# Killing off a Facebook account **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 23, 2010, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-off-a-facebook-account/544202 "2010-06-23T02:39:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-off-a-facebook-account/544202/1 "2010-06-23T02:39:01Z")
I just deactivated my Facebook account and I notice that it is still actually there - I can reactivate it at any time. Is there any way to actually delete it? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-off-a-facebook-account/544202/2 "2010-06-23T02:43:26Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-off-a-facebook-account/544202/3 "2010-06-23T03:04:27Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > No. Wow. So they get to keep all my info, huh? Not that I gave them much, but still. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-off-a-facebook-account/544202/4 "2010-06-23T03:09:04Z")
It’s not your info. It belongs to them, and always has. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-off-a-facebook-account/544202/5 "2010-06-23T03:13:44Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > No. I’m not saying you are wrong, but you should provide citations for your answers. We don’t accept your authority on things. Not sure about the original question. [Have you tried this link?](http://www.wikihow.com/Permanently-Delete-a-Facebook-Account) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-off-a-facebook-account/544202/6 "2010-06-23T03:20:01Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’m not saying you are wrong, but you should provide citations for your answers. We don’t accept your authority on things. > Not sure about the original question. > > [Have you tried this link?](http://www.wikihow.com/Permanently-Delete-a-Facebook-Account) Sorry. They’ve changed things over the years. Used to be you couldn’t delete your account. Looks like it’s possible now. My mistake for not checking, but then again the OP could have just as easily Googled this instead of asking a bunch of nobodies on a message board. Caveat emptor. ---
**Author:** ![Ionizer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5daacb/32.png) [@Ionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ionizer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-off-a-facebook-account/544202/7 "2010-06-23T17:26:12Z")
I believe it takes approximately two weeks or so for the account to be completely wiped from Facebook. If you go through the proper motions to ‘delete account’, you should get a message upon completion of tasks that if you log-in prior to that time-frame, your account goes back to ‘active status’ (as if you never deleted to begin with). If you do nothing for that period with the (former) account, then it is gone. I deleted my account maybe three weeks (month?) or so ago, and I just searched my name, e-mail addy I used, and a few other tidbits…and found nothing suggesting I had been there before (account-wise, that is). But without an account, I can only view the first three pages of search results - but my wife says that I no longer show up on her account anywhere (if that is a factor). This may, or may not, be the case with the OP, but it is what worked for me apparently. If that message of ‘do not log back in’ was not seen, you may not have gone through the correct ‘total kill’ procedures. It is not highly obvious of what to do, iirc (Facebook does not want anyone to totally delete, obviously). ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-off-a-facebook-account/544202/8 "2010-06-23T19:41:18Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > [Have you tried this link?](http://www.wikihow.com/Permanently-Delete-a-Facebook-Account) Thanks! I’ll work on this when I have faster access later this week. > [@Leaffan](#): > > Sorry. They’ve changed things over the years. Used to be you couldn’t delete your account. Looks like it’s possible now. My mistake for not checking, but then again the OP could have just as easily Googled this instead of asking a bunch of nobodies on a message board. > > Caveat emptor. I’m sorry my Google-fu wasn’t good enough for you…:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-off-a-facebook-account/544202/9 "2010-06-23T19:58:39Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > Thanks! I’ll work on this when I have faster access later this week. > > I’m sorry my Google-fu wasn’t good enough for you…:dubious: What’s so hard about Googling “delete Facebook account?” The link provided is the third one down. The very first one is direct instructions from Facebook. :dubious: Yerself. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-off-a-facebook-account/544202/10 "2010-06-23T23:19:19Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Sorry. They’ve changed things over the years. Used to be you couldn’t delete your account. Looks like it’s possible now. My mistake for not checking, but then again the OP could have just as easily Googled this instead of asking a bunch of nobodies on a message board. > > Caveat emptor. [Moderator Note] **Leaffan** , if you are going to leap in and give a wrong answer, it hardly behooves you to be snarky in later responses. While it’s a good idea to try Googling first, it’s also not very good form to criticize someone for not doing it: From the [GQ Rules:](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=466202) > [@](#): > > 1. Please take some time to consider if your proposed thread is really a General Question; General Questions is for factual questions only. … Cafe Society), deal with sports or games (Game Room), or begin a general discussion (MPSIMS). Perhaps more importantly, many queries can be solved with a simple web search. Please give your favorite search engine a shot if you can before starting a thread. **By the same token, we aren’t interested in hearing about how stupid the question was because a search could have answered the question. Nor are we interested in hearing how simple it was for another poster to find the answer in a search engine. If it’s that simple to find the answer, go ahead and post the answer.** Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-off-a-facebook-account/544202/11 "2010-06-23T23:37:14Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > I just deactivated my Facebook account and I notice that it is still actually there - I can reactivate it at any time. Is there any way to actually delete it? I have a suggestion. Re-open the account; change all the information, including your profile name, to lies. Abandon it. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-off-a-facebook-account/544202/12 "2010-06-24T18:41:21Z")
Yeah that’s what I would do too. Change your information to something reasonable (but false) and don’t worry about it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-off-a-facebook-account/544202/13 "2010-06-25T01:13:11Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I have a suggestion. Re-open the account; change all the information, including your profile name, to lies. Abandon it. That’s what I did, and I recommend it. Sure, go ahead and delete it after that, but I wouldn’t trust deletion to be any better than deactivation. Once you give them your information, they likely have no obligation to remove that information, or at least can find a loophole around any obligations. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Philosopher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Philosopher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Philosopher)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-off-a-facebook-account/544202/14 "2010-06-25T11:38:28Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > What’s so hard about Googling “delete Facebook account?” The link provided is the third one down. The very first one is direct instructions from Facebook. > > :dubious: Yerself. Did you consider taking this advice before giving the wrong answer? ---
**Author:** ![rockypg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aeb1de/32.png) [@rockypg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockypg)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-off-a-facebook-account/544202/15 "2010-06-25T22:29:37Z")
> [@The\_Great\_Philosopher](#): > > Did you consider taking this advice before giving the wrong answer? No.