Technology
How do I deactivate my Facebook account and does that delete it?
FIND yourself spending too much time (or hardly any) on Facebook? Maybe it’s time to delete the app for good.
Thankfully there are loads of ways to shut Facebook down on a personal level – including deactivation and deletion.
How to delete your Facebook account[/caption]
How do I deactivate my Facebook account?
The first thing to note about deactivating your Facebook account is that this doesn’t have to be permanent.
To begin the process of deactivating your Facebook account, click the downward-pointing arrow in the top-right corner.
Next, select ‘Settings’ from the drop-down list.
On the left-hand side of the ‘Settings’ page, select ‘Your Facebook Information’.
Then, click ‘View’ next to ‘Deactivation and Deletion’ at the bottom of the list.
Deactivate or Permanently Delete
You will be asked whether you want to ‘deactivate my Facebook account’ or ‘permanently delete my account’.
If you wish to temporarily delete, choose the first option.
There are certain steps to take to deactivate your Facebook account[/caption]
Click ‘Continue to deactivate my Facebook account’.
You will then be asked to re-enter your Facebook password. This is for security purposes.
Finally, you will be taken to a page to confirm that you would like to deactivate your account.
You will be required to select a reason for leaving, from a given list, which includes:
- Having privacy concerns
- Not feeling safe on Facebook
- Your account being hacked
- Receiving too many email notifications from Facebook;
- Spending too much time using the site
Once you have chosen a reason for leaving, you are then free to proceed to deactivate your account.
You can also choose to opt-out of receiving emails from Facebook, as emails can still continue to come through even after you deactivate.
People are spending more time on social media platforms like Facebook [/caption]
Does deactivating the account delete it?
No – deactivating your account does not delete it as Facebook retains the account and all its data.
This is in case the user decides to return and re-activate their account.
But this data will not be available to other users while the account is deactivated.
There is a separate option for if a user wants to permanently delete their Facebook account.
However, a Facebook spokesperson said that, even when a user opts to delete their account forever, the site will wait 14 days after receiving the request before they actually delete that account.
This is to allow people who accidentally submitted a deletion request to let the site know so they can cancel that request.
What happens when you deactivate your Facebook account?
While your Facebook account is deactivated, no-one is able to see your user profile or any information.
A teenage boy using Facebook on an iPhone[/caption]
Friends can’t tag you in photos, comments, or posts.
Your posts on your friends profiles may remain – however, your name will not appear in hyperlink form for other users to click on and link through to your profile.
Facebook Messenger will remain active, and you can still chat with your Facebook friends through the Messenger app.
Most read in Tech
Deleting Facebook Messenger
If you wish to deactivate Messenger too, follow these steps:
- Open the Messenger app from your phone or iPad.
- Tap on your profile picture in the top left-hand corner.
- Then select ‘Account Settings’ near the bottom of the list.
- Click ‘Personal Information’, followed by ‘Manage Account’. You will then be given the option to Deactivate Messenger.
You can return to Facebook at any time after deactivating your account, by logging back in to the site in the usual way.
