What Happens When You Delete or Deactivate Facebook Account

If you're thinking about taking a break from Facebook, you have two options to choose from – Deactivate and Delete. But what exactly happens to your account and data when you choose either of these options? Let's find out.

Is Facebook Profile Searchable

When you deactivate or delete your Facebook account, your profile will become invisible to others. This means that people won't be able to search and find your profile in search results anymore.

What Happens to Facebook Posts, Comments, Likes, etc.

When you deactivate or delete your Facebook account, your profile and all associated data such as posts, likes, tags, comments, etc., will disappear from other people's view. However, in the case of deactivation, certain places like Messenger, old posts, and tags may still show your data in a limited format. But nobody will be able to click on your profile or access your information.

The major difference between deactivation and deletion is that when you deactivate your account, all your data remains safe on Facebook servers and will be restored when you reactivate your account. It's like putting your account on pause. On the other hand, deleting your account permanently erases all your data from Facebook servers, and you won't be able to recover it unless you have downloaded a backup of your data before deleting the account.

Are Your Friends Unfriended

When you deactivate your Facebook account, you won't be unfriended from any of your friends. However, if you delete your account, you will be automatically unfriended from everyone. If you create a new account in the future, you'll have to send friend requests again to add people to your list.

What Does a Deactivated or Deleted Facebook Account Look Like

Deleted accounts are completely removed from Facebook and cannot be found. However, a deactivated account will still show your name and a blank profile photo. When someone tries to click on a deactivated account, they will see a message stating that the account has been deactivated.

Can You Use Messenger If You Deactivate or Delete Facebook

Deactivating your Facebook account doesn't deactivate Messenger. During the deactivation process, you'll be asked whether you want to keep Messenger active or deactivate it as well. If you choose to keep using Messenger, you can still chat with others, people can search for you on Messenger, and your Facebook profile picture will be used. You can also deactivate Messenger separately whenever you want. However, if you delete your Facebook account, you won't be able to access or use Messenger anymore.

What Happens to Old Messages in Messenger

Deactivating or deleting your account doesn't affect the messages you've sent to other accounts. These messages will still be visible in both the recipient's and your own inbox.

What Happens to Accounts Signed In With Facebook

Even if you deactivate your Facebook account, you can still use the “Sign in with Facebook” option on other websites. However, if you delete your account, you won't be able to use your Facebook login on any other websites. In that case, you'll need to contact the respective websites to recover your account.

What Happens to Oculus Information

When you deactivate or delete your Facebook account, you won't be able to access any Oculus products or associated information anymore. This applies to both deactivation and deletion.

Are Facebook Pages also Deactivated or Deleted

If you are the only admin of a Facebook page and you deactivate or delete your account, the page will also be affected. When you deactivate your account, the page will be temporarily deactivated as well. But when you reactivate your account, the page will be reactivated too. On the other hand, if you delete your account, the page will be permanently deleted. To save your pages, make sure to assign someone else as the admin before deactivating or deleting your Facebook profile.

How Long Does It Take to Delete or Deactivate the Account

Deactivating your account is a quick process and takes effect immediately. However, if you choose to delete your account, Facebook gives you a grace period of 30 days. During this period, your account will remain deactivated. After 30 days, your account and all associated information will be permanently deleted.

Can You Cancel Account Deactivation or Deletion

If you change your mind about deactivating your Facebook account, you can simply log in to your account at any time to cancel the deactivation process. Similarly, if you've requested to delete your account but decide to keep it, you can log in within 30 days of submitting the deletion request to cancel it.

Can You Join Facebook After Deleting or Deactivating the Account

If you deactivate your Facebook account, you can reactivate it at any time and regain access to your account and data. However, if you delete your Facebook account, you cannot recover it. If you want to use Facebook again, you'll have to create a new account.

Difference Between Delete and Deactivate on Facebook

Here's a simple table comparing the differences between deleting and deactivating a Facebook account:

	Deactivation	Deletion
Effect	Temporary	Permanent
Profile visibility	Hidden	Hidden
Data retention	Data is retained	Data is deleted after 30 days
Messenger	Accessible	Not accessible
Facebook Pages	Temporarily deactivated	Permanently deleted
Oculus Products	Not accessible	Not accessible
Cancel request	Anytime	Only within 30 days
Sign in with Facebook	Available	Not available

Now that you understand what happens when you delete or deactivate your Facebook account, you can make an informed decision based on your preferences. If you need further guidance on when to log out, deactivate, or delete your Facebook account, check out our related articles.