Service guide
How to delete your Facebook account
Route checked by TraceErase on · Page last updated
On this page
The short answer
Facebook says you can cancel a deletion for up to 30 days after starting it, and that the number of days varies by region. Deleting everything can then take up to 90 days, and copies may stay in backups. TraceErase read the Facebook Help Centre and the Meta Privacy Policy (UK view) on 8 October 2026 but has not signed in to run the flow.
At a glance
- Organisation
- Meta Platforms, Inc.The Meta Privacy Policy, UK English view, names Meta Platforms, Inc. as the data controller for Meta Products including Facebook.
- What this page covers
- The Facebook profile only. Messenger, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp are separate entries. The pages read were the UK English Facebook Help Centre and the Meta Privacy Policy (effective 23 July 2026).
- How the route was checked
- Checked by TraceErase on 8 October 2026 against the organisation’s own pages (listed under Sources). The signed-in steps have not been run, so menu names can differ from what you see, and the organisation may have changed its pages since. You follow the steps yourself.
- Official websites
- facebook.com, meta.com
Which request do you want?
Closing an account, erasing data, stopping marketing and getting a copy of your data are four different things. This table shows what each one means and whether TraceErase has checked its route for this organisation.
| Request | What it means | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Close the account | Ends your use of the service. It is not the same as asking the organisation to erase everything it holds. | Checked by TraceErase |
| Deactivate temporarily | Hides or pauses the account. Your data is normally kept, so this is not closure or erasure. | Checked by TraceErase |
| Ask for your data to be erased | A request under UK data protection law to delete personal data. The right is not absolute, and the organisation can keep what it must. | Checked by TraceErase |
| Stop marketing | Asks the organisation to stop using your data for direct marketing. It is separate from closing the account. | Checked by TraceErase |
| Get a copy of your data (SAR) | A subject access request: you ask what the organisation holds about you and for a copy of it. | Checked by TraceErase |
| Correct inaccurate data | Asks the organisation to fix personal data that is wrong. | Route not checked yet |
| Complain about how data was handled | A data protection complaint to the organisation, and then to the ICO if you are not satisfied. | Checked by TraceErase |
Before you start
People often look for this page when they want to leave Facebook completely rather than step back for a while. The difference matters. Meta describes permanent deletion as removing photos, posts, videos and other content, and says it cannot be reversed once the cancellation window ends.
Ofcom Online Nation 2025 (May 2025): Facebook & Messenger (combined) 93% of UK online adults (app reach). This is an app reach figure, not a count of accounts.
Meta Platforms, Inc. is named as the data controller for Meta Products including Facebook in the Meta Privacy Policy. This page covers the Facebook profile only. Messenger, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp are separate products and are not covered here.
Facebook is often the login behind other things. Deleting the profile ends Messenger use and stops Facebook Login working for other apps such as Spotify or Pinterest, so those accounts may need separate recovery.
- Decide whether you want a copy first. Meta says nothing can be retrieved after deletion, so export your information beforehand if you want to keep any of it.
- Check what signs in with Facebook. Facebook Login for other apps stops working once the profile is deleted. Work out which of those accounts you still need and how you will get back into them.
- Look at any Pages you run. Pages that only you control are deleted (or deactivated, if you deactivate) unless you first give someone else full control.
- Check Threads. Meta suggests checking whether a Threads profile was created with this Facebook login before you delete.
- Remember Meta Quest. If you use Facebook to log in to Meta Quest, deleting the profile also deletes your Meta Quest information, including app purchases and store credit.
- Do not expect every message to vanish. Messages you sent may still be visible to friends, because copies sit in their inboxes.
Close the account
Done through the website or the app. You need to sign in to your account first.
- Sign in to Facebook, open Settings and privacy, then Settings.
- Open Meta Account or Accounts Centre, then Personal details or Manage account, then Account ownership and control.
- Choose Deactivation or deletion, pick the profile, choose to delete it and follow the confirmation steps.
- Consider exporting your information first, as nothing can be retrieved after deletion.
- To change your mind, log back in within the cancellation window and choose Cancel deletion.
The organisation’s own page (opens in a new tab)
Limits to know about
- Menu names differ depending on whether Meta Account or Accounts Centre is shown to you.
- The steps come from the help page; the signed-in flow was not run.
Based on: source 1
Deactivate temporarily
Done through the website or the app. You need to sign in to your account first.
- Sign in, open Settings and privacy, then Settings, then Accounts Centre.
- Open Personal details or Manage accounts, then Account ownership and control, then Deactivation or deletion.
- Choose the profile, select Deactivate account, then follow the confirmation steps.
- Log back in at any time to reactivate.
The organisation’s own page (opens in a new tab)
Limits to know about
- Deactivation hides the profile but does not delete content; it is not closure or erasure.
- The signed-in flow was not run.
Based on: source 2
Ask for your data to be erased
Done through the website or the app. You need to sign in to your account first.
- Delete individual posts and other content yourself; the policy points to tools such as the activity log for bulk removal.
- To have the information tied to the profile deleted, permanently delete the profile using the closure steps.
- For anything else, use the privacy rights requests page and choose Facebook.
The organisation’s own page (opens in a new tab)
Limits to know about
- The privacy rights request page leads to a sign-in, so its form was not read.
- Meta may keep some information for legal issues, terms violations or harm prevention.
Stop marketing
Done through email. No sign-in is needed.
- Use the unsubscribe link in any Meta marketing message to stop it using your information for that direct marketing.
- For objections to other processing based on legitimate interests, use the objection route the policy describes and say why.
The organisation’s own page (opens in a new tab)
Limits to know about
- The ad personalisation settings in Accounts Centre were not read.
- The policy says an objection to legitimate-interest processing is weighed against compelling grounds and legal needs.
Based on: source 3
Get a copy of your data (SAR)
Done through the website, the app or support_form. You need to sign in to your account first.
- Sign in, open Settings and privacy, then Settings, then Accounts Centre, then Your information and permissions.
- Choose Export your information, then Create export, select the profile, and export to a device or an external service.
- Pick the information categories, date range and format, then start the export.
- For other rights requests, open Meta’s privacy rights requests page and choose Facebook with the United Kingdom location.
The organisation’s own page (opens in a new tab) · Official form or action page (opens in a new tab)
Limits to know about
- The privacy rights request page leads to a sign-in, so the form itself was not read.
- No response time for access requests was found on the pages read.
Complain about how data was handled
Done through support_form or post.
- Contact Meta online through its privacy rights requests page, choosing United Kingdom as the location.
- Or write to Meta Platforms, Inc., FAO Privacy Operations, 1 Meta Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025, US.
- The policy also says you can lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.
The organisation’s own page (opens in a new tab) · Official form or action page (opens in a new tab)
Limits to know about
- The privacy rights request page leads to a Facebook sign-in, so the form itself was not read.
- The policy gives no ICO contact details and no response time for Meta.
- The postal address is in the United States.
Deletion, deactivation, erasure and access are different requests
Meta offers several routes that sound alike. The reviewed record separates them like this.
- Account closure (deletion) permanently deletes the profile after the cancellation window. This is the route to use if you want the profile gone.
- Deactivation hides the profile but does not delete content, and you can reactivate by logging back in. It is not closure and it is not erasure.
- Erasure in Meta’s policy means deleting individual content yourself, or permanently deleting the profile to remove the information tied to it. Other requests go through Meta’s privacy rights requests page. Meta may keep some information for legal issues, terms violations or harm prevention. The form behind that page sits behind a sign-in and was not read.
- Subject access starts with the export tool in Accounts Centre, which creates a copy of your information. For other rights requests Meta points to the privacy rights requests page. No response time for access requests was found on the pages read.
- Marketing has a simple route (the unsubscribe link in any Meta marketing message). Objecting to other processing based on legitimate interests is a separate route, and the policy says it is weighed against compelling grounds and legal needs. The ad personalisation settings in Accounts Centre were not read.
The cancellation window and what lingers afterwards
Meta’s help page gives two time periods. You can cancel for up to 30 days after starting deletion, and the page says the number of days varies by region. Deleting everything can then take up to 90 days.
Backups and retained information
Meta says copies may stay in backups, and that information may be kept for legal issues, terms violations or harm prevention. A completed deletion is therefore not a statement that no trace remains anywhere.
Other profiles in your Meta Account are not affected when one profile is deleted.
What to expect afterwards
What changes or is lost
- Permanent deletion cannot be reversed once the cancellation window ends; photos, posts, videos and other content are deleted.
- You can no longer use Messenger, and Facebook Login for other apps such as Spotify or Pinterest stops working, so those accounts may need separate recovery.
- Messages you sent may still be visible to friends, because copies sit in their inboxes.
- Pages that only you control are deleted, or deactivated if you deactivate, unless you first give someone else full control.
- If you use Facebook to log in to Meta Quest, deleting the profile also deletes your Meta Quest information, including app purchases and store credit.
- Other profiles in your Meta Account are not affected when one profile is deleted.
Changing your mind. You can cancel for up to 30 days after starting deletion; the page says the number of days varies by region.
What may be kept. Deleting everything can take up to 90 days; copies may stay in backups, and information may be kept for legal issues, terms violations or harm prevention.
Linked accounts. Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp are separate products. Deleting Facebook ends Messenger use and Facebook Login for other apps. Check whether a Threads profile was created with this Facebook login (see the Threads entry) before deleting.
What TraceErase does here, and what you do
- You follow the organisation’s steps above on its own site or app, and send any request yourself. TraceErase does not log in to your accounts, does not hold your passwords and does not send requests to Facebook for you.
- TraceErase shows the guidance it checked and the date, prepares an editable draft request from a template, and keeps a record of what you sent and when, with provisional response dates worked out from the dates you enter.
- A directory listing is not proof that you have an account, and following these steps is not proof that the organisation has erased anything. The organisation decides its own reply.
Sources
The organisation’s own pages that TraceErase checked this guide against, and the day each was read.
- www.facebook.com/help/224562897555674 (opens in a new tab) · read 8 October 2026Explains permanent deletion of a Facebook profile, what is lost, the 30-day cancellation window and the 90-day deletion period.
- www.facebook.com/help/214376678584711 (opens in a new tab) · read 8 October 2026Explains temporary deactivation of a Facebook profile, what stays visible and how to reactivate.
- www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/ (opens in a new tab) · read 8 October 2026Meta Privacy Policy (UK view, effective 23 July 2026) lists access, erasure, objection and complaint rights, Meta’s contact route and the ICO.
- www.facebook.com/help/212802592074644 (opens in a new tab) · read 8 October 2026Explains exporting a copy of Facebook information from Accounts Centre to a device or an external service.
- help.meta.com/support/privacy/ (opens in a new tab) · read 8 October 2026Privacy rights requests page for the United Kingdom lists Facebook, Instagram and Threads as products to request support for.
General information, not legal advice. Organisations change their pages, so check the source for anything that matters to you.
Questions
What happens to my data when I delete my Facebook account?
Meta says photos, posts, videos and other content are deleted, you can no longer use Messenger, and Facebook Login stops working for other apps. Deleting everything can take up to 90 days, copies may stay in backups, and some information may be kept for legal issues, terms violations or harm prevention.
Can I get my Facebook account back after deleting it?
Only during the cancellation window. Meta says you can cancel for up to 30 days after starting deletion (the number of days varies by region). Once that window ends, the permanent deletion cannot be reversed.
Does deactivating my Facebook account erase my data?
No. Deactivation hides the profile but does not delete content, and you can reactivate at any time by logging back in. It is not closure or erasure.
Who is responsible for my Facebook data?
The Meta Privacy Policy, UK view, names Meta Platforms, Inc. as the data controller for Meta Products including Facebook. Instagram, Threads, WhatsApp and Messenger are separate products with their own routes.
Keep track of your request
A free TraceErase account includes the directory, request drafts and a case record with dates. A plan is a separate, later choice, and creating an account does not start a purchase.