How to Deactivate Facebook on iPhone

Disable your Facebook account temporarily

By
Dave Johnson
Dave Johnson
Dave Johnson
Writer
  • Rutgers University
  • Central Michigan University
Dave Johnson has been writing about tech since 1990. He's the author of over 2 dozen books and his writing has appeared in Wired, PCWorld, Business Insider, and many other publications.
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Updated on October 17, 2021
Reviewed by
Jessica Kormos
Jessica Kormos
Reviewed by Jessica Kormos
  • Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others.
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What to Know

  • Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Account Ownership and Control > Deactivation and deletion.
  • Select Deactivate account > Continue to account deactivation. Choose a reason, tap Continue, and confirm.
  • Deactivation is temporary; you can reactivate your account anytime. Deletion is permanent.

This article explains how to temporarily deactivate your Facebook account on an iPhone. It also outlines the key differences between deactivating and deleting.

How to Temporarily Deactivate Facebook Using the App

On the Facebook app, deactivating your Facebook profile takes a few simple steps. If you change your mind, you can always reactivate it later.

  1. Start the Facebook app and tap the three horizontal lines in the lower-right corner of the screen. The Facebook menu will appear.

  2. Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy > Settings. 

    Facebook Settings & Privacy > Settings

  3. In the Your Facebook Information section, tap Account Ownership and Control.

  4. Tap Deactivation and deletion.

  5. Tap Deactivate account > Continue to account deactivation.

    Facebook mobile Deactivate account

  6. Choose from the list of reasons, and then tap Continue. Confirm this is what you want to do, and your account will be deactivated until you log back in using the app or in a web browser.

Deactivate Facebook Using the Safari Mobile Browser

Deactivation using a mobile browser is similar:

  1. Open Facebook in Safari, and tap the three horizontal lines in the upper-right corner of the browser. Scroll down and tap Settings.

  2. In the Your Facebook Information section, tap Account Ownership and Control.

  3. Tap Deactivation and Deletion.

    Steps to take to deactivate a Facebook account in mobile browser.

  4. Tap Deactivate Account > Continue to Account Deactivation.

  5. Choose from the list of reasons, and tap Continue. Confirm this is what you want to do, and your account will be deactivated until you choose to log back in using the app or in a web browser.

Differences Between Deactivating and Deleting Facebook

Deactivation and deletion are different.

  • Deactivation is temporary: This is handy if you want to take a break from Facebook, or if you're considering deleting your account completely but haven't yet decided. When you deactivate your account, all your posts and photos go offline and won't be visible to other people (though your messages will remain visible to people you've messaged). If you reactivate your account, everything will reappear.
  • Deleting Facebook: If you simply delete the app, your account remains and is unaffected. However, if you delete your Facebook account, this permanently and irrevocably deletes everything, including posts, photos, and messages. Facebook waits 30 days in case you change your mind, but after that, you must create a new account from scratch.
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