How to Delete Your Off Facebook History & Disconnect Your Data

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View and delete your off-Meta history and prevent future tracking
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It's pretty well known that Facebook collects and tracks user data. What you may not be aware of is just how much Facebook tracks you even when you're not actively on the site. Facebook is able to collect data from other websites, apps, services, and even the places you visit in real life. The good news is that Facebook has added new settings that allow you to take back some control over your data. This wikiHow teaches you how to manage and clear your off-Facebook activity and prevent Facebook from tracking you off the site.

Quickly Delete Your Off-Facebook Activity

  1. Go to accountscenter.facebook.com and log in to your account.
  2. Click Your information and permissions .
  3. Click Your activity off Meta technologies .
  4. Click Disconnect specific activity to remove specific items.
  5. Click Clear previous activity to remove your previous data
  6. Click Manage future activity to set how your data is managed going forward.
Section 1 of 3:

Clearing Your Off-Facebook Activity

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  1. You can open the Facebook app on your smartphone or tablet, or go to facebook.com in a web browser on your computer.
    • If you aren't automatically logged in, log in now using the email address/phone number and password associated with your account.
    • Clearing your off-Facebook history and turning off future off-Facebook activity does not delete your search history or prevent Facebook from collecting your data from outside sources. Instead, this information will be separated from your account and will not be used for targeted advertising.
    • You will still see ads relevant to your Facebook activity.
  2. 2
    Click or tap your profile icon. If you're using a computer or Android, it's in the upper-right corner. On an iPhone or iPad, it’s in the lower-right corner.
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  3. 3
    Open the Settings menu. To do so, click or tap Settings & Privacy , followed by Settings . On mobile devices, you can also tap the gear icon in the upper-right corner of your profile menu.
  4. 4
    Click or tap Accounts Center . It’s the large box at the top of the settings menu. On a web browser, it’s at the top of the menu to the left. This opens the Accounts Center, where you can manage your account on Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta platforms.
  5. 5
    Select Your information and permissions . It’s below “Account settings” in the Account Center.
  6. 6
    Select Your activity off Meta technologies . It’s about halfway down the menu.
  7. 7
    Click or tap Disconnect specific activity . This option allows you to remove specific off-Facebook activity. [1]
    • You may be prompted to enter your Facebook password.
  8. 8
    Select the history you want to delete and click Continue . Click or tap the radio options next to the specific activity items you want to remove. You can select as many as you want. Then, click or tap Continue at the bottom of the screen.
  9. 9
    Select Confirm . This confirms that you want to remove the activity from Facebook and disconnect future activity with the website or service.
  10. 10
    Click or tap Clear previous activity . This is the second option at the bottom of the screen. This option allows you to clear previous activity from Facebook.
    • This will not clear your activity logs or history. This will only clear the visibility of your previous off-Facebook activity.
  11. 11
    Select Clear . This clears all your previous activity from Facebook and Instagram collected while you were using other apps and websites.
    • Facebook may still receive activity from businesses and organizations you visit in the future.
    • You may also be logged out of accounts you used your Facebook account to log in to.
  12. 12
    Select Clear previous activity . This confirms that you want to clear your previous activity.
  13. 13
    Click or tap Manage future activity . This is the last option in the menu. This allows you to manage what happens with your future activity. [2]
  14. 14
    Select “Disconnect future activity” and then Continue . This option will disconnect future off-Facebook activity from Facebook.
    • This may take up to 48 hours.
  15. 15
    Click or tap Disconnect future activity . This confirms that you want to disconnect your future activity from Facebook.
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Section 2 of 3:

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  1. 1
    Click or tap your profile icon. If you're using a computer or Android, it's in the upper-right corner. On an iPhone or iPad, it’s in the lower-right corner.
  2. 2
    Open the Settings menu. To do so, click or tap Settings & Privacy , followed by Settings . On mobile devices, you can also tap the gear icon in the upper-right corner of your profile menu.
  3. 3
    Select Apps and Websites . It’s below the “Your activity” header.
  4. 4
    Tap an app or website you want to remove (mobile only). If you are using the Facebook mobile app on your Android, iPhone, or iPad, tap the individual app you want to remove.
  5. 5
    Select Remove and confirm. On the mobile apps, tap Remove at the bottom of the screen, and then tap Remove again to confirm you want to remove the app or website. On a computer, click Remove next to an app or website, and then click Remove to confirm you want to remove the app or website.
  6. 6
    Scroll down and click or tap Turn off next to “Apps, Websites, and Games.” This prevents Facebook from interacting with third-party apps and websites, as well as being used to log in to third-party apps and websites.
  7. 7
    Click or tap Turn off next to “Game and app notifications.” This prevents you from receiving game invitations from friends and notifications from app developers.
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Section 3 of 3:

Stopping Facebook From Tracking Your Location

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  1. 1
    Stop Facebook from tracking your location on Android. You can stop Facebook (or any other app) from tracking your location in the Settings menu on your Android device. Use the following steps to do so: [3]
    • Swipe down from the top of the screen.
    • Tap the Gear icon in the upper-right corner to open Settings .
    • Tap Apps .
    • Tap Facebook .
    • Tap Permissions .
    • Tap Location . You can also adjust any other permissions you don’t want Facebook to access.
    • Select Don’t Allow . Alternatively, you can select Ask every time .
  2. 2
    Stop Facebook from tracking your location on iPhone/iPad. You can stop Facebook (or any other app) from tracking your location in the Settings menu on your iPhone or iPad. Use the following steps to do so: [4]
    • Open the Settings app.
    • Tap Privacy & Security .
    • Tap Location Services .
    • Tap Facebook .
    • Select Never . Alternatively, you can select Ask next time or when I share .
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/287199741901674?helpref=faq_content
      2. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/1224342157705160?helpref=faq_content
      3. ↑ https://support.google.com/android/answer/9431959
      4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102647

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Open Facebook in a web browser or your mobile device.
      2. Click ? or tap ☰ .
      3. Tap Settings & Privacy if using the mobile app.
      4. Click or tap Privacy Shortcuts .
      5. Click or tap View or clear your off-Facebook activity .
      6. Click or tap Clear History .
      7. Confirm Clear History .
      8. Click or tap Manage Future Activity.
      9. Click or tap Manage Future Activity in the alert.
      10. Turn off Future Off-Facebook Activity .
      11. Click or tap Turn off .

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