How to Quit Facebook for Good: The Complete Guide

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A guide to quitting FB & deleting your Facebook profile

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: November 29, 2024 Fact Checked

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Deleting or Deactivating in Accounts Center

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Deleting or Deactivating in Facebook Settings

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Can I keep using Messenger?

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What happens after I delete my Facebook account?

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Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

Do you spend too much time scrolling through Facebook and want to quit? Deleting or deactivating your Facebook account will prevent you from logging in so you can stop spending so much time on the platform. This guide will teach you how to quit Facebook, either temporarily or for good. We'll also explain what happens when you leave Facebook and whether you can still use Messenger.

Quick Steps

Click your profile icon on Facebook.
Click Settings & privacy > Settings.
Click See more in Accounts Center.
Click Personal details > Account ownership and control.
Click Deactivation or deletion.
Select the account and click Delete.
Follow the on-screen instructions to confirm.

Section 1 of 4:

Deleting or Deactivating in Accounts Center

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1
Click or tap your profile icon on Facebook and select Settings & privacy. You'll see your profile icon in the top right corner of the web browser.
- You can follow these steps on your computer or using the Facebook mobile app on your smartphone or tablet.
- Once you delete your account, you can delete or uninstall the mobile apps from iPhone and Android.
- Facebook is updating Accounts Center all the time, so words and positioning of buttons may vary slightly.^{[1]
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It's next to a gear icon.

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3
Click or tap See more in Accounts Center. It's in the top left corner. This might say "Accounts Center" instead.
- If you don't see "Accounts Center", use Settings instead.
4
Click or tap Personal details. You'll see this in the left menu under "Account settings."
- If this option is at the bottom of the menu, you'll need to delete your account using Facebook settings instead.
It's the last item under "Personal details."
Another window will appear with your connected accounts.
7
Select the account you want to delete. You can read if you want to "Deactivate account" or "Delete account."
- Deactivate account is a temporary action and means your account will be hidden until it's reactivated in Accounts Center. You can also reactivate the account by logging in. None of your data will be deleted.
  - Use this option if you want to quit Facebook without deleting it.
- Delete account is a permanent action. Your comments, profile, photos, videos, and likes will be permanently removed. You cannot recover an account that has been deleted.
Follow the on-screen instructions to delete your account, such as entering your account password.^{[2]
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Section 2 of 4:

Deleting or Deactivating in Facebook Settings

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1
Click or tap your profile icon on Facebook and select Settings & privacy. You'll see your profile icon in the top right corner of the web browser.
- You can follow these steps on your computer or using the Facebook mobile app on your smartphone or tablet.
It's next to a gear icon.
3
Click or tap Profile Acess and Control. It's in the menu on the left side of the page.
- If you don't see this menu option, you'll have to delete your account using Accounts Center.
Another window will appear with your connected accounts.
5
Select the account you want to delete. You can read if you want to "Deactivate account" or "Delete account."
- Deactivate account is a temporary action and means your account will be hidden until it's reactivated in Accounts Center. You can also reactivate the account by logging in. None of your data will be deleted.
  - Use this option if you want to quit Facebook without deleting it.
- Delete account is a permanent action. Your comments, profile, photos, videos, and likes will be permanently removed. You cannot recover an account that has been deleted.
Follow the on-screen instructions to delete your account, such as entering your account password.^{[3]
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Research source}

Section 3 of 4:

Can I keep using Messenger?

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You can still use Messenger without a Facebook account. Facebook Messenger is a separate mobile app you can continue using even after you quit Facebook. If you decide that you want to delete your Messenger account as well, do the following after deleting your Facebook account:^{[4]
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- Open Facebook Messenger.
- Tap the profile icon in the top-left corner of the screen.
- Scroll down and tap Privacy & Terms
- Tap Deactivate Messenger
- Enter your password, then tap Continue
- Tap Deactivate when prompted.
- Delete the Messenger app from your iPhone or Android.

Section 4 of 4:

What happens after I delete my Facebook account?

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If you use Facebook to log into Meta Quest, that data, such as your purchases and achievements, will also be deleted from your FB account. You won't be able to return any apps and will lose store credits if you have any.
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You won't be able to use Facebook login information for other apps. Apps like Spotify and Uber give you the option of signing in with your Facebook account rather than with an email address. If you selected this option when signing up for a service, make sure you change the preferred login to an email address or a phone number.
- Most of these services will also allow you to log in with a phone number, so you should be fine if you have one on record.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I know what else there is that makes it worthwhile to quit Facebook?

Community Answer

If you find yourself spending, say, 10 hours a week on Facebook, make a list of all the other things you could accomplish in that time. Seeing this number of hours written down can make you feel the harsh reality that you're wasting your life away on Facebook. Here are some things you could do instead: Pick up a part-time job and save up (or even invest) that money. Teach your kid (or kid sibling) how to throw a football. Get fit. Spend time socializing with people in your real life. Clean your room. Volunteer. Read a book. Teach yourself a new language. Make a Papasan chair cushion. Listen to music and make it a routine. An album per day or so. Find a new hobby or activity to do. There is plenty else...

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Question

Do I need to remove my profile picture when quitting Facebook?

Community Answer

No. Once you deactivate your account, everything related to your account will disappear.

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Question

Can I deactivate or even delete my Facebook page but stay in a group I still want to be connected to?

Community Answer

No. Once you get rid of your Facebook, you will be removed from any Facebook groups you're a member of. However, if that group is open to public view, you can bookmark it and view it as you please from that link.

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Tips

Delete posts that you don't want online. While deleting your Facebook account will eventually remove all of your information from online (this can take up to 90 days), delete any sensitive or personal posts you don't want Google (or other search engines) to archive. Archived posts are searchable after you deactivate your account, and can take several weeks to disappear from search engines.^{[5]
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Once you delete your Facebook account, you have 30 days to change your mind. If you do change your mind, simply log back into Facebook using your email address (or phone number) and password, then click Cancel Deletion when prompted.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Keep a to-do list to fill the time so you aren't bored and automatically go for Facebook. When you're bored, go through your list and pick things out of it like knitting or bicycling
Remember to delete your other accounts like Instagram.

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