Need help deactivating my Facebook account properly

General
1

I’m trying to deactivate my Facebook account but I keep getting confused by all the different settings like “deactivate,” “delete,” and “temporary disable.” I don’t want to lose my photos or Messenger history, but I also don’t want my profile to be visible anymore. Can someone walk me through the exact steps to safely deactivate Facebook and explain what I should back up or change first so I don’t mess anything up?

2

Facebook makes this way more confusing than it needs to be. Quick breakdown and steps so you do not lose your stuff.

  1. What each option means

  • Deactivate account

    • Your profile disappears from Facebook search and friend lists.
    • Your photos and posts stay stored on Facebook servers.
    • Messenger still works, people still see your name and chat with you.
    • You can log back in and everything comes back.

  • Delete account

    • Facebook starts a 30 day grace period.
    • If you log in in those 30 days, deletion stops.
    • After that, they queue your data for permanent deletion.
    • You lose access to photos, posts, reactions, comments.
    • Some messages to other people can stay in their inbox as a copy.

  • “Temporary disable”

    • This is basically the same as deactivation. Sometimes Facebook uses different wording in help articles or on mobile.
  1. If you want to keep photos and messages, and step away
    Use deactivation, not deletion.

Steps on desktop browser

  1. Log in to Facebook.
  2. Click your profile picture top right.
  3. Click Settings & privacy, then Settings.
  4. Left side, click Your Facebook information.
  5. Click Deactivation and deletion.
  6. Choose Deactivate account.
  7. Click Continue to account deactivation.
  8. Facebook will ask a reason. Pick anything.
  9. Make sure the “Keep using Messenger” option is set how you want:
    • Turn it ON if you still want Messenger to work.
    • Turn it OFF if you want to disappear from Messenger too.
  10. Confirm and finish.

Now

  • Your profile is hidden.
  • Photos and posts stay stored.
  • If you kept Messenger active, your chat history stays as is.
  1. If you want extra safety, download everything first
    Even if you only deactivate, it helps to have a backup.

Steps

  1. Go to Settings.

  2. Click Your Facebook information.

  3. Click Download your information.

  4. Select:

    • Date range: All time.
    • Format: HTML, unless you like JSON.
    • Media quality: High if you want originals.

  5. Click Request a download.
    You get a link once it finishes. This can take a while if you have lots of photos.

  6. If you ever want full delete later, do this

  7. Go back to Deactivation and deletion.

  8. Choose Delete account.

  9. Download info first, if you did not already.

  10. Confirm.

  11. Do not log in again for 30 days.

  12. Quick answer for your case

  • You want to keep photos and Messenger history.
  • You want a break from Facebook.

So

  • Download your info.
  • Deactivate account.
  • Keep Messenger turned on in the deactivation screen.

If something looks different on your app, use a browser on a computer. Facebook loves to move the buttons on mobile and it gets confusing fast.

3

Facebook really turned one simple “turn it off” button into a whole museum of confusing options.

@boswandelaar already nailed the basic definitions, so I’ll just fill in the gaps and a few “gotchas” that catch people out:

  1. Deactivation is not as invisible as FB makes it sound

    • Your profile and timeline: hidden.
    • Stuff other people already have: can still show up.
      • Old comments you left on friends’ posts can still be visible to them.
      • Your name can still show in group member lists in some cases, especially if you were an admin.
    • So if you’re expecting to become a complete ghost, that’s not quite how it works.

  2. Messenger gotcha

    • If you keep Messenger active while deactivating, you are basically still “existing” on FB’s backend.
    • People can still search you in Messenger, see your profile pic, and chat.
    • If you absolutely want to feel gone, you’ll have to turn Messenger off during deactivation.
    • But: your previous chat history on their side will not magically vanish even if you disable it. It just stops future convos.

  3. If your main fear is losing photos & chats

    • Deactivation already preserves those, but I disagree slightly with the “only deactivate and you’re fine” idea.
    • Facebook can change stuff, and you might change your mind later, so the safer move is:
      • Deactivate for your break.
      • But also download your data like a personal archive, especially the photos and videos.
    • That way, if one day you do decide to fully delete, you’re not scrambling to rescue 10 years of memories.

  4. Extra privacy clean‑up before you deactivate
    This is what most people skip and regret later:

    • Go to your Activity Log and do a quick purge:
      • Unlike or remove yourself from old pages/groups you hate seeing your name on.
      • Remove old posts you no longer want associated with you.
    • Tighten privacy:
      • Set “Who can see your future posts” to “Only me.”
      • Limit past posts so old public stuff becomes “Friends” or “Only me.”
        Then deactivate. If you ever come back, you’re coming back to a cleaner account.

  5. What I’d personally do in your case
    You said:

    • Don’t want to lose photos.
    • Don’t want to lose Messenger history.
    • You’re just confused and want out of the constant FB noise.

    Minimal pain route:

    1. Download your info, at least photos & messages.
    2. Do a 10–15 min privacy clean‑up (limit past posts, check tagged photos).
    3. Deactivate the account.
    4. On the deactivation screen:
      • If you still want to chat sometimes: keep Messenger on.
      • If you want a harder break: turn Messenger off and just rely on other apps.

  6. How to know it “worked”
    After deactivation, log out, open a private/incognito browser window, and:

    • Search for your name in Facebook’s search without logging in.
    • Ask a friend to check if your profile loads.
    • Try opening an old direct link to your profile if you have one in an email.

    If it shows something like “this content isn’t available” and your friend can’t see you, you’re deactivated correctly.
    If something still shows, it’s probably a cached preview or an old comment on someone else’s post, not a full profile.

FB absolutely overcomplicates this, but if you treat “deactivate” as a long-term pause button, “delete” as a point-of-no-return, and “temporary disable” as just marketing language for the same as deactivation, you’re basically covered.

4

Couple of extra angles that might help, without repeating the button‑click trail that @kakeru and @boswandelaar already covered.

1. Decide what you really want to “turn off”

Instead of thinking in terms of Facebook’s wording (deactivate / delete / temporary), think in terms of:

  • Visibility of you as a person
  • Data you care about (photos, chats)
  • Notifications & mental noise

Roughly:

  • If you want: “No one can look me up, but I keep all content and can still message if I feel like it” → Deactivation with Messenger left on.
  • If you want: “I don’t want to exist there at all in the future” → Deactivate first as a test run, then full delete only after you are sure.
  • If you want: “I want my stuff safe, but I do not trust FB at all” → Download archive, then long deactivation, then delete later.

I slightly disagree with the idea that deactivation alone is enough long term. Facebook’s terms and UI keep changing, so treating deactivation as permanent feels risky. Think of it as a reversible trial.

2. Use deactivation as a “cooling off period” before deletion

One helpful pattern:

  1. Download your data (photos & messages at minimum).
  2. Deactivate for 1 to 3 months.
  3. Only after that, decide if you even want to delete.

A lot of people jump to deletion, then panic during the 30‑day grace period and keep logging in, which cancels the delete over and over. A quiet deactivation phase avoids that cycle.

3. Clean up who can reach you, not just whether the account is active

If your real stress is the constant social noise, you might not actually need to deactivate immediately:

  • Turn off almost all notifications first (email, SMS, and app).
  • Unfollow or snooze the worst offenders in your feed.
  • Remove the app from your phone for a week and see how you feel.

If you feel much better already, then deactivating is just the final safety net rather than a panic move.

This can be worth doing before your “big switch” so you are not pulled back in when you log in to download data or change a setting.

4. Messenger specifics others did not emphasize

A few Messenger details that matter if you are picky:

  • If you keep Messenger on during deactivation, you can still change your Messenger profile picture and name from the Messenger app itself. So you can scrub your FB presence first, then keep a very minimal Messenger identity.
  • Your message history stays for the other person even if you later delete your account. Facebook treats those messages as part of their account too. So if you were hoping that deleting nukes all awkward chats from other people’s inboxes, it does not.
  • Group chats: your name might change to something generic like “Facebook user” if the account is fully deleted, but the messages remain.

So if your main fear is losing chats, both deactivation and deletion (after you have an archive) are safe from a “history” perspective. The only thing that truly disappears for you is convenient access via the app, which the archive replaces in a clunky but permanent way.

5. Practical mental checklist before you press anything

Instead of focusing on where the buttons are, run through this checklist:

  • Have I downloaded my data archive, at least photos and messages?
  • Have I checked what my profile looks like to “Public” and to “Friends” and fixed anything embarrassing?
  • Do I want people to still reach me in Messenger or should all contact move to other apps?
  • Do I rely on Facebook login for any external apps or games that might break if I delete later?

That last one is easy to miss. If you log into services using “Continue with Facebook,” full deletion in the future can lock you out. During the deactivation phase, set proper logins (email / password) on those services so you are not tied to Facebook forever.

6. Tiny disagreement with the “just use desktop” advice

Desktop is nicer, yes, but if you are comfortable on your phone, there is value in doing your final pass on mobile, because:

  • That is where you actually experience Facebook and Messenger.
  • You can verify that the app no longer pesters you with badges or “come back” screens after deactivation.

I usually do: settings and archive on desktop, then a final confirmation pass on mobile, then uninstall both Facebook and Messenger from the phone so the muscle memory of tapping the icon is broken.

7. Pros & cons of keeping your account dormant long term

Treat “deactivate and leave it” like a product decision in your own life:

Pros

  • Reversible with one login.
  • All photos, posts, and message history preserved.
  • You can reappear if you ever need groups, events, or Marketplace again.

Cons

  • You still exist in the system; if privacy is your top priority, this can feel bad.
  • Old comments, tags, and group stuff can still show in places, even though your profile is hidden.
  • Future policy changes might affect what “deactivated” actually means.

Your competitors in this thread, @kakeru and @boswandelaar, gave solid mechanical instructions and context; the only real “upgrade” I would add is using deactivation as an intentional testing phase before you decide on permanent deletion.

If you structure it as: archive → privacy cleanup → notification mute → deactivation trial → final decision, you keep full control without risking your photos or Messenger history.