There are roughly about 2.89 billion active users of Facebook in a month! While there are innumerable people who thoroughly enjoy connecting with the world via this social media app, there are also many others who have given it a thought to remove their social media presence and take a break. If you belong to second category, the article will help you learn how you can delete your account on Facebook permanently.
Unplug from Facebook
Whether you like it or not, the data about the active users of Facebook per month that we spoke about above only shows how ragingly popular this app is. There are millions of images and videos being uploaded on a daily basis, and of course, multiple profile pictures are being updated/changed by users every second! In spite of being an integral part of most people’s lives, not everyone is comfortable using the app.
You could believe that FB had something to do about the Prism program, or they used tracking software to follow various users around Europe, or maybe you’re bored of seeing cat and video posts on Facebook regularly, or have had enough of false news over the internet; the reason could be anything. There will come a time period when you need a break from all of this, and yes, it could be temporary.
If you find this relatable, know that there are two options. One is to deactivate your FB account, and the second is to, of course, delete it permanently.
Option 1: Deactivate account
The advantage of deactivating your account is that you have the liberty to reactivate your account whenever you want. Facebook takes charge to maintain and protect all your personal and account details, files, profile information, and others until you’re ready to use the app again. To deactivate:
- Open Facebook. In the top menu, just click on the down arrow and select “Settings & Privacy.”
- Tap on Settings.
- You will notice the “Your Facebook Information” in the left sidebar.
- Click on “Deactivation and Deletion” available at the bottom.
Pick “Deactivate Account” and click on “Continue to Account Deactivation.”
FB keeps your data in place, but in case you have multiple images/videos uploaded in your account or where you have been tagged, and you do not want to lose them, remember that it pays to have a backup. As soon as you select “Download a copy” of your FB data, you mainly create an archive of all your data, such as chats, messages, videos, images, and others, which can be downloaded onto your computer.
Reactivate your account
If you have taken a break long enough to help you feel refreshed and you want to make a comeback on Facebook, it is pretty easy to do it. It will literally take a few seconds only to reactivate your account. All you must do is, open the browser/app and log in to Facebook with your details. That’s it! Your login details will help to automatically reactivate your account, and your status will be restored. Other users will be able to see you online again!
Option 2: Delete account
Think twice before you select the “delete” button on Facebook, as this is a permanent action. First, ensure to download a copy of all your videos, photos and other stuff that is important to you as a backup.
- Open Facebook and pick “Settings & Privacy” from the down arrow available in the top menu.
- Click “Settings”.
- Pick “Your Facebook Information” from the left column.
- Tap on “Deactivation and Deletion” at the page’s bottom.
- Click on “Delete Account” and press “Continue to Account Deletion.”
It can take close to 90 days to delete your FB account completely. During this time, your account will be deleted and removed gradually. This will cover your profile, all the images that you had uploaded, messages, status updates and everything else that you had uploaded by yourself. However, it will not include images or updates that were posted by others and where you were tagged by them
Unplug from social media
Many people have begun pulling out or are on the verge of taking a break from the social media world as they are against oversharing or simply do not find it safe or aren’t interested any longer.
Much before Trump started taking over Twitter, there were many people who had begun pulling themselves away from social media as they did not want to be connected to the internet all day long or 24×7. While the number of people may not be in huge chunks, the numbers are definitely growing in volume.
Regardless of how long a break you want, there is no harm in staying away from the virtual world for as long as you want to. It is a good thing to either deactivate or delete your Facebook account at your convenience, and now you know how to do it too.
Have you ever deleted your FB account permanently? Are you considering it? Do you enjoy using Facebook? Let us know your views in the comments.