How to delete your Facebook account, forever

By Ben Patterson | June 28, 2011 at 11:55 am
categorized as: How-tos • Privacy • Social networks

Had enough of Facebook? The good news is that deactivating your account is a snap; the bad news is that merely clicking the “deactivate” button won’t actually wipe all your personal info off Facebook permanently.

If you really want to make a clean break with Facebook, you’ll have to “delete” your profile—a process that’s more involved and time-consuming that just deactivating it (which hides your profile but leaves all your data on Facebook’s servers, in case you ever change your mind). Here’s how it works.

First, go to the Facebook Help Center (click on Account, Help Center in the top-right corner of any Facebook page) and search for “delete account.”
The search result will zoom you down to an explanation of how do deactivate your account, although at the very end of instructions, you’ll get a link for submitting a deletion request. (Or you could save yourself some time and simply click here.)
Next, you’ll come to a page with a “submit” button and a dire warning: “Keep in mind that you will no be able to reactivate your account or retrieve any of the content or information you have added.” Still ready to delete? Then go ahead and hit the “submit” button.
A pop-up window will appear with yet another warning: “You are about to permanently delete your account. Are you sure?” You’ll then have to enter your Facebook password, then enter a “captcha” security code (a cluster of random text, intended to make sure you’re not a malicious spambot).
All done? Check your inbox for an email confirming that you’ve requested that Facebook permanently delete your account.
Now comes the time-consuming part. Facebook won’t delete your account right away—indeed, you’ll have to wait a full 14 days for your Facebook profile to be erased forever. While you wait, be very careful not to log back into your Facebook account or click on any Facebook “Share” or “Like” buttons; if you do, Facebook will cancel your deletion request, and you’ll have to start all over.
One more thing: Even after Facebook has officially deleted your account, some of your information may remain on Facebook’s backup servers for “a reasonable period of time,” although it won’t “be available to others” (this according to Facebook’s “Statement of Rights and Responsibilities”).

Got questions about deleting or deactivating your Facebook account? Let me know!

Pin It