Facebook is not the first social network that we got, but it exploded like no other.

It has been around for about a decade and a half now, and it still dominates, having well over 2 billion users.

But, in terms of privacy, Facebook is as bad as Google, especially when it comes to recording your information.

In fact, it has been in so many privacy-related scandals that it probably dominates as the worst social network out there, too.

Not to mention the fact that it is also pretty addictive. Although, you could argue that there are more addictive platforms out there, and Facebook, while still extremely popular went past its peak a long time ago.

But, regardless of all that, if you wish to be more private online, deleting Facebook is definitely one of the steps to do so, and we will now explain how to do it.

If you’ve been wondering how to delete Facebook account, then read on.

How to close Facebook permanently?

If you wish to delete your Facebook account for whatever reason permanently, you should know a few things. For example, you won’t be able to reactivate your account.

All of your data, including photos, videos, the account itself, and everything else, will be deleted.

You will also lose the ability to use Facebook Messenger or to log into other websites via Facebook.

If you use FB for logging into other services or third-party apps, deleting your account will cause you to lose access to these apps, or you’ll need to contact them.

If you still want to delete your Facebook account (and all personal Info such as friends, messages, photos, friends inbox), here are the steps.

Just remember deleting your account = permanently deleted.

Classic Facebook

1. Go to your Facebook page.
2. Open the drop-down menu in the top right corner.
3. Select Settings.
4. Click Your Facebook Information.
5. Next, click Delete Your Account and Information.
6. Click Delete My Account.
7. Enter your password.
8. Click Continue to account deletion, and once again click Delete Account. Now, your account information is permanently removed.

New Facebook

1. Open the drop-down menu in the top right corner.
2. Select Settings & Privacy.
3. Select Settings.
4. Click Your Facebook Information.
5. Next, click Delete Your Account and Information.
6. Click Delete My Account.
7. Enter your password.
8. Hit Continue, and once again click Delete Account.

Mobile Facebook App

1. Click the three bars in the top corner.
2. Press Settings & Privacy and then Settings.
3. Scroll down and select Account ownership and Control.
4. Select Deactivation and deletion.
5. Select Delete Account and click Continue to account deletion.
6. Follow the remaining prompts to delete your Facebook account.

How to deactivate a Facebook account?

If you would like to take a break from Facebook but still keep your account and return at some point in the future, you can do that too. That will require you to deactivate your account.

Here is how you can do that.

Classic Facebook (Browser)

1. Open the drop-down menu in the top right corner.
2. Press Settings.
3. Select General on the left column.
4. Hit Manage Your Account.
5. Next, click Deactivate Your Account.
6. Follow the rest of the instructions that Facebook will provide.

New Facebook

1. Open the drop-down menu in the top right-hand corner.
2. Choose Settings & Privacy.
3. Proceed to Settings.
4. Select General on the left side.
5. Hit Manage Your Account.
6. Next, click Deactivate Your Account.
7. Follow the instructions on the next page that Facebook will provide.

Mobile Facebook

1. Click the three bars in the top corner.
2. Click Settings & Privacy and then Settings.
3. Scroll down and select Account ownership and Control.
4. Click Deactivation and deletion.
5. Select Deactivate account and click Continue to Account Deactivation.
6. Follow the remaining prompts to delete your account.

How to restore your Facebook account?

If you deactivate your account, you can quickly reactivate your account at any point in time.

To reactivate FB, the procedure is straightforward, and all you need to do is log back into your Facebook profile using your Facebook login details.

You don’t even have to do that; you can also use your Facebook account to log into some other website. Either of these two actions will immediately restore a deactivated account.

However, if you deleted your account, you should know that your account is not removed for 30 to 90 days after going through the process mentioned earlier.

That means that your account is still not lost, and you can get it back in the 30 days if you happen to change your mind.

To change your mind about your account deletion, log back into Facebook within 30 days after submitting your deletion request and click Cancel Deletion.

If you select permanently delete account and don’t cancel the deleting of your account, your old account will now be deleted.

You’ll have to set up a new account with new login details (password and email address). In which case, you’ll have to re-add friends and re-contact or message anyone you wish to engage with.

Why should you delete Facebook?

The list of reasons to permanently delete Facebook is enormous, and it grows alongside the platform itself.

To give you some idea of why you should consider leaving Facebook for good, we will list some of these reasons, but be sure to note that this is only a handful of them.

1. It compromises your privacy by recording every piece of data and often sharing it with third parties and other apps (contact information, personal data, photos, and your profile picture).
2. The site is very addictive, and you can waste a lot of time scrolling through the accounts you follow (even if you class yourself as a casual browser).
3. It owns all of your data, and it continually gets in trouble for the things it does with it; your Facebook information is not as secure as you’d think.
4. The site shows an unrealistic picture of how people live, potentially causing anxiety and depression.
5. Its original purpose is dead, as it no longer serves to connect people. Everyone has connected to everyone else already, and it now serves many other purposes, but not the original one.
6. Mark Zuckerberg. The Facebook CEO’s personality and moves he made over the years show what kind of person runs the show on FB. If all the scandals of the network itself were not enough, Zuckerberg has plenty of his own to add to the pile.
7. Facebook is too big and too influential but still not trustworthy.
8. It’s easy to get caught out by scam adverts selling fake goods or other untrustworthy products. Even receiving scam messages in messenger from “friends” whose accounts have been compromised, usually resulting in you receiving dodgy photo messages, videos, and links. Sometimes a message can be sent to your friends inboxes without you knowing (due to your accounts being hacked).

Summary

Facebook is far from being the most ethical platform out there.

In fact, it is as far as it can get. But, even if that doesn’t pose a problem for you, remember that it is also very addictive and distracting. Not to mention the fact that it puts your privacy at risk.

For all of these reasons, as well as many others, you may want to permanently delete your account.

You certainly won’t be alone.

And, if you do decide to fully delete your account, or you found this guide because you were looking for instructions on how to do it, then we certainly have what you need.

All the steps are explained above, and all that remains now is for you to make a move.

Delete or deactivate; it’s up to you.

Just remember that deactivation and deletion are two separate things, one will permanently delete account, and the other is a less permanent deletion process.

Illustations © Marcin Jucha | Dreamstime.com