How to delete your Facebook account forever – and download everything you need before you go

You can also temporarily deactivate your Facebook account

Wednesday 10 August 2022 10:26 BST

(AFP via Getty Images)

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There are currently around 2.8 billion Facebook users, but backlash against the world’s largest social media site continues.

Since it began in 2004, Facebook has been accused of mishandling data and helping contribute to misinformation.

For those that would prefer not to remain a part of Facebook’s network, for whatever reason, there is an easy way to deactivate, as well as completely deleting, their account.

Deleting a Facebook account will completely remove it from the site, while deactivating will make the account inoperable for anyone else on the platform, but the information it has collected will be retained by the company.

While deleting an account is not immediately permanent – Facebook allows users to go back on their decision after 90 days – once the countdown passes that three-month period it will be impossible to resurrect.

How to download your personal information

Before deleting your Facebook account, you should download all the personal information that the site has scooped up. This can include pictures, message archives, posts, and more.

To do this, navigate to Facebook on the web. Click on the drop down arrow at the top right of the site, and hit “Settings & privacy”.

Following that, hit the “Settings” button, and then choose “Your Facebook information” on the left hand side. You can then view or download your information, setting a particular date range, or choosing whether it should be in HTML or JSON.

It also lets you select exactly which data you would like to download, allowing you to exclude likes and reactions, or stories, for example.

Once that is done, click the blue ‘create file’ button; Facebook will then send you an email when your data is ready.

How to deactivate your Facebook account

Deactivating a Facebook account can be done through the same steps: navigate to Facebook on the web. Click on the drop down arrow at the top right of the site, and hit “Settings & privacy”.

Then go into Settings, and head to “Your Facebook information”. Under that will be a button that says “Deactivating or deleting your Facebook account”. Hitting that will give you the option to review your decision, and deactivate the account.

“Your account will be disabled and your name and photos will be removed from most things you’ve shared. You also won’t be able to access Oculus products or your Oculus information. You’ll be able to continue using Messenger”, Facebook advises.

This setting is temporary, and you will be able to bring your Facebook account back when you choose.