It's Not You, It's Me
How to break up with your social media accounts.
Wanting to delete your account is one thing, but being able to go through with it is another story—your information and behavior habits are how social media outlets make money, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they don’t want to let you go. But if you’re ready to take the plunge, here’s what you’ll have to do.
- 01
Facebook
Go to your settings and select Manage Account. From there, click on "Deactivate your account" and type in your password. Before you're completely off the hook, Facebook shows you photos of all the "friends" who will miss you. FORGET THEM. Fill out the mandatory survey detailing your reasons for leaving, click Deactivate, and you're free—almost. - 02Technically, all that was just the *request* to deactivate your account. Facebook delays the deletion process for a few days after you submit your request, and will cancel your request if you log into your account during that time period. You know, just in case you change your mind. So if you’re serious, delete the mobile app and don’t go anywhere near the website.
- 03If you want to delete your account but don't want to lose all your account information, download all your crucial data first. Go into your settings, and below the six main choices, you’ll see a link that says “Download a copy of your Facebook data.” Click that, then “Start My Archive.” When your download is ready, Facebook will email you a download link; it’ll expire after a few days, so move fast.
- 04
Instagram
Even though Instagram is almost exclusively a mobile service, it doesn’t let you delete your account through the app. Instead, you’ll have to log into your Instagram account via the web in order to delete it.
- 05Find the disable option by clicking the person icon in the top right corner and selecting Edit Profile. At the bottom of the page, you’ll see the option to temporarily disable your account. Yes, temporarily.
- 06If you want to get rid of it for good, you’ll have to enter “[https://instagram.com/accounts/remove/request/permanent/](https://instagram.com/accounts/remove/request/permanent/)” into your browser's address bar. Once you’re on that page, enter your password and click “Permanently delete my account.”
- 07
Twitter
First, download your archive. On the website, click your photo in the top right corner, and select Settings & Privacy in the drop-down. At the bottom of that screen, click on “Request your archive.” (On the app, it’s Settings & Privacy > Account > “Your Twitter data” > “Your Data” > “Request your data.”) Once your archive is ready, you’ll be sent an email with a download link for a .zip file. - 08Now to proceed with deleting your account. Go into your account settings, then scroll to the bottom and click “Deactivate my account.” After that, you’ll be prompted to enter your password, and voila—your account will be deactivated. (Again, almost.)
- 09Keep in mind that your data isn’t actually deleted for another 30 days. This window gives you the opportunity to revive your account if you choose. Once the 30-day period is up, Twitter will begin deleting your account.
- 10
Snapchat
Open the app and click on your profile icon in the top left corner. Go to Settings in the top right corner, then under “More Information” tap Support, and you’ll be led to a search engine. Enter “Delete my account” and you'll see the instructions as a search result. It’s pretty straightforward from there. Snapchat allows you 30 days to reactivate your account before it’s deleted forever.
Arielle Pardes, a former senior writer for WIRED, covers people and products in Silicon Valley. ... Read More
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