How To Delete Your Facebook Account: 2025 has caused a lot of people to re-evaluate their relationship with social media. Between teen safety concerns and considerations around data access, AI features and content moderation, more of the world is deciding simply to take a break from Facebook. If you’ve determined it’s time to move on, deleting your Facebook account is the only way to fully cut ties with Facebook. But as you do so, it’s worth thinking about whether you’re leaving behind years of photos or messages, important account links and more. The process is not instantaneous, and there are a couple of key steps you should take first, like downloading your data and removing any third-party logins. This guide will take you through everything you need to know before bidding farewell to Facebook for good.
Remove Third-Party Apps Linked to Facebook
You can log in with Facebook on many websites and apps. If you don’t update those logins and you decide to delete your account, you might lose access to those services.
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How to Find and Remove Linked Apps
1. Log in to Facebook
2. Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings
3. Select Apps and websites under Your Activity
4. Click Remove next to any app or service listed
Once they’re gone, go app by website or app and set a new password, passkey, secondary sign-in such as Google.
Deactivating vs Deleting Your Facebook Account
Facebook have two ways to take a break: deactivation and deletion.
Deactivating Your Account
- Temporary and reversible
- Your profile and posts are hidden
- You can still use Messenger
- Facebook may still track some activity
- Third-party logins continue to work
Deleting Your Account
- Permanent after 30 days
- Your profile and posts are removed
- Messenger access ends
- Third-party Facebook logins stop working
- Cannot be recovered after deletion completes
If you are not sure, deactivating offers a tryout for life without Facebook. If you’re really ready to leave it’s the actual deletion, which provides a complete break.
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What Deleting Facebook Will and Won’t Remove
When you delete your account, it removes your visible presence — however, the data isn’t actually gone yet.
What happens:
- Your profile, posts, and photos disappear
- Friends can still see messages you sent them
- Facebook Messenger access ends
- MetaQuest data, purchases, and credits are deleted
What doesn’t happen automatically:
- Instagram and WhatsApp accounts remain active
- You must delete those separately if you want to leave Meta entirely
Download Your Facebook Data Before Deleting
If you’ve been on Facebook for years, you might be interested in creating copies of your photos, posts and personal data.
How to Download Your Facebook Data
1. Log in to Facebook
2. Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Account Center
3. Select Your information and permissions
4. Tap Download your information
5. Choose Download or transfer information
6. Select the profiles you want data from
7. Choose Available information or select specific data types
8. Select Download to device
9. Set date range to All time
10. Keep format as HTML
11. Set media quality to High
12. Click Create files
Facebook will send you an email when the download is ready. This could take hours, or even days, depending on how much data you have.
How to Permanently Delete Your Facebook Account
After you saved your data and apps, they’re disconnected, so you can safely delete them.
Steps to Delete Facebook
1. Log in to Facebook
2. Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Account Center
3. Select Personal details
4. Choose Account ownership and control
5. Tap Deactivation or deletion
6. Select the account to delete
7. Choose Delete account and continue
8. Follow the on-screen instructions to confirm
If you manage a Facebook Page, just make sure that there is another admin on board before doing so.
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Can You Change Your Mind After Deleting?
Yes, but only as part of a temporary reprieve. Facebook provides you 30 days to cancel the deletion. The deletion is halted if you log back in during that time. So now when you erase your account for a 30 days period as well, it is erased permanently and cannot be recovered.
Final Thoughts
It’s a big decision because the platform has been likely part of your life for years. By disabling third-party logins and downloading your data, you can know you are leaving with no regrets. And, though it isn’t entirely instantaneous, you can get control of your information and a clean break from the platform. If you’re ready to take the plunge, follow the steps carefully — and if you’re not positive, deactivation is a safer first move.