Follow these steps to deactivate or delete Messenger
It’s easy to avoid Messenger chats on your phone or tablet by deleting the app. But can you delete or deactivate your Messenger account completely? The good news is that you can—but you must deactivate or delete your Facebook account first. In this article, we’ll explain how to turn off Messenger, either temporarily or permanently.
Quick Steps
- In the Facebook app, open your settings and tap See more in Accounts Center .
- Go to Personal Details → Account ownership and control .
- Select Deactivation or deletion and follow the on-screen instructions.
- In the Messenger app, go to your settings and select Accounts Center .
- Go to Personal Details → Account ownership and control → Deactivation or deletion to deactivate.
Steps
Section 1 of 2:
Deactivating Messenger
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Open the Facebook app or website. If you’re not already signed in to your Facebook account, sign in now.
- You must deactivate your Facebook account before you can deactivate Messenger. [1] X Research source
- While you can deactivate your Facebook account on either a computer or in the mobile app, you can only deactivate Messenger in the Messenger app.
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Tap the Menu button. Depending on whether you’re using iOS or Android, it will be at the bottom or top of the screen.
- If you’re on the desktop website, click your profile picture at the top-right corner of Facebook. A menu will expand.
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Select Settings & privacy . You’ll need to scroll down to find it.
- On the website, you’ll see this option near the top of the menu, below your list of profiles.
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Tap Settings . This is the first option in the Settings & privacy menu.
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Select See more in Accounts Center . It’s at the top of the menu.
- On the website, click the Accounts Center box on the upper left side of the screen.
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Select Personal details . It’s under the Account settings header.
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Tap Account ownership and control . It’s the last option in the Personal details menu.
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Choose Deactivation or deletion . A new menu will open.
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Select your Facebook account. If you have multiple connected Meta accounts, choose the Facebook account associated with the Messenger account you want to deactivate.
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Choose “Deactivate account”. You’ll see an option to deactivate or delete your account. Tap the radio button next to “Deactivate account,” then tap Continue . Follow the prompts to finish the deactivation process.
- If you want to reactivate your account, just log back in.
- Remember that this is just the first part of the process. If you deactivate your Facebook account without separately deactivating or deleting Messenger, your Messenger account will continue to work as a DEMA (“Deactivated Except Messenger Account”). [2] X Research source
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Open Facebook Messenger. It’s the multi-colored chat bubble icon with a white lightning bolt inside. You’ll usually find it on the home screen or in the app drawer (Android) or App Library (iOS).
- While you can deactivate your Facebook account on your computer or using the mobile app, you can only deactivate Messenger using the Messenger app. [3] X Research source
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Tap the ☰ icon. This will open a pop-out menu.
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Tap. This is at the top of the menu, next to your profile picture.
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Scroll down and tap Accounts Center . It’s at the bottom of the menu.
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Select Personal Details . This is below the Account settings header.
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Tap Account ownership and control . It’s the last option on the menu.
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Select Deactivation or deletion .
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Tap Continue to Facebook account deactivation and deletion .
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Select Continue to account deactivation .
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Enter your password and tap Continue . Follow the prompts to confirm your choice.
- You can always reactivate Messenger by logging back in with your username and password.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionHow do I deactivate Messenger when I've lost my phone?Community AnswerLog onto Facebook on a computer, click on the triangle button in the corner, select View Activity Log, and proceed by deleting all active locations in which Messenger is being used.
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Tips
- You can have an active Messenger account without an active Facebook account, but you can’t have Facebook without Messenger. You can uninstall the Messenger app from your phone or tablet, but people can still contact you by Messenger on the Facebook website.Thanks
- If you don’t want to deactivate or delete your Facebook account, you can reduce unwanted Messenger activity by turning off notifications , disabling your active status , or limiting who can message you .Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/931186400288334
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/446315357193653
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/931186400288334
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/224562897555674
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/458908261952384
About This Article
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