Log into Facebook in your browser
- Click your profile picture in the top-right corner
- Select Settings & Privacy, then Settings
- In the left-hand menu, choose Your Facebook Information
- Click Deactivation and Deletion
- Select Delete Account, then Continue to Account Deletion
- Click Delete Account and confirm
Facebook will ask for your password to verify the request. You may also be prompted to download a copy of your data — more on that below.
How to Delete Your Facebook Account on Mobile 📱
The steps differ slightly depending on whether you're using the iOS or Android app, but the general path is:
- Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines or your profile picture, depending on app version)
- Scroll to Settings & Privacy → Settings
- Tap Personal and account information or Account ownership and control
- Select Deactivation and deletion
- Choose Delete account and follow the prompts
Facebook's app interface updates periodically, so menu labels may shift slightly between versions — but the destination (Deactivation and Deletion) remains consistent.
The 30-Day Grace Period
After confirming deletion, Facebook applies a 30-day cancellation window. During this time, your account is suspended but not yet erased. If you log back in — even accidentally — the deletion process resets.
After 30 days, Facebook begins purging your data. However, full removal from backup systems can take up to 90 days according to Facebook's own documentation. During that window, your data is not accessible to other users but may still exist on internal servers.
Download Your Data First ⬇️
Before deleting, it's worth exporting your information. Facebook allows you to request a copy of:
- Photos and videos
- Posts and stories
- Messages
- Friends list
- Ads data and activity history
To do this, go to Settings → Your Facebook Information → Download Your Information. You can select a date range, file format (HTML or JSON), and media quality. The download can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours depending on how much data your account holds.
This is a one-time window — once the account is deleted, you lose access to this export option.
What Deletion Affects (and What It Doesn't)
| What Gets Removed | What Stays or Transfers |
|---|---|
| Your profile, posts, photos | Messages in others' inboxes |
| Your comments on other posts | Some legally required logs |
| Your likes and reactions | Third-party app data (separate) |
| Your Facebook login to apps | Marketplace transaction records |
A key variable many users overlook: third-party apps that you connected to via Facebook Login. Deleting your Facebook account doesn't automatically delete the data those apps collected. You'd need to contact each service individually or remove app permissions before deletion.
Accounts Linked to Facebook
If you created accounts on other platforms using "Log in with Facebook", those accounts may become inaccessible once your Facebook profile is gone. Before deleting, audit which services you signed into via Facebook and either set up a separate login method or export relevant data from those platforms.
Similarly, if you manage a Facebook Page or Business Manager tied to your personal account, deletion will affect access to those assets. Pages without another admin assigned will be permanently removed.
Variables That Change the Process
How straightforward this process is depends on several factors:
- Account age and history — Older accounts with Marketplace transactions, ad accounts, or business integrations require more cleanup
- Admin roles — If you're the sole admin of a Page or Group, you'll need to assign another admin or accept that the asset will be deleted
- Linked apps and services — The more services you connected via Facebook Login, the more prep work is involved
- Device and app version — Menu paths vary slightly between iOS, Android, and desktop browser versions
For a personal account with minimal integrations, deletion takes under five minutes. For an account with business assets, ad history, or dozens of connected apps, the cleanup process can stretch across multiple sessions.
The right time to delete — and how much preparation makes sense — comes down to how your account is actually structured and what you've built around it.