Messenger messenger.com How to delete your Messenger account
Facebook's Help Center has no separate Messenger delete. Deactivate your Facebook profile first, then deactivate Messenger in the mobile app. Permanently deleting your Facebook profile also ends Messenger access.
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- messenger.com
- Type
- Delete an account
- Last updated
Reviewed by Anthon Wansland
Head of Product & Co-Founder
Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This guide shows the free way to do it yourself.
Step by step
- 1
Export your messages if you want a copy
Facebook's page on deleting a profile suggests downloading your information first. Do this before you delete anything.
- 2
Deactivate your Facebook profile
Messenger's deactivate option only appears after your Facebook profile is deactivated. Log out of Messenger afterward, because Facebook says Messenger stays active if you are logged in when you deactivate or chose to keep it on.
- 3
Open the deactivation menu in the Messenger app
On iPhone or Android, open Messenger and go to Menu, then Settings, then Accounts Center, then Personal details, then Account ownership and control, then Deactivation or deletion. You may see Accounts Center or Meta Account settings depending on your version.
- 4
Deactivate Messenger and confirm
Choose the Messenger deactivation option and confirm with your password. These steps are only available in the mobile app.
Watch out for
- Deactivating Messenger needs your Facebook profile deactivated first.
- Messenger stays active if you're logged in or chose to keep it when you deactivated Facebook.
- You can reactivate Messenger by logging in again, so deactivation isn't deletion.
- Permanently deleting your Facebook profile can't be undone and removes Messenger access.
Sources checked: facebook.com, messenger.com
Last verified against the official page:
Other ways to do it
- 1
Permanently delete your Facebook profile
If you want Messenger gone for good, delete your Facebook profile. Facebook says you won't be able to reactivate it, your photos, posts and videos are permanently deleted, and you will no longer be able to use Messenger.
- 2
Remove one account from the Messenger app
If you only want to take an account off a device, Facebook lets you remove an account from Messenger, but one account must stay logged in.
What stays out there
Deleting your Messenger account stops new data collection there. It doesn't reach copies that data brokers and people-search sites already hold, or old search results that mention you. If your name, phone number or email was public on Messenger or linked to it, those details may sit on other sites you never signed up for.
Serus finds where your details are listed and removes them. You can also work through the manual route in our data broker opt-out guides.
Frequently asked
Can I delete Messenger without deleting Facebook?
Facebook's Help Center only offers deactivation, and it requires deactivating your Facebook profile first. Removing an account from the app only logs it out on that device.
How do I reactivate Messenger?
Log in with your username and password, per Facebook's help page.
Does deleting Facebook delete my Messenger messages?
Deleting your profile ends your Messenger access. Facebook suggests exporting your information first.
Can I deactivate Messenger from a computer?
Facebook's page describes the Messenger deactivation steps for the iPhone and Android apps.
Sources
Related guide How to delete yourself and your information from the internet 
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