What Happens When You Delete Your Facebook Account?

When you delete your Facebook account, you enter a 30-day grace period during which your account is deactivated but not yet permanently removed. After those 30 days, the permanent deletion process begins, which can take up to 90 days for all data to be fully removed from Facebook's servers and backup systems.

During the 30-day grace period, your profile is hidden from other users. No one can see your timeline, search for you, or send you messages through Facebook. However, your data still exists and you can cancel the deletion by simply logging back in.

After permanent deletion, here is what happens to specific data: your profile, photos, posts, and videos are permanently removed. Your name disappears from all your posts, which become attributed to 'Facebook User'. Messages you sent to friends remain in their inboxes. Groups you created remain, but without your name attached. Pages you manage are deleted unless you transfer ownership first.

What you lose access to: Facebook Messenger conversations, Facebook Login for third-party apps (you will need to create new logins), event invitations and RSVPs, Facebook Marketplace history, and any Oculus VR content linked to your account.

Facebook retains some data even after deletion. De-identified data used for analytics, records required for legal compliance, and data in aggregated form that cannot be linked back to you may be kept permanently.

Practical takeaway: Download your data before deleting, transfer ownership of any important Pages, and switch third-party app logins away from Facebook Login before initiating deletion.