The recent fiasco with Cambridge Analytica is a perfect example of how Facebook slithers through the lives of every individual whether they know it or not, and why many people simply want to be done with the social network.
Thankfully, deleting your Facebook profile can be done in a matter of minutes. 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. After 14 days, it will be like you were never there to begin with.
Ready to free yourself from social media fatigue? Scroll down a bit if you want to learn how to protect your personal data without actually deleting Facebook. If you’ve really had enough though, follow the instructions below.
Delete your account for good
Deletion Episode 1: Pack your bags
Much like anything you don’t necessarily need to do, but desire to do, there’s always a moment of hesitation before you pull the trigger. You’ve likely built up a wealth of Facebook content since you stumbled onto the site all those years ago, a good deal of it in the form of candid photos, messages and other content that speaks highly (or not so much) about you as an individual.
Luckily, Facebook allows users to download an archival volume of your data for offline use, including photos, posts you’ve shared, ads you’ve clicked and a host of other data not accessible simply by logging into your account. It’s quick and easy to download, and though it won’t be as exciting as navigating your actual timeline, at least it’s there should you want to virtually stroll down memory lane.
Step 1: Click on the down arrow button next to the question mark icon on the navigation bar.
Step 2: Click “Settings.”
Step 3: On the resulting “General Account Settings” page, click on the “Download a copy of your Facebook data” link listed directly under “Manage Account.”
Step 4: On the “Download Your Information” page, click on the green “Start My Archive” button.
Step 5: Enter your password in the pop-up box and hit “Submit.”
Step 6: Click the blue “Start My Archive” button in the popup.
Step 7: Facebook will send a link to the archive via email when it’s ready.
Step 8: After receiving Facebook’s email, click on the link.
Step 9: On the resulting page, click on the green “Download Archive” button and re-enter your password.
Step 10: Select the location where you want to locally store the data and click the “Save” button.
Deletion Episode 2: Sever your ties
Now that you have a local copy of your Facebook account, you can move to delete it from the social website. But that’s a drastic step: one that Facebook intentionally buries within its Help Center. You can deactivate your account for any amount of time, but getting to the process of actually ridding yourself of Facebook forever is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Facebook’s grace period is a double-edge sword. When you request to delete your account, you’ll be given 14 days in which you can login and immediately reactivate your account. While this may sound convenient should you change your mind within the two-week span, it’s not exactly convenient if you’re trying to delete your account once and for all.
That’s because there’s a slight problem. Third-party apps you’ve previously linked to your Facebook account — such as Instagram, Spotify and Twitter — will automatically log you into Facebook, regardless if you’ve chosen to delete your account. That being said, it’s best to remove any linked accounts from the social network prior to deletion. Just make sure to login to the app next time using its respective login credential, not your soon-to-be-deleted Facebook info.
Step 1: Click on the down arrow button next to the question mark icon on the navigation bar.
Step 2: Click “Settings.”
Step 3: On the resulting “General Account Settings” page, click the “Apps” category in the menu on the left.
Step 4: On the resulting “App Settings” page, you’ll see a handful of listed apps. To see all connected apps, click on the “Show All” to list (surprise!) an insane number of connected apps.
Step 5: To delete apps individually, move your mouse over the app and click on the “X” to remove.
Step 6: In the pop-up box, click on the blue “Remove” button.
Step 7: Rinse and repeat as necessary.
Deletion Part 3: Hasta lavista, baby
Once you’ve downloaded your data and unlinked all third-party ties with Facebook, it’s time to actually delete your account. Again, there’s no going back once the 14-day grace period expires, so make sure deleting your account is the right decision for you. Jot down those birthdays and ask your online friends for contact info outside of Facebook. Deleting your Facebook account doesn’t have to mean you’ll drop of the face of the Earth.
Step 1: Simply head here to the Help center.
Step 2: Click on the blue “Delete My Account” button.
Step 3: In the following pop-up box, enter your password, enter the provided CAPTCHA code, and hit the white “OK” button.
Step 4: In the following pop-up window, Facebook will state that the account will be deleted within 14 days. Click the blue “OK” button to confirm. So long, Facebook!
Step 5: Avoid Facebook at all costs until account deletion. Feel the freedom.
Most importantly, do not access the website using your desktop browser, mobile device or through any third-party app or service that’s still active using Facebook’s credentials. Your account will be permanently deleted after the given amount of time. If you do login accidentally, repeat the deletion process and ensure you’ve disconnected all third-party software from Facebook.
Protect yourself without deleting Facebook
Alternative #1: Remove Facebook from apps
This first alternative removes Facebook from connected apps. You’re essentially turning the platform off so third-party apps don’t have access to your account and its information. Here’s how to block them:
Step 1: Click on the down arrow button next to the question mark icon on the navigation bar.
Step 2: Click Settings.
Step 3: On the resulting “General Account Settings” page, click the “Apps” category in the menu on the left.
Step 4: On the resulting page, locate “Apps, Websites and Plugins” listed under the apps and click the “Edit” button.
Step 5: On the pop-up, click the blue “Disable Platform” button.
Alternative #2: Block specific data used by other apps
With this method, you’re controlling the data friends and family take with them to other apps, such as your birthday, relationships, education, employment, and so on. Here’s how you can cut off their data supply:
Step 1: Click on the down arrow button next to the question mark icon on the navigation bar.
Step 2: Click Settings.
Step 3: On the resulting “General Account Settings” page, click the “Apps” category in the menu on the left.
Step 4: On the resulting page, locate “App Others Use” and click the “Edit” button.
Step 5: On the pop-up window, choose the data you allow other people to bring with them in their apps.
Step 6: Click the blue “Save” button.
Alternative #3: Turn off Facebook’s data collection on other websites
Finally, our third alternative pertains to your Facebook information used for advertisements. These include your use of websites and apps, and advertisements paired with your social actions. Here’s how to nuke this use of your data:
Step 1: Click on the down arrow button next to the question mark icon on the navigation bar.
Step 2: Click Settings.
Step 3: On the resulting “General Account Settings” page, click the “Ads” category in the menu on the left.
Step 4: On the resulting “Your ad preferences” page, scroll down to “Ad Settings.”
Step 5: Switch on or off “Ads based on your use of websites and apps.”
Step 6: Switch on or off “Ads on apps and websites off of the Facebook Companies.”
Step 7: Choose “Only my friends” or “No One” for “Ads with your social actions.”
Step 8: While you’re here, scroll up to “Your information” and switch off the available settings to your preference.
Still want to delete your Facebook account? Fine then. Let’s move on.
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