Skip to main content

How to Permanently Delete a Facebook Account

If you're sure you want to leave Facebook, you can now permanently delete your Facebook account.Facebook makes it pretty easy to deactivate your account which will temporarily hide your information. However, if you want to permanently remove your information, the "permanent delete" option is much harder to find. This article will cover two easy ways to erase your Facebook account so you can Quit Facebook forever.

Steps


Before You Start

  1. Remove Facebook Connect logins. Many sites, like Digg.com and Meetup.com, allow signup and login using Facebook Connect -- List of Facebook Connect sites (may not be complete or current.) If you have accounts on such sites, go to each of them, and:
    • make sure you have a way to login that does not involve Facebook Connect (you will most likely have to create a username and password on the site if you haven't already.)
    • logout of the account, then log back in using the alternate method (not using Facebook Connect), ensuring that you will be able to access the account after your Facebook account is deleted.

Short Method 1

  1. Copy and paste http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=delete_account once you have logged on. This screen will present itself:




  2. Click "Submit" and follow instructions. There will be a simple password and a Captcha spam check to enter in.




  3. Do not login or connect with your Facebook account. You will receive an email saying that your account will be deleted in 14 days. Any interaction with the account during that period could prevent it from being deleted, so for 14 days:
    • do not try to login to your Facebook account; you may want to clear your browser cache and delete your cookies so that you don't login inadvertently.
    • do not click the Facebook Share or Like button on any site you visit.
    • do not use Facebook Connect to login to or signup on any site (see Before You Start, above.)
  4. Wait and watch. At the end of 14 days, all of your posts, comments, info, etc., will be permanently made inaccessible on Facebook.

Longer Method 2

If the short method does not work for you, here is the longer method that sets out how to get to the deletion button.
  1. Go to the bottom of the home page. Click on the "help center" (http://www.facebook.com/#!/help/?ref=pf).




  2. At "help center", type in "Delete Facebook" into the search box at the top of the page. Click "Search".




  3. Arrive at the page titled "Facebook FAQs". Look down the list of FAQs and open the one called: "I want to permanently delete my account. How do I delete my account?"




  4. Read the Facebook information - it basically asks you whether you want to deactivate your account or delete it permanently. (Deactivating means that Facebook retains your profile information (friends, photos, etc.) but you have disappeared from the Facebook service.) Facebook makes it clear that if you want your information removed forever, you can never recover the information and it will be wiped for good.
  5. Click on https://ssl.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=delete_account. You will be reminded that this is a permanent deletion and that your account cannot be reactivated and that none of the content or information you have added can be retrieved.




  6. Click submit. Follow the steps, such as entering your password, email, and Captcha code.




  7. Do not log in for the next 14 days and your account will be deleted completely. Note, however, that if you change your mind before the 14 days period is up, just log in and this will reactivate your account!

Emailing Facebook to delete the account

To speed up the process and if the above failed, try emailing Facebook.
  1. Email Facebook directly. The email is: privacy@facebook.com. Request that Facebook deletes your account.
  2. Wait to get an email response from Facebook confirming that your account has been permanently deleted. This should take a few days.
  3. If you don't hear back from Facebook within a week, email them again. This time, not only email Facebook at privacy@facebook.com, but also send an email to support@facebook.com and one to info@facebook.com.
  4. Finally, attempt to log in to your account once you get an email from Facebook. If you're unable to log in and don't get a message asking you to reactivate your account, your Facebook account has been permanently deleted.

Deactivation

  1. If you're not one hundred percent sure that you want to permanently remove all that information, you can temporarily "deactivate" your Facebook account. Just follow the detailed instructions at How to Deactivate a Facebook Account.

Tips

  • If you really want to be secure, change the contact email back to the new email address and then remove your original contact email from the list. Then deactivate the new account.
  • It should be noted that how deep your deletion goes is highly questionable — does Facebook still store your information even though you've destroyed your way of accessing it? You have no way of knowing.

Warnings

  • If you try to register using your contact e-mail address, Facebook will inform you that the address is currently in use. You must first register using an alternate e-mail address, then add your contact e-mail address when the account creation process is complete.
  • Bear in mind that you will not be able to restore your account after the 14 days of the permanent deletion process have passed.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How To Hide Text In Microsoft Word 2007, Reveal It & Protect It

Sometimes what we hide is more important than what we reveal. Especially, documents with sensitive information, some things are supposed to be ‘for some eyes only’. Such scenarios are quite common, even for the more un-secretive among us. You want to show someone a letter composed in MS Word, but want to keep some of the content private; or it’s an official letter with some part of it having critical data. As important as these two are, the most common use could involve a normal printing job. Many a time we have to print different versions of a document, one copy for one set of eyes and others for other sets. Rather than creating multiple copies and therefore multiple printing jobs, what if we could just do it from the same document?  That too, without the hassle of repeated cut and paste. We can, with a simple feature in MS Word – it’s just called Hidden and let me show you how to use it to hide text in Microsoft Word 2007. It’s a simple single click process. Open the docum...
1 comment
Read more

Boom, the startup that wants to build supersonic planes, just signed a massive deal with Virgin

Have you heard about Boom? Boom is a relatively new startup that’s aiming to build something pretty crazy. They’re not building an app… or a social network… or even some new gadget for the Kickstarter crowd. Boom wants to build planes. Really, really, really fast planes. Specifically, they’re trying to design and build a supersonic passenger plane that goes 2.2x the speed of sound. If all goes to plan, they’ll be able to shuttle people from New York to London in 3.5 hours, and SF to Tokyo in 4.5. Sound crazy? I wouldn’t disagree. It’s worth noting that the company is in the very early days for something as intensive, massive, and hugely expensive as designing and producing a passenger aircraft. They’re still working on their first prototype, and hope to fly it by late next year. But it’s also worth noting that the team behind the plane has some serious talent in its blood: the company’s 11 employees have collectively contributed to over 30 aircrafts — having worked on thin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fun Tools to Translate Your Name into Japanese Calligraphy

Japanese calligraphy is an artistic writing style of the Japanese language. Its Chinese origins can be traced back to the twenty-eighth century BCE. Calligraphy found its way into Japanese culture in 600 CE and is known as the karayo tradition. For Westerners, calligraphy is forever fascinating. However, it takes years to learn how to properly draw the signs. Two basic principles must be known to understand Japanese writing: there are different writing styles and different alphabets. Kaisho for example, is a writing style most commonly used in print media. Tensho on the other hand is used in signatures. Other writing styles are Reisho, Gyosho and Sousho. The alphabets include Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana. Katakana is used for writing foreign words. It can also serve to highlight words, in analogy to capital letters as we know them from the Roman / Latin alphabet (Romaji in Japanese). Each Kanji character has a meaning of its own, while Hiragana or Katakana characters merely repres...
Post a Comment
Read more