In 2009, Facebook was all the rage and the largest social network in the world emerged. The world now looks different: the Facebook empire has continued to grow, but other networks are steadily replacing the platform. The question: How can you permanently delete your Facebook account?
For many years, Facebook was the network used by all age groups to network. Millions of users have trusted and still trust Facebook with photos, videos, status posts, interests and relationship details. And that, mind you, initially via PCs and laptops instead of via smartphones.
But in recent years, the platform with the characteristic thumb has receded into the background. Social networks like Instagram or Tiktok put Facebook in the shade – or messenger services like WhatsApp . If you finally want to clean up your “website” and turn your back on Facebook , we’ll show you how to delete your account
DELETE FACEBOOK ACCOUNT – HOW IT WORKS
You hear again and again that it is not that easy to delete your own Facebook account – or even that it is not possible at all. That’s not true, even if you have to click your way through some fields and put in some effort. Facebook is accommodating and gives you a variety of options. On the one hand, the well-known “deactivate account” option is available. This step will not delete your account, just put it on hold . You can reactivate it at any time, your data will be retained.
To make a clean cut and permanently delete your account activity, here’s what you need to do:
Open Facebook via this link and log in if you are not already logged in. Alternatively, you can also reach the page by clicking on the menu icon at the top right of your Facebook homepage > Settings and privacy > Settings > Facebook information > Deactivation and deletion.
You will be presented with a window where you can deactivate your account, download a copy of your data and ultimately delete your account as well. Facebook’s support center recommends saving a copy of the data before deleting it. The time has now come. Then click on “Delete account”.
Follow the instructions on your screen and confirm the deletion with your password.
You will then be logged out of Facebook.
A BACK DOOR REMAINS OPEN
Even if you have now officially deleted your account, there is still a back door open to you if you change your mind. Initially, you only requested the deletion, so that your account only “properly” comes into effect after a period of 30 days. If you log into your account again within this period, the deletion process will be canceled and you will have to start the process from the beginning. Otherwise, it can take up to 90 days for all of your data to disappear from Facebook.
However, Mark Zuckerberg’s social network reserves the right to store some of your data as a backup if necessary. This is justified with any legal concerns, data loss – or even “in the event of a disaster [and] a software error,” says the support center . Even friends with whom you have exchanged messages can continue to see this or other data.
DELETE FACEBOOK: THESE ARE THE CONSEQUENCES
Deleting your Facebook account is not as difficult as it first appears. But have you also thought about the consequences and connections? It’s obvious, but: You can no longer use Facebook Messenger as a service after deletion – including as an alternative to WhatsApp .
However, it is more serious if you have logged into other services or apps with your Facebook account. Third-party providers often offer to log in to their service with existing accounts – such as Facebook or Amazon – instead of having to create a new user account. You can do this on Spotify or Pinterest, among others. If you have permanently logged out of Facebook, you can no longer log in with your Facebook account data.
You should therefore think carefully about what else you need Facebook for and get other access data beforehand. Otherwise, you may need to contact the service’s customer service to log back into your account.
