Thankfully, deleting your Facebook profile can be done in a matter of minutes sans any complicated procedures you might think accompany the process. Whereas deactivating your account will only put some of your information on temporary hiatus, deleting it indefinitely will permanently rid the site of your data, from photo albums and Likes to status updates and timeline info, with no option for recovery. Facebook has provided a disclaimer essentially saying some of the data may remain on the site for technical reasons, but it will no longer be identifiable or searchable as your own. And after 14 days, it will be like you were never there to begin with.
Log in to Facebook
You can't permanently delete your account without logging in to Facebook first. If you could, it would be much easier for people with malicious intent to delete unwitting users' Facebook accounts. To begin the process of account deletion, visit Facebook.com and provide your login info as you normally would.
Some users who forget their login information are faced with the frustrating situation of wanting to delete an account they can no longer log into. For help logging in, click the "Can't log in?" link on the log in screen below the boxes for your email and password. Follow the instructions on the following page to attempt to retrieve your account information with your email account, phone number, user name, or actual full name.
Allow Facebook to gather your data
Select the General tab from the left-hand navigation column and click the blue Download a copy link located at the bottom of the General Account Settings pane. Afterward, click the green Start My Archive button in the middle of the resulting page, re-enter your Facebook password in the pop-up window and click the blue Submit button in the bottom right corner. Click the blue Start My Archive button again when prompted, noting Facebook will send you an email when the gathered information is ready for download.
Turn off your apps on Facebook
Once you've changed your form of login in the apps, it's a good idea to remove and disable them in your Facebook settings to be safe:
- Click the downward arrow at the top right-hand corner of Facebook.
- Click "Settings."
- Select "Apps" in the left-hand column.
- Remove each app on the list by clicking the "x" next to it.
- A pop-up will ask you to confirm the removal of the app. Check off "Delete all your [app name] activity on Facebook. This may take a few minutes." Now, hit the "Remove" button.
- Then, click "Edit" (this is to the right of "Use apps, plugins, games and websites on Facebook and elsewhere?")
- Click "Turn Off Platform."
By turning off the platform and removing the apps, information about your apps cannot be recovered, and your user ID will no longer be shared with the applications.
Clear your Facebook history
Clear your Facebook history if desired. Next, you may want to undo some or all of your previous actions on Facebook, such as comments you've made, especially if they include personal information. Account deletion doesn't occur immediately — a waiting period of 14 days must pass before your account (and the contributions associated with it) are gone for good. So, if there's anything you want to disappear immediately, you may want to manually delete it now.
Note, however, that some activity, like the personal messages you send to others, can't be deleted. It's easy to delete lots of your history at once with the Activity Log. To access the Activity Log, click the Privacy button in the top-right corner (it looks like a padlock next to three horizontal lines). Select “See More Settings”. On the next page, click the "Use Activity Log" link. Here, you can delete pieces of your activity by clicking the small pencil icon next to each and selecting "Delete".
Now Finally delete Facebook account
- Directly navigate to the Facebook account deletion form, or search “delete account” within the Facebook Help Center and select the resulting link, to begin the deletion process.
- Pop up window will appear and then click Delete my account
- Confirm your decision with pop-up window. The pop-up window says “You are about to permanently delete your account. Are you sure?“. Enter password and security check and then click ok
- After confirming, again new pop-up window appears “Permanently Delete Account“. It says ” Your account has been deactivated from the site and will be permanently deleted within 14 days. If you log into your account within the next 14 days, your account will be reactivated and you will have the option to cancel your request.“
- Now you would be logged out from your Facebook account. Check your email with the subject “Account Scheduled for Deletion“. In a mail you are requested again to cancel your request to permanently delete your account. It indicates that Facebook still doesn’t want to lose you. If you still want to come again to Facebook world, login with a given link.
When you will log in again, a new pop-up appears. It say to either to “Cancel Deletion” or “Confirm Deletion“. Now again the choice is yours, “Cancel Deletion” if you want to come again or “Confirm Deletion” if you still stick with your decision.
Point to Remember
- Never login again next 14 days, if you are sure you wish to permanently delete your account.
- If you wish to come back again, simply follow the link below within 14 days https://www.facebook.com/login.php
- Must log out of anything connected with Facebook. It may include any app or service that you’ve connected or logged in. It may be Instagram, calender app, Spotify etc. on your smartphone.
- Clear your browser’s cache and cookies from your desktop, smartphone and tablet. Otherwise, saved login credential on your respective devices will trigger account reactivation.
Note that there’s a difference between deleting and deactivating a Facebook account. When you delete it, Facebook no longer uses the content it held and you can’t recover it (Facebook suggest that you download your information before deleting an account). When you deactivate an account your timeline and associated information disappears but it’s not gone. Rather, it’s in a state of suspended animation. You can later return and reactivate it by logging on with your associated email address and password.