How to Deactivate or Completely Delete Your Messenger Account

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Follow these steps to deactivate or delete Facebook Messenger

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: August 27, 2025 Fact Checked

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Deactivating Messenger

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Deleting Messenger

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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, on your Android, iPhone, or iPad, as well as on your PC or Mac.

Permanently Delete Facebook Messenger: 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.

Section 1 of 2:

Deactivating Messenger

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1
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]
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- 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.
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.
It’s under the Account settings header.
It’s the last option in the Personal details menu.
A new menu will open.
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]
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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]
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This will open a pop-out menu.
This is at the top of the menu, next to your profile picture.
It’s at the bottom of the menu.
This is below the Account settings header.
It’s the last option on the menu.
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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.

Section 2 of 2:

Deleting Messenger

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1
Delete your Facebook account. If you prefer to delete your account completely, choose the “Delete account” option in the Facebook app or on the website. Unlike deactivating, this is permanent—you won’t be able to retrieve the account or any of its contents after you delete it! Deleting your Facebook account will also delete your Messenger account.^{[4]
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Research source} To delete your account:
- In the Facebook app or on the website, go to Menu > Settings & privacy > Settings > Accounts Center > Personal details > Account ownership and control > Deactivation or deletion and select your account.
- Tap the radio button next to Delete account, then tap Continue and follow the prompts to confirm the deletion.
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Delete Messenger from the app if you have a DEMA. A DEMA is a “Deactivated Except for Messenger” account. If you’ve deactivated your Facebook account but now want to delete Messenger completely, you can do so from the Messenger app. This process will also delete the deactivated Facebook account associated with your Messenger account.^{[5]
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- In Messenger, tap ☰ >
  > Accounts Center > Personal details > Account ownership and control.
- Select Deactivation or deletion and choose the account you want to delete.
- Tap Delete Account > Continue.

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How do I deactivate Messenger when I've lost my phone?

Community Answer

Log 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.

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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.

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