How to Delete Your Facebook Account Permanently

The Massive Growth of the Social Media Giant

Before outlining how to delete your Facebook account, it‘s helpful to understand the platform‘s massive scale and rapid growth over the past two decades. What started as a college networking site now reaches over 2.91 billion monthly active users – surpassing Christianity as the world‘s largest faith in terms of followers.

But amid controversy around data privacy and election interference, more users are reconsidering their relationship with the social media behemoth and looking to delete. In fact, account deletions spiked over 50 times in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, with a sharp rise after other controversies as well according to inside sources.

Despite this, Facebook continues expanding its empire. With ownership of Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus VR and plans for an augmented reality metaverse, people may find it increasingly difficult to untangle themselves from the company‘s services. Those committed to deleting may lose access to secondary offerings like virtual reality hardware down the line.

So what exactly does the delete process look like? Let‘s break it down step-by-step…

Why People Are Deleting Facebook

There are many valid reasons one may consider deleting their Facebook account. Beyond standard privacy and security concerns, research shows continued heavy use can negatively impact mental health, productivity, relationships and attention span.

Reviewing this data shows relying heavily on Facebook and other sites may fuel anxiety, twisted self-image perceptions, online harassment and a constant fear of missing out (FOMO). The American Psychological Association even created a therapist finder to meet surging demand to treat social media addiction.

For those deciding these risks outweigh networking benefits, deleting accounts is advised over simple deactivation or discipline attempts…

Deactivating vs Deleting Facebook

Those looking to sever Facebook ties have two options:

Deactivating – Temporarily hides profile and removes some data but can easily be undone

Deleting – Permanently removes account, all posts, and eventually wipes backend data

Deactivation Advantages

• Easily reverse if taking a social media break
• Maintain Messenger access to stay connected
• Keep Facebook memories and connections alive

Deletion Advantages

• Fully limits data collection and privacy concerns
• Avoid temptation to relapse and scroll feed
• Send a message about privacy values

Sources at Facebook signal over 75% of deletions end up returning upon realizing permanence but before the 30-day window expires. Still, each situation is unique and personal priorities around privacy, mental health and values must guide decisions.

Now let‘s walk through exactly how to delete…

Step-by-Step Guide to Delete Facebook Account

Ready to remove your account for good? Follow these simple step-by-step guides tailored to desktop or mobile:

On Desktop:

1. Click down arrow in top right corner
2. Select Settings & Privacy
3. Click Settings in left menu
4. Click Deactivation and Deletion
5. Select Delete Account then Continue to Account Deletion
6. Enter password to confirm account removal

On Mobile Devices:

1. Tap hamburger menu (3 lines)
2. Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy
3. Tap Account Ownership and Control
4. Tap Deactivation and Deletion
5. Select Delete Account then Continue to Account Deletion
6. Enter password to confirm

I highly recommend downloading a copy of all personal photos, posts and data for records before completing deletion. Facebook provides tools to compile this via Settings.

Also be sure to unlink Facebook login access from any external sites like Spotify that may leverage it for quick sign-on.

Once submitted, there is no going back beyond 30 days so be 100% certain before proceeding past the password confirmation stage. This leads us into what happens next…

What to Expect When You Delete Facebook

Here is the timeline showing what occurs after you permanently delete a Facebook account:

Immediately

• Lose access to services like Oculus VR tied to Facebook credentials
• Messenger and associated messaging data is wiped
• Logout forced on Instagram if accounts were linked

Within 30 Days

• Profile, posts, photos all removed from view
• Account scheduled for permanent deletion from backends
• Can still reverse deletion if log back in during this period

After 30 Days

• Permanently deleted – no way to recover account or data
• Some data may still exist in internal Facebook backups per policies

While the profile and account itself is permanently gone within a month, copies of data may persist in Facebook systems for up to 90 days. This allows the recovery of information in case of emergencies but means photos and posts don‘t vanish instantly when you delete your presence.

Alternatives Beyond Full Deletion

Those still undecided on whether to take the deletion leap can take smaller steps to ease their Facebook addiction:

Temporarily Deactivate – Best option if uncertain about permanent removal. Easy to reverse while still providing a mental reset from the site‘s endless scroll.

Adjust Privacy Settings – Limit old posts visibility, restrict access to friend lists, or mask personal details shared in the profile like address and birthday. Every bit of data taken back helps.

Unlike Pages & Unfollow Friends – Cull the News Feed clutter by removing notifications from oversharers and brands while staying loosely connected.

Building self-discipline around Facebook usage is difficult with pages designed intentionally for addiction. Even small usage reductions can improve focus, elevate moods, and limit data collection.

But for those certain its grip on their attention negatively impacts health, relationships and cognition, permanent deletion is advised…

Fascinating Facebook Data Points

Still debating whether to leave? Here are incredible statistics around the platform‘s money and power illustrating what makes deletion challenging:

• Users have an average of 338 friends each yet regularly interact with just ~5% daily
• Over 300 million photos and 500 hours of video get uploaded every single day
• Facebook‘s profits equate to $36 per US/Canada user annually, making it more profitable than Google
• Stock value drops after data scandal wipes led to combined shareholder losses nearing $100 billion
• Spends over $25 billion per year improving content filters, data security protections and content moderation

Reviewing the staggering amount invested to sustain growth and just how deeply personal data pervades systems shows why leaving Facebook permanently takes determination. The path to success lies in mindfully limiting use to improve well-being vs chasing likes and notifications.

Up Next – How to Delete Other Accounts

Looking to limit engagement on other leading social platforms as well? Check out my in-depth guides offering tips to permanently delete accounts from:

• How to Delete Your Instagram Account
• How to Delete Your Twitter Account
• How to Delete Your Snapchat Account

The core process of account removal works similarly across apps. Though as noted, Facebook ties login access to many secondary services that could be impacted in the process.

In Closing

Deciding to delete your Facebook account is highly personal with individual factors around privacy, addiction, relationships and mental health guiding decisions. While usage can undoubtedly connect people worldwide, for some the costs now outweigh the benefits. Others need only temporarily deactivate accounts.

Regardless of direction chosen, I hope the statistics, expert advice and delete walkthroughs presented prove valuable at this pivotal point. My aim is equipping readers with insights to reclaim focus, happiness, personal data and productivity by taking back control.

Wishing you clarity in the next chapter ahead after years scroling the Facebook News Feed. This is the start of something beautiful!