How to Quit Facebook Permanently

A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Quit Facebook Permanently

We all love connecting with friends and relatives over Facebook, perhaps by sharing funny videos of cats with each other. However, with the slew of privacy risks and issues that Facebook has recently been associated with, it may be a better time than ever to permanently quit Facebook.

We’re going to explore everything you need to know about quitting Facebook over the course of today’s guide, but first, let’s start with a brief intro.

Why Should I Quit Facebook?

Here are just a few of the reasons why more and more people are quitting Facebook and opting for sites that have a bit more respect for their privacy:

1 – Facebook is known to share your location and your interests with third-parties (mainly advertisers) that use this info to build up a profile of you and your potential spending habits.

2 – Your activity is also shared with a wide range of other users, including your friends. You can limit what others see over Facebook, but you don’t have full control over it.

3 – Data breaches happen regularly, in which hackers gain access to supposedly confidential information about Facebook members.

4 – Facebook is also addictive, and something that you can sink hundreds of hours into over the course of a year without even meaning to.

So you’ve decided that you’re quitting Facebook for good? Let’s get into how you can do it.

How to Quit Facebook Permanently

Permanently deleting your Facebook account will delete all of your posts, photos and videos. It will also disable Facebook Login and other related apps that may use your Facebook credentials, so be sure that you’ve figured out an alternate way to sign into those accounts.

Here are the steps to deleting your Facebook account forever:

1 – Log into Facebook and go to the main page.

2 – Click the little arrow at the top right of the page and head to “Settings & Privacy.”

3 – Go to the column on the left and then click “Privacy” and then “Your Facebook Information.”

4 – Go to the “Deactivation and Deletion” option.

5 – Click the “Delete Account” option, put in your password and then press the button to continue.

6 – Wait 30 days for your account deletion to validate.

Keep in mind that you have a 30-day period in which you can change your mind and keep all of your Facebook info intact. After that time has elapsed, everything will be lost and you’ll have to start a new Facebook account from scratch if you want to access the social network.

What’s the Difference Between Deactivating and Deleting My Account?

Facebook also lets you deactivate your account for a temporary period, meaning that you’ll retain all of your posts and data without losing access to it forever. However, since you’re interested in quitting Facebook permanently, you probably don’t want to have the nagging temptation of logging back in at the back of your mind.

When your account is deactivated, other people won’t be able to see you or search you up on Facebook. Your info and prior messages may still be available to people you sent them to, making this a good way to preserve confidential or sensitive information that may not be available elsewhere.

If you have public pages under your control, they will also be deactivated if you’re the only one managing them. Be sure to give someone else full control of your pages if you want to keep them running while your account is deactivated.

How Do I Back Up My Facebook Data?

You may want to get Facebook out of your life as soon as possible, but you may want to retain a few of the valuable pieces of history that your account has amassed over the years. Thankfully, you can always return to these moments by backing up your Facebook data so you don’t have to rely on Facebook to store them.

Backing up your data allows you to preserve your photos, videos, messages, and even your friend list. Here’s how you can back everything up:

1 – Open up the Facebook settings menu.

2 – Go to the “Your Facebook Information” page.

3 – Click “Download Your Information”

After you head to this page, you’ll be able to select the range of dates that you want to collect the data from. You can also select between various kinds of data, including text data, photos, videos, and others. This will allow you to determine how much space the data will take up in advance, which is valuable for devices with relatively little storage space.

You can even select the format that your data is downloaded in, though the most popular option is HTML. You can also choose JSON files if you want to transfer your info to another social media platform in the future, especially if you find one that respects your privacy a bit more than Facebook!

If I Ever Want to Return, Is There a Safer Way to Browse Facebook?

Considering we’re called PinpointVPN, you probably know exactly what we’re going to recommend you use to browse Facebook as safely as possible.

Let’s say you’ve decided to come back to Facebook since you like what it has to offer but you’re not a fan of your info being shared with everyone. What can you do to make your browsing experience safer and more private? Using a VPN is a good start.

For example, PrivateInternetAccess allows you to mask your identity while you browse social media sites like Facebook since your IP address will be rerouted through their servers.

We also recommend ExpressVPN because it features a simpler UI than many of its competitors, making it an excellent first-time VPN for social media users.

Along with hiding your IP address, a VPN will also hide your location from Facebook, so they can’t use geolocation to keep track of where you are when you make a post.

As a final benefit, you’ll be able to access Facebook securely from any device that you have your VPN installed on, regardless of where you are. Whether you’re at work, school, or even if you don’t want your ISP seeing what you’re doing at home, a VPN will keep you secure.