How to Delete Off Facebook Activity & Disconnect Your Data

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Plus, what to know about deleting Facebook ad activity
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It's 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 can collect data from other websites, apps, services, ads, and even the places you visit in real life. The good news is that Facebook has settings you can use to take back some control over your data. This wikiHow teaches you how to clear your off-Facebook activity and prevent Facebook from tracking your visits to those sites in the future. We'll also cover whether you can delete your ad activity , how to delete your search history , and how to make Facebook stop tracking your location .

Quickly Delete Off Facebook Activity

  1. Go to accountscenter.facebook.com and log in.
  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 clear your history.
  6. Click Manage future activity to set how your data is managed going forward.
Section 1 of 6:

Deleting 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.
    • Clearing your off-Facebook history and turning off future off-Facebook activity does not delete your search history, ad history, or prevent Facebook from collecting your data from outside sources. It does delete the log of websites and apps you've used that are connected to Facebook.
    • You will still see ads relevant to your Facebook activity. To learn more about deleting ad activity, jump down to Can you delete your ad activity? .
  2. 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. 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. 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. It’s below “Account settings” in the Account Center.
  6. It’s about halfway down the menu.
  7. This option allows you to remove specific off-Facebook activity. If you want to clear all your off-Facebook activity, skip to the next step instead. [1]
    • From here, you can select the history you want to delete, such as your visits to certain websites that are connected to Meta.
    • Once you select the history you want to delete, follow the on-screen instructions to delete it. You'll then return to the previous menu.
  8. This is the second option at the bottom of the screen. This option allows you to clear your entire off-Facebook activity history.
    • This will not clear your activity logs or history. This will only clear the visibility of your previous off-Facebook activity.
  9. 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.
  10. This confirms that you want to clear your previous activity.
  11. This is the last option in the menu. This allows you to manage what happens with your future activity. [2]
  12. This option will disconnect future off-Facebook activity from Facebook.
    • This may take up to 48 hours.
  13. This confirms that you want to disconnect your future activity from Facebook.
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Section 2 of 6:

Can you delete your ad activity on Facebook?

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  1. There is no way to delete the list of ads you saw or interacted with on Facebook. While Facebook does allow you to view a list of ads you've seen or interacted with, there is no way to clear that history.
    • To view your ad activity on mobile:
      • Tap the menu ☰ and then your name.
      • Scroll down and select Settings & privacy > Settings .
      • Tap Accounts Center.
      • Tap Ad preferences .
    • On a computer:
      • Click your profile picture at the top right.
      • Select Settings & privacy > Settings.
      • Click Accounts Center .
      • Click Ad preferences in the left panel.
Section 3 of 6:

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  1. 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.
    • Use this method to prevent Facebook from logging your visits and other history from connected sites and apps.
  2. 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. It’s below the “Your activity” header.
  4. If you are using the Facebook mobile app on your Android, iPhone, or iPad, tap the individual app you want to remove.
  5. 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. 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. This prevents you from receiving game invitations from friends and notifications from app developers.
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Section 4 of 6:

Deleting Your Facebook Search History (Mobile)[TOC:Deleting Search History (Mobile)

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  1. 1
    Open the Facebook app and tap the menu ☰ . It's at the top-right corner on an Android phone or tablet, or the bottom-right on an iPhone or iPad.
  2. 2
    Tap your name at the top. This opens your Facebook profile.
  3. 3
    Tap ••• at the top of your profile. A menu will expand.
  4. 4
    Tap Activity log . This opens your main Facebook activity log, where you can clear various types of Facebook activity (including your search history). [3]
  5. 5
    Tap Logged information . You'll find this at the bottom of the list. More options will expand below.
  6. 6
    Tap Search under "Search history." Even more options will expand below.
  7. 7
    Tap Your search history . A list of all your Facebook searches will appear.
  8. 8
    Tap Clear Searches to erase your Facebook search history. All entries from the list are now removed.
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Section 5 of 6:

Deleting Your Facebook Search History (Desktop)[TOC:Deleting Search History (Desktop)

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  1. This opens your account menu.
  2. 2
    Click Settings & privacy . Another menu will expand.
  3. 3
    Click Activity log . This opens your main Facebook activity log, where you can clear various types of Facebook activity (including your search history). [4]
  4. 4
    Click Logged information in the left panel. This displays various types of information Facebook stores about your usage.
  5. 5
    Select Search . You'll find this in the left panel under "Logged information."
  6. 6
    Click Your search history . This is also in the left panel. Your search history will expand in the right panel.
  7. 7
    Click Clear searches to delete your Facebook search history. It's in the upper-right corner of your history. This instantly deletes your entire Facebook search history.
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Section 6 of 6:

Stopping Facebook From Tracking Your Location

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  1. 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: [5]
    • 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. 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: [6]
    • 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://www.facebook.com/help/382661798450396?cms_platform=iphone-app&helpref=platform_switcher
      4. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/382661798450396?cms_platform=www&helpref=platform_switcher
      5. ↑ https://support.google.com/android/answer/9431959
      6. ↑ 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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