How to deactivate your Facebook account

You are fed up with Facebook, the way it handles your data and you want to get out of it. Really? Can you live without updating things you do? If you deactivate Facebook, how will you  show off the nice dress you bought (with a nice selfie)? How will you inform your friends and relatives about the great party you had been to last week?

Facebook has become a part of our lives and it requires immense courage to move out. Most of those who decide to exit Facebook end up going back in a few weeks or months. Some even in days.

If, however, you have decided to have nothing more to do with Facebook, how do you go about it?

Facebook knows you are fickle minded. So, it has an option of ‘deactivating’ the account, so that you can come back whenever you want. Many make the mistake of deactivating their Facebook account and then logging in back to see whether it has really been deactivated. That’s it. Now they are back on Facebook and have to do the deactivating process all over again. Is there a way to totally exit Facebook? Yes. But let us look at deactivating first.

How to deactivate Facebook?

Step 1: Click on Deactivate account in Facebook

Go to Settings.  Under General Account Settings, go to Manage Account. In Manage Account, click on Deactivate account.

Before you click on the Deactivate link, Facebook will warn you about what happens if you deactivate the account:

Deactivating your account will disable your Profile and remove your name and photo from most things that you've shared on Facebook. Some information may still be visible to others, such as your name in their Friends list and messages that you've sent.

Step 2: Enter the password and reason for leaving facebook

The next page will ask for your password. Once you give the password, it will ask you the reason for deactivating Facebook.

It will look like this:

Reason for leaving required

This is temporary. I'll be back.

I don't feel safe on Facebook.

I have another Facebook account.

I have a privacy concern.

I don't find Facebook useful.

I receive too many emails, invitations and requests from Facebook.

My account was hacked.

I don't understand how to use Facebook.

I spend too much time using Facebook.

Other (please explain further):

This is mandatory.

Step 3 :What deactivating Facebook really means?

At the end of the page, Facebook will tell you what deactivation means. Facebook says, “Your Messenger account will remain active until you deactivate it from the Messenger app. Using Messenger will not reactivate your Facebook account. Your profile picture will still be visible in your conversations, and people will still be able to search for you by name to send you a message. You will continue to appear to friends on Facebook in places where they can message you.

There will be one more ‘Deactivate’ link at the end of the page. The moment you click on it, your account will be deactivated.

Now, the catch:

Never try to check whether your account is really deactivated by logging in. The moment you log in, your account gets activated again.