How to Deactivate Your Facebook Account

This article explains how to deactivate and reactivate a Facebook account on a computer as well as what happens while an account is in deactivation mode. Looking for deactivation on a mobile device? Scroll down; we've got that info for you, too.

How to Temporarily Disable A Facebook Account On a PC

If you're ready to take a break, these steps will help you deactivate your FB account from a web browser until you're ready to go back online.

1. On the Facebook Home Screen, click the downward arrow in the upper right corner.

2. In the menu that appears, select Settings.

3. When the General Account Settings screen appears, click Your Facebook Information on the left navigation bar.

4. In the information that appears on the screen, select View next to Deactivation and Deletion.

5. Select Deactivate Account and then click Continue to Account Deactivation.

6. Complete the form that appears.

   • Choose your Reason for leaving.
   • Add additional explanation if desired.
   • Decide whether to opt-out of email.
   • Decide if you want to Keep Using Messenger or not.

   When you're finished, click Deactivate.

   You can continue to use Facebook Messenger, even if you choose to deactivate your Facebook account. Facebook Messenger will continue to operate as if your Facebook account was active, except that people won't be able to find you in searches and your friends won't be able to view your Facebook account.

7. You will be prompted to confirm that you want to deactivate your account. Click Deactivate Now and you will be logged out and your account will be deactivated.

How to Deactivate Your Facebook Account From the Mobile App

If you're using the Facebook mobile app, the general process of deactivating your account is the same, but the steps look a little different. The instructions vary slightly depending on whether you're using an Android device or an iPhone.

What Happens When You Deactivate Your Facebook Account

When you deactivate your Facebook account, it's essentially like pausing it. You will no longer receive notifications about activity on the account, and your account will not be findable in search. You won't ever show as active and no one will be able to view your profile or any images associated with your account unless someone else is tagged in them and they are still active.

You can still use Facebook Messenger, but there are some limits to that, too, as mentioned above. And you may also experience some issues when logging into or using other accounts that you used your Facebook credentials to log into or create.

Otherwise, it's almost like logging out of your Facebook account.

How to Reactivate Your Facebook Account

When you're ready to go back to Facebook, it's simple to reactivate an account that has not been deleted. All you need to do is log into the account. Once you've logged back in, everything goes back to normal and you can use your Facebook account just as you always have.