How to Deactivate Facebook Account

Whether you need a short break from social media or want to reduce your online presence, Facebook has a few options to help you with that.

How to deactivate your Facebook account

You can simply deactivate your account and reactivate it whenever you want by logging back in, or you can delete your Facebook account permanently.

Deactivating your Facebook account won’t delete your presence altogether, and some aspects of it will still be visible to other people.

In this post, you can learn how to deactivate your Facebook account (the classic version and the new 2020 updated version), deactivate your profile but keep Messenger, and reactivate your account when you’re ready.

Let’s begin:

How to deactivate your Facebook account (classic version)

1. Click the downwards arrow in the top-right corner of Facebook.

2. Select Settings from the drop-down menu.

3. Click General in the left sidebar.

4. Under General Account Settings, click Manage Account.

5. Click Deactivate your account (the blue link at the bottom).

6. Enter your Facebook password and click Continue.

7. You’ll now be asked whether you’re sure you want to deactivate your account. Select a reason from the list and click Deactivate to confirm.

Just above the Deactivate button, you have the options to keep using messenger and opt out of future emails from Facebook. Check the boxes to make your choices.

How to deactivate your Facebook account with the new 2020 version

The new Facebook update was released back in May, but as it stands only random users have been invited to switch. Its new minimal layout makes deactivating your account slightly different. Here’s how to deactivate your account if you are using the new version:

1. Tap the downwards arrow in the top-right corner of Facebook. In the drop-down menu, click Settings & Privacy.

2. Click Settings.

3. Select Your Facebook Information from the left sidebar and click Deactivation and Deletion at the bottom of the menu.

4. Check Deactivate Account and click Continue to Account Deactivation. Follow the instructions to confirm that you want to deactivate your account.

What can people see when my account is deactivated?

While deactivating your account is less severe than deleting it altogether, some of your information will still be in view. Here is what happens when you deactivate your Facebook account:

• No one can see your profile.

• Past messages you’ve sent to friends will still be visible to the recipient.

• Your friends may still see your name in their friends list, but this is only visible to your friends.

• If you were a part of any Facebook group, admins will see your posts and comments along with your name.

What can people see if I deactivate my Facebook account but keep Messenger?

As you may know, Facebook gives you the option to deactivate your account but still keep and use Facebook Messenger. If you decide to go this route, your online profile will still exist to a certain degree:

• You can chat with friends on Messenger.

• Other people can search for you to send you a message.

• Your Facebook profile picture will be visible in your conversations on Messenger.

If you’d like to completely erase your profile from Facebook, you can permanently delete your account in Facebook settings.

Reactivating your account

Returning your Facebook account to its former glory is pretty simple. Just log back in using the same username and password as before. But remember that you’ll need to have access to the email or mobile number associated with your account to complete the reactivation.

Want to reactivate your Facebook account but don’t have access to your email account?

It happens. We want to reactivate an account or set up a new one only to find that we can’t access the reset link emailed to us – all because we don’t have access to that mailbox anymore.

Whether you’ve been locked out of your email account, or it’s an old mailbox you’ve forgotten the password to, there are a few things you can try:

1. Log in with your phone number or an alternate email account: When you created a Facebook account, you may have given your phone number or an alternate email address. Try logging in using your phone number of other email addresses. Remember to include the country code if you are signing in with your phone number.

2. Try Trusted Contacts: You may have Trusted Contacts set up with your Facebook account, in which case you can get their help accessing it. Usually, a recovery code is sent to one of your trusted contacts to help you log back in.

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