How to delete your Facebook account

The following instructions are for the web version of Facebook, but you can follow pretty much the same sequence on the mobile app.

The Accounts Center is where you can both download your info and delete your account.

Screenshot: Meta

You can download various types of Facebook data, or all of it. The latter will take longer.

Screenshot: Meta

You’ll be notified when your data is ready for download.

Screenshot: Meta

You’re ready to delete your account once you’ve finished downloading your archive.

Facebook gives you the option of temporarily deactivating your account — just in case you might change your mind.

Screenshot: Meta

Why do you want to leave? Choose your reason.

Screenshot: Meta

It takes a few pages, but you will finally get to the point where you can delete your account. And even after that, you have time to log in again.

Screenshot: Meta

Meta notes that it delays termination for a few days after the request has gone through. The deletion will be canceled if you log back in during that period. So don’t sign on, or you’ll be forced to start the process over again.

Certain things, like comments you’ve made on a friend’s post, may still appear even after you delete your account. Facebook also says that copies of certain items like log records will remain in its database, but it notes that those are disassociated with personal identifiers.

If you’re really serious about quitting anything associated with Meta, remember that the company owns several other popular services as well, like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, so you should delete your accounts there, too.

Update January 9th, 2025: This article was originally published on September 28th, 2018, and has been updated several times to allow for changes in the Facebook interface.

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