How to Delete Your Facebook Account Permanently in 2022: An In-Depth Guide

Wondering how to delete your Facebook account for good? You‘re not alone – quitting Facebook entirely is becoming more common. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know to permanently delete your Facebook account.

Should You Delete Your Facebook Account? The Pros and Cons

Before diving into the steps of how to delete your Facebook account, let‘s look at some of the key pros and cons of leaving Facebook to help decide if permanent deletion is the right choice for you.

Pros of Deleting Facebook

Here are some of the benefits of deleting your Facebook account for good:

Regain privacy and control of your personal data. Facebook has faced many controversies over misusing and mishandling user information. Deleting removes their access.
Take back your time. The average user spends 58 minutes a day on Facebook and its products according to 2021 data. Removing it can recapture a lot of wasted time in your day.
Increase productivity. Studies show that heavy social media usage decreases productivity and focus. Quitting Facebook allows you to devote energy into other tasks.
Avoid unwanted political arguments. Heated debates with friends and family can be emotionally draining. Leaving Facebook removes some opportunities for conflict.
Make a fresh start. For some, deleting an old account provides a clean slate opportunity to re-engage under a new account without baggage of past posts and connections.

Cons of Deleting Facebook

Of course, there are also some downsides to be aware of:

Lose connections. Facebook provides a way to stay in touch with distant friends and family. Leaving means relying on other communication channels.
Miss life events. Since so many events and invites happen over Facebook, deleting your account means you could miss out.
Separation from groups. Many communities like hobby groups, schools, teams, and more organize over Facebook. No longer having an account cuts you off.
Less convenience. Facebook‘s single sign-on makes it very convenient to access many apps and sites. Having to create all new accounts can be a hassle.
Fear of missing out (FOMO). For some, the feeling that they are disconnected from friends and events gives them anxiety.

Overall the pros seem to outweigh the cons for most people evaluating whether to delete Facebook. But assess your own situation carefully.

Complete Walkthrough: How to Delete Facebook Account Forever

If after weighing the pros and cons you decide to delete your Facebook account, here is a step-by-step walkthrough of the full process:

Step 1. Download Your Facebook Data

Start by downloading a copy of your Facebook data including photos, posts, and conversations you want to save. Here‘s how:

Click the down arrow at top right of Facebook and go to "Settings & Privacy" then "Settings".
Select "Your Facebook Information" in the left sidebar menu.
Click "Download Your Information"
Choose date range and types of data to download.
Click "Create File". Facebook will email you the files.

Having this data makes it easy to look back later. You never know when you might want to reminisce on memories or contacts.

Step 2. Delete the Facebook Mobile App

If you primarily use Facebook on a mobile device, delete the app from your smartphone or tablet. This removes the temptation to undo the account deletion later:

iPhone – Hold the Facebook icon until it starts wiggling then click the X to delete.
Android – Touch and hold the icon, then drag it into the uninstall area.

You can also disable notifications for the app under settings which hides it from your home screen.

Step 3. Log in on a Desktop Web Browser

Deleting your account permanently is easiest when done on a desktop computer:

Using a mobile browser is difficult – it tries to redirect you to the app.
Desktop provides the clearest path without distractions.

If you don‘t have a laptop or PC, borrow one from a friend or head to a library to complete the deletion process.

Step 4. Go to Your Facebook Account Settings

Now that you are logged in to Facebook on a desktop browser, go to your account settings:

Click the down arrow at top right.
Select "Settings & privacy" then "Settings".
On the left sidebar, choose "Your Facebook information".

This is where you can view and manage everything connected to your account.

Step 5. Select "Delete Account"

In the "Your Facebook Information" section, two options will appear – deactivate or permanently delete your account:

Deactivate – Temporarily disables profile but doesn‘t delete data. You can easily reactivate.
Delete – Permanently removes account and all data associated with it.

Select "Delete Account" for permanent removal.

Step 6. Confirm Account Deletion

A popup will appear asking you to confirm again that you want to delete your account.

At this point, Facebook may try to convince you to simply deactivate instead. Hold firm and click "Delete Account" if permanent deletion is what you really want.

Step 7. Enter Your Password

For security purposes, you will be asked to enter your Facebook password to confirm your identity.

Type in your current login password and click "Continue" to proceed with account deletion.

And that‘s it – your Facebook account deletion is now in progress!

What Actually Happens When You Delete a Facebook Account?

Now let‘s dig a little deeper into the effects of deleting a Facebook account. What exactly happens behind the scenes when you delete your account?

Immediate effects – Within seconds of deleting your account, you are logged out of Facebook and cannot log back in.
Data deletion – Facebook says it takes 90 days to fully delete all your data from their systems and backups. But it‘s inaccessible after just 30 days.
Profile and posts removed – All your posts, photos, videos, and other profile information are permanently erased.
Friends list deleted – Your connections with friends on Facebook will be completely wiped out.
Pages removed – Any Facebook Pages you owned or administrated will also be deleted.
Can‘t recover account – There is no way to retrieve or reactivate a Facebook account after it‘s been permanently deleted. The deletion cannot be reversed.
Lose Facebook sign-in – You can no longer use Facebook Login to easily sign up for other apps and services.
Oculus access revoked – Your Oculus VR device will lose functionality tied to your Facebook account and purchase history.

In summary, every trace of your presence and activity on Facebook will eventually be eliminated. So be absolutely sure before taking this irreversible step!

How Long Does It Take to Fully Delete a Facebook Account?

Facebook claims that it takes up to 90 days to complete the deletion process. This is because data like your posts and photos get copied to complex backup systems and caches. Removing all of these copies takes time.

But here is the effective timeline after you delete your Facebook account:

Immediately – Account is deactivated and inaccessible to you or anyone.
Within 30 days – Personal data is deleted from active databases and becomes inaccessible to all.
Within 90 days – Data is fully scrubbed from all backup systems and caches.

So you can expect your Facebook account to essentially be deleted within a month. The additional time is just to fully purge their complex systems.

What Friends & Family Will See When You Delete Facebook

You may be wondering what happens from the perspective of your Facebook friends and family when you delete your account.

Here‘s what others will experience:

Profile disappears – Your Facebook profile, photos, posts, and all info will vanish. It‘s as if you were never on Facebook.
Messenger disconnected – Friends will no longer be able to message or call you on Facebook Messenger.
Removed from groups – Any private groups you were a member of will show that you left.
Life events hidden – Milestones like engagements, births, weddings you shared only on Facebook will be erased.
Friends list elimination – You will disappear entirely from the friends list of all connections.
Tagged photos removed – Any photos friends tagged you in will be untagged or deleted entirely.
Comments and posts deleted – All interactions like comments, reactions, and posts on friends‘ content will be removed.

The bottom line is that from their perspective, you will essentially cease to exist on Facebook without a trace. Make sure your close connections have other ways to reach you!

What About Facebook Business Tools Like Oculus?

If your Facebook account is tied to any of their business tools or hardware devices, what happens when you delete your Facebook profile?

Unfortunately, deleting your Facebook account also discontinues your access to a variety of their business services:

Oculus VR – You will lose functionality of the device and all of your purchased apps and games. Your device will be reduced to very basic features only.
Facebook Ads – Any active ad campaigns or analysis data will be removed. You will have to setup a new Ads Manager with a different account.
Facebook Commerce – You will no longer be able to handle sales or track business analytics. All data will be deleted.
Facebook Login – Websites or apps you used Facebook Login for will have to be reauthenticated with another sign-in method.

This illustrates why you need to be strategic about which email and accounts you use with Facebook – linking too many critical business services to your personal account can be restrictive if you later choose to delete it.

How Deactivating Your Account Differs from Deleting

Up to this point, we‘ve focused exclusively on permanently deleting your Facebook account. But what about deactivating?

Deactivating your Facebook account is different than fully deleting it. Here is an overview of how deactivation compares:

Deactivating Account	Deleting Account
Temporarily disables account	Permanently removes account
Can easily reactivate any time	Cannot recover after 30 days
Hides profile from others	Erases profile, posts, photos
Keeps all friends and data	Deletes all friends/data

As you can see, deactivating simply pauses your account while deleting completely eradicates it. Deactivate if you just need a temporary break, but delete if you want to leave Facebook for good.

Permanently deleting your Facebook account used to be extremely rare. But it‘s a growing trend.

More and more people have grown dissatisfied with Facebook and left in recent years:

Up to 27% of US users have deleted the Facebook app from their phone in the last year.
1 in 4 Facebook users ages 18-29 have deleted the Facebook app from their phone.
26% of Americans have taken an "extended break" from Facebook over the past 12 months.

Various events have fueled this exodus:

Data and privacy scandals like Cambridge Analytica have disgusted users.
Aging users are fatigued by an increasing barrage of ads.
Younger users have flocked to alternative social apps like TikTok.
Toxicity and polarization around news and politics have exhausted many.
Groups like #DeleteFacebook have gone viral encouraging quitting.

Given this environment, more former users are staying disconnected from Facebook after deleting their accounts. Where are they going instead?

Instagram – Focusing more on this visual app owned by Facebook. Or deleting it too.
YouTube – Watching videos and content creators has emerged as an alternative.
TikTok – The viral short video app has completely captivated Gen Z.
Twitter – Some migrate to this platform for news, chatter, and debate.
Messaging apps – Relying on small private group chats in apps like Signal.
Nothing – Simply using social media less overall or taking a complete break.

So life after Facebook exists, with new generations moving on to new modes of connecting digitally. But you‘ll need to proactively keep up relationships.

What to Expect Emotionally After Deleting Facebook

Completely deleting your Facebook account can feel like a big life shift. It severs a connection that‘s been part of your daily routine for years in many cases.

What should you expect emotionally after taking this big step?

Liberation – Many former users feel freed and happier without the burden of Facebook‘s demands on their time and attention.
Fear of missing out (FOMO) – You may worry you’ll be disconnected from friends, events, or information. This tends to fade over time.
Withdrawal – Similar to quitting smoking or caffeine, people go through a adjustment phase and crave the dopamine hits of notifications.
Less political stress – Avoiding the often negative and polarizing political content on Facebook is a relief for some.
Boredom – Filling the newfound chunks of free time once spent scrolling requires intention.
Less distracted and more focused – Removing the temptation for distraction can improve concentration on work and family.

Be patient with yourself as you transition to life without Facebook. The initial adjustment period lasts a few weeks to months for most.

Should You Create a New Facebook Account Later On?

After taking a long break from Facebook or permanently deleting your account, you may eventually want to return. Is it advisable to create an all new account?

Here are some pros and cons of starting fresh with a new Facebook profile:

Pros

Distance yourself from past connections or posts you want to leave behind
Build new connections without past limitations
Start fresh without previous account baggage

Cons

Lose access to conversations, photos, and contacts from old account
Need to rebuild profile information and connections from scratch
People may be confused by completely new profile

In many cases, a new account allows a fresh start while an old account has too much embedded history to reinvent. But losing your network can be the tradeoff.

If you do create a new Facebook account after deleting, use a different email and phone number and don‘t connect to old friends right away. This keeps the two accounts separate.

Key Takeaways and Next Steps

Deleting your Facebook account is challenging but doable. Here are some final key highlights:

Download your data first for memories and contacts
Delete the app from your phone to avoid reactivating
Use a desktop web browser to complete the deletion
Deactivating just pauses your account temporarily
Permanent deletion is irreversible after 30 days
Friends will no longer be able to find or contact you on Facebook
Be strategic with business tools tied to your Facebook account
Emotionally, expect liberation but also potential withdrawal

Once your account is deleted, the next step is maintaining real world connections without Facebook:

Proactively reach out to close ties by text, email, phone calls, and meetups
Migrate group communications to alternatives like GroupMe or Slack
Send important life updates via email newsletter if needed
Accept that you‘ll miss some invitations and announcements

With some intention and effort, it is possible to quit Facebook for good while still nurturing the relationships most important to you.

I hope this complete guide covered everything you need to permanently delete your Facebook account with confidence. The process takes only a few minutes but the impact can improve your time, privacy, and wellbeing for years to come.