Delete Your Facebook Account/ Turning off Facebook

Sick of the biggest social network in the world? By using these procedures to temporarily deactivate or permanently erase your Facebook account, you may say goodbye to all of your “friends.” You could be considering a break from Facebook due to recent events or the status of social media in general. For those who don’t have that choice, tighten up your account settings. However, there are ways to get out of the social network if it irritates you or if you’ve had enough and can’t take it any longer. How to erase Facebook is provided here.

Turning off Facebook

You have two choices on Facebook: deactivate or delete

The first task is quite simple. Select Settings & Privacy > Settings from the menu that appears when you click your profile image in the top right corner of the desktop. On the left, click Your Facebook Information. Deactivation and deletion are at the bottom of the page if you scroll down. (To use when signed in, use this direct link, which opens in a new window.))

To access the Settings & Privacy menu on your iPhone or Android device, hit the three-line hamburger icon, then select Settings > Personal and Account Information > Account ownership and Control > Deactivation and deletion. Facebook doesn’t take this lightly; it will use any legal means, including emotional blackmail about how much your friends will miss you, to keep you around.

Related: Errors in Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp

Deactivation is different from quitting Facebook. Yes, your timeline will vanish, you won’t be able to use the website or your account on mobile devices, your friends won’t be able to post or contact you, and you won’t have access to any of the third-party services that utilize (or demand) a Facebook login. Facebook did not, however, remove the account. Why? So that you can activate it again at a later time. As you deactivate, it states clearly: “This may be temporary.”

You may download a copy of all your Facebook data, including posts, photos, videos, conversations, and more, from the Settings & Privacy > Settings > Your Facebook Information menu in case the anticipated reactivation doesn’t happen. View > Download Your Information. You might be surprised by what you find.

How to Delete Facebook Forever

Go to facebook.com/help/delete account to permanently delete your Facebook account (Opens in a new window). Just be aware that, in accordance with Facebook’s data use policy(Opens in a new window), “copies of that information may remain viewable elsewhere after you remove information from your profile or delete your account, to the extent that such information has been shared with others, was otherwise distributed in accordance with your privacy settings, or was copied or stored by other users.”

In other words, even if you deactivate your own profile, any comments you made on a friend’s status update or photo will still be visible. Even after being deleted, some of your posts and images can persist on Facebook servers for up to 90 days, but not online. There is a 30-day grace period before deletion. In case you decide to change your mind, Facebook will give you a month before actually closing your account. Just another way Facebook shows its concern.

Related: Your Favorite Videos: Facebook Video Downloading

Remove or Remember for Others

Without being able to log in as that person, you cannot remove their account. But you have the power to expel others. children underage in particular, Facebook prohibits users under 13 in order to comply with federal law (Opens in a new window).

Report the account(Opens in a new window) on Facebook to let them know about a user who is under 13 years old. Facebook will immediately remove an account without warning if it can “reasonably establish” that it is being used by a minor.

For those who are unable to use Facebook due to a medical condition, there is a special form to request the deactivation of their accounts. In order for this to be valid, the requester must provide evidence that they are the subject’s guardian (such as a power of attorney) and an official note describing their incapacity from a physician or medical facility.

Once accepted by Facebook, a legacy contact(Opens in a new window)—a Facebook friend or family the account owner named before they passed away—can see a deceased user’s timeline. A link to an obituary or other relevant paperwork, such as a death certificate, may be required from the legacy contact.

Facebook will “memorialize” the page(Opens in a new window) so the legacy contact may maintain authority over the timeline of the dead. While they cannot post in the deceased’s place, they may control the profile picture and cover photo, any memorial posts left by other friends, and any friend requests issued on the deceased’s behalf. Above the person’s name on the page is the phrase “Remembering.”

The page may be permanently deleted if the legacy contact desires (Opens in a new window). By heading to Settings & Privacy > Settings > General >Memorialization Settings, you may immediately choose a particular legacy contact person to manage your account after your demise. Enter a friend’s name to discover their Facebook profile, click Add, and then click Send to send a notice to that person. (You may also visit this page to delete or edit the legacy contact.)

Once you select a legacy contact (you may only have one), Facebook will notify you once a year to confirm that the contact should remain the same. Even if the legacy contact requests that the account be memorialized, you have the choice to make sure that, in the event that they do report you as deceased to Facebook after your passing, your account will be erased. That’s a terrific way for the vast beyond to assume control.