[FAQ]

Hi everyone,

I’m thinking about taking a break from Facebook for a bit and was looking into deactivating my account rather than deleting it. I’m just a little unsure about what exactly happens when I do that in 2025.

Will my profile, posts, and photos completely disappear from view? Can my friends still see any of my old messages or tag me in things? And is it pretty straightforward to reactivate it later on, with everything coming back as it was?

Any info on this would be really helpful before I hit the button. Thanks!

[Jeff Bullas]

Deactivating your Facebook account is a temporary measure, quite different from permanently deleting it. It is designed for when you want to take a break from the platform.

Here is what generally happens when you choose to deactivate. First, your profile becomes hidden from other users on Facebook. People will not be able to search for you, see your timeline, or view your profile information. It is effectively like you are invisible on the platform.

Second, while your main profile is hidden, some information might still be visible to others. For instance, messages you have previously sent will remain in your friends’ inboxes. However, your profile picture next to those messages will usually revert to a default icon, and your name might not be clickable through to an active profile. Your name could also still appear in your friends’ friends lists, but again, without a link to a viewable profile.

Third, and importantly, Facebook saves all your account information. This includes your photos, posts, friends list, and messages. So, if you later decide to reactivate your account, all of that information should be restored.

Fourth, while your Facebook account is deactivated, you will not be able to use it to log in to other services that are connected to your Facebook login, such as some third-party apps or websites, or Meta Quest if you use Facebook for that.

Fifth, it is worth noting that Facebook Messenger can operate somewhat independently. When you deactivate your Facebook account, you are often given the option to continue using Messenger, or you might need to deactivate Messenger separately if you wish to take a break from that too. If you keep Messenger active, people can still message you there, and your profile would be visible within Messenger.

Reactivating your account is usually quite simple. You typically just need to log back into Facebook using your email address or phone number and your password, and your profile, along with all your previous information, should be restored.

The key difference from deletion is that deactivation is temporary and reversible, allowing you to return whenever you choose. Permanent deletion, on the other hand, means your data is scheduled to be erased and cannot be recovered after a certain period.

Cheers,

Jeff

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