Nothing lasts forever, and for many people, 2025 is the year they cut back on social media use. A social media detox may help you stop being so reliant on social media, but millions of people have gone a step further and decided to switch off Facebook or Meta entirely. This was facilitated by changes in the network, such as removing fact-checkingMeta AI looks at user opinions all photographic film when involved, and new reports about dangers for teenagers and young users which were completely ignored. If you decide to deactivate your Facebook account, it is very important to do it correctly.
After downloading years of photos and personal information, you may be wondering how to collect your data before deleting your account. Read on to learn how to permanently get rid of your Facebook account while keeping all your information.
If you're done using Facebook, deleting your account is the only way to completely separate yourself from the platform. If you're not entirely sure, deactivating your account will allow you to try life outside of Facebook without the risk of deleting it. It takes some time to download your data and delete Facebook, but we've got all the information for you on what to expect and how to save everything before deleting your account completely.
Before deleting your account, find and remove third-party Facebook logins.
For years, third-party developers like Spotify and DoorDash allowed you to sign in using your Facebook account. This allows you to log in without having to remember another password, but if you plan to delete Facebook, you'll need to update your login settings. This is because if you delete your account first, you will not have a Facebook account to log in through.
Luckily, there's an easy way to find out which of your sites and apps are linked to Facebook and disable them before deleting your account.
To find and disable online services associated with your Facebook account:
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Login on Facebook.
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Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Apps & Websites.. (Apps and websites are on the left, but you'll have to scroll down a bit. They're nested under “Your Activity.”)
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Choose Delete next to the corresponding application to remove the third-party login.
Don't lose access to the apps and services you use Facebook to sign in to.
Once you disconnect other sites and apps from Facebook, you'll need to configure how you can sign in to them in the future. Go to those specific apps and sites to set up new passwords or access keys, or sign in using another single service sign-in option, such as Google.
What is the difference between deactivating and deleting your Facebook account?
If you're trying to disconnect from Facebook, you have two options. You can delete your account completely or deactivate it.
Deactivating your Facebook account is temporary and can help if you're trying to spend less time on the app or need a break from social media. Alternatively, deleting your account completely means that you will no longer exist on the social network.
Whether you deactivate or delete your account, some things will remain the same. Your profile, posts, photos and feed will not be accessible to other users. If someone searches for your account, you won't appear in the results.
Likewise, any photos you've posted will disappear, including images that other people have been tagged in. Any third-party logins like Spotify or Pinterest will also no longer work, so you'll need to set up how you log into those accounts before deleting Facebook, unless you want to restore them later.
Deactivating your account does not delete your data, and you can reactivate it at any time. It's important to remember that deactivating your account means Facebook will still be able to track your online activity, especially if you use third-party logins.
Deactivating your account means you can return to it, but after the 30-day account deletion period, the account will disappear forever. If you are not ready to completely delete Facebook, you should deactivate it. When you deactivate your account, you will still be able to send messages and third-party logins will still work, although Facebook-related features will be disabled.
What will (and won't) be done by deleting your Facebook account?
Deleting your Facebook account will delete your visible presence on the social media network, but will not delete everything you've ever touched on the platform. Deleting Facebook also breaks your connection to Facebook Messenger, but your messages to your friends will still be available to them.
If you use your Facebook information to log into MetaQuest, all information on MetaQuest will also be deleted. This includes your in-app purchases and your achievements. This also means that you will not be able to return to any of the applications through MetaQuest and that any remaining store credits will disappear. Removing Facebook will not affect other meta platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp. If you want to leave these platforms, you will have to delete these accounts yourself.
Then download all your personal data from Facebook.
Many people have been using Facebook for years to stay connected with friends and family or as a convenient place to collect photos. If there's data on Facebook that you want to keep before deleting your account, here's how to get it.
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Login on Facebook.
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Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Account Center.
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Choose Your information and permissions.
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Choose Upload your information.
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Choose Upload or transfer information.
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Select profiles from which you want to download information.
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Choose Next.
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When asked how much information you want, click Available information. Please note that this includes everything except data logs, which are records of information that can be associated with you. If you want them, click Specific types of information and make sure “Data Logs” is selected at the bottom of the list.
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Choose Download to device.
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In the Create Upload Files options, click Date range and install it to All the time.
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Leave format set to HTML – in this case, your data will be converted into an easy-to-navigate format.
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To save high-resolution copies of the photos and videos you post on Facebook, change Media quality medium to high option.
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Finally, click Creating files. Facebook will then collect all your information and send you an email when it's ready to download. This may take some time – it is not an instant process.
Before deleting your account, make sure you have collected all the personal information you want to keep.
Finally, delete your Facebook account
Once you've downloaded the data you don't want to lose from Facebook, the final step is to delete your account.
Facebook will provide you with a list of questions to consider before deleting your account. It includes information about downloading your information and a reminder that if you are the sole administrator of a Facebook page, it will be deleted unless you grant someone else account administrator privileges.
When you're ready, here's how to delete your Facebook once and for all.
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Login on Facebook.
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Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Account Center.
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Choose Personal information under Account settings.
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Choose Account Ownership and Control.
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Choose Deactivation or removal.
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Select account or profile you want to delete.
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Choose Delete account and then select Continue.
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Click Continue then follow the instructions to confirm.
What if you change your mind and don't want to delete Facebook?
Although deleting your Facebook profile is a permanent solution, it is not instantaneous. Deleting an account on the system takes 30 days, which means you have time to reverse the process if you decide to keep your account. All you have to do is log into your account again before reaching that 30-day mark.
