How to Temporarily Deactivate Your Facebook & Take a Break from Friends

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Limit who sees your profile and who you see on FB
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If you’re constantly on Facebook and it’s starting to stress you out, it’s important to take a social media break. While you can always hide your profile, you can also temporarily hide posts from specific friends you want to avoid. Keep reading, and we’ll walk you through deactivating your account temporarily so you can have a break and how to use the “Take a Break” feature to limit posts you see from people.

Easy Way to Take a Break from Facebook

  1. Click on Settings & Privacy and open the Settings menu.
  2. Open Account Center and click on Personal details.
  3. Choose Account ownership and control, and pick Deactivation or deletion.
  4. Select your account and click on Deactivate account.
  5. Enter your password and answer the questions to confirm the deactivation.
Section 1 of 4:

Deactivating Your Account to Take a Break from Facebook

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  1. Step 1 Deactivate your profile in your Account settings.
    If you’re trying to cut back on how much time you spend on Facebook or just need to get away for a little while, temporarily deactivating your account is simple.[1]
    • On a computer, click on your profile picture in the top right. On mobile, tap on the 3 horizontal lines in the top left corner.
    • Select Settings & Privacy from the dropdown menu, and select Settings.
    • Open Account Center at the top of the screen.
    • Click on Personal details under the Account Settings header.
    • Select Account ownership and control.
    • Choose Deactivation or deletion.
    • Pick the Facebook account you want to deactivate.
    • Choose Deactivate account and click Continue.
    • Enter your password and click Confirm.
    • Select the reason why you’re deactivating your account from the list.
    • Choose when your account will reactivate, or set it to Don’t reactivate automatically.
    • Tap Done to deactivate your account.
  2. Step 2 Facebook hides your profile but saves your information.
    Once you deactivate your account, no one else can see your profile or posts on your page. Your name still appears in friends lists, but it’s only visible to people you were friends with when you deactivated your Facebook.[2]
    • Messages you sent to friends may still be visible.
    • If you’re in groups, admins will still see your name, posts, and comments, but they’ll be hidden from other members.
    • If you control any Facebook pages and are the only admin, those pages will be deactivated as well.
    • If you have Messenger, you will still be able to chat with friends and other people can still search for you to send messages. You can also deactivate Messenger separately.
    • You will not be able to use your Facebook account to log into Oculus devices.
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  3. Step 3 Log back into your Facebook account when you’re ready to reactivate it.
    When you feel like you’ve had enough of a break from Facebook, just log into the website or app with your email and password. Your account will immediately reactivate and your profile will be visible again.[3]
    • If any pages you ran were deactivated, you have to manually reactivate them.[4]
      • Click on your profile picture in the top right, or on the horizontal lines on the top left.
      • Select Settings & Privacy and choose Settings.
      • Click on Reactivate a Page under the Your Activity heading.
      • Choose the page and select Reactivate.
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Section 2 of 4:

How to Take a Break from Someone on Facebook

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  1. Step 1 Select the friend you want to take a break from.
    Facebook gives you the option to “take a break” from anyone in your friends list. While FB automatically provides the option when you change your relationship status, you can also do it manually any time you want.[5]
    • From a computer: Go to [6] , type in the person’s name, and click on their profile.
    • On mobile: Search for the person using the search bar at the top of the screen and tap on their profile. Click where it says Friends at the top of their page and select Take a Break.
  2. Step 2 Limit the person’s posts you see and what they can see on your profile.
    Facebook gives you multiple options to limit how much you see the other person’s posts, how often they see your posts, and who can see past posts you’ve made. Tap into each of the settings to make your adjustments.[7]
    • See less of their profile: Switch the option to “Limit where you see their profile” to hide the person’s posts from your Feed and to avoid seeing their name in messages or photo tags.
    • Limit what their profile will see: Switch to “Hide your posts from their profile” so anything you post is invisible to the person unless you tag them.
    • Edit who can see past posts: Choose “Remove yourself from all their posts.” Your profile will be removed from any posts the other person tagged you in, and only you will see posts you tagged them in. If you posted on each other’s pages, those posts will be deleted permanently.
  3. Step 3 Change the Take a Break settings back when you’re ready to.
    You can revert the Take a Break settings any time you want, so whenever you’re moving on from a relationship or want to see updates from that person again, go back to [8] and type in their name again.
    • See less of their profile: Set it back to “See their profile anywhere on Facebook”.
    • Limit what their profile will see: Change the setting to “Keep current privacy settings” so the person can see everything on your profile again.
    • Edit who can see past posts: Select “Keep all posts as they are” so the person can see things you tagged them in again. However, you will still be untagged from any of their posts, and posts you left on each other’s pages will still be deleted.
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Section 3 of 4:

Facebook Breaks FAQ

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  1. 1
    Can you still use Messenger if you deactivate your Facebook account? Yes, you can still use Messenger after you deactivate your Facebook. People on Messenger will still be able to see your profile picture and they can find you in the search to send you messages. If you want to also deactivate Messenger as well, follow these instructions:[9]
    • Open the Messenger app on a mobile device.
    • Tap on Menu at the bottom of the screen and select Settings.
    • Scroll down and select Account Center.
    • Tap on Personal details and choose Account ownership and control.
    • Select Deactivation or deletion.
    • Choose Continue to Facebook account deactivation and deletion.
    • Select Continue to account deactivation.
    • Enter your password and press Continue.
  2. 2
    How do you take a break from Facebook Dating? If you use Facebook Dating and want a short break or chat with someone without matching with new people, it’s easy to pause your profile so it’s not visible. You also won’t be able to match with any new people.[10]
    • Open the Facebook app and tap the menu icon in the top left.
    • Tap on See More and choose Facebook Dating from the menu.
    • Click on the profile icon in the top right.
    • Select Settings from the menu.
    • Turn on Take a Break.
  3. 3
    What are alternative ways to take a break from someone on Facebook? If you don’t want to deactivate your account, you can always delete the Facebook app from your device so you’re not tempted to browse their profiles. Alternatively, hide Facebook messages by archiving the conversation with them.
    • If you really don’t want to see the person on Facebook, you could unfriend or block them instead.
  4. 4
    Why do people take a break from Facebook? People take breaks from Facebook for many reasons, but it’s usually to step away from social media for a little while. Other people may want to avoid seeing posts from specific people, especially if they recently broke up with a person they’re friends with.
    • It’s totally normal to take breaks from Facebook, so don’t worry about disappearing from the platform for a little while.
  5. 5
    What are the benefits of taking a break from Facebook? Limiting how much time you spend on social media can make you feel happier because you’re not actively comparing yourself to the people on your feed. Even just a short break can help relieve stress and anxiety in your life.[11]
  6. 6
    What can you do instead of going on Facebook? Once you’re off Facebook, fill your new free time doing your favorite hobbies or handing out with your friends IRL. Think about the things that you love to do and make you feel happy, and go do them! Here are some ideas to help you get started:
    • Go for walks or exercise
    • Draw, paint, or make other kinds of art
    • Play board games with your friends
    • Go see a movie or a play
    • Read books at your leisure
    • Join an extracurricular
    • Get some extra sleep if you normally browse at night
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Section 4 of 4:

How to Permanently Delete Your Facebook Account

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  1. Delete your account if you want to get rid of your profile forever.
    If you really don’t want to use Facebook anymore and want to delete all your info, then deleting your account will remove everything you posted. Make sure you save your data or any photos you want to keep because you won’t be able to get them back after your account is gone.[12]
    • Tap on your profile picture at the top right or the menu button at the top left.
    • Select Settings & privacy and then choose Settings.
    • Click on Accounts Center, and choose Personal details from the list.
    • Select Account ownership and control.
    • Click on Deactivation or deletion.
    • Choose your account from the list and select Delete Account.
    • Click Continue.
    • Enter your password and select the reason you’re deleting your account.
    • If you log back into your account within 30 days of deleting your account, you will recover your information. After that, it’s deleted forever.

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References

  1. ↑ https://youtu.be/2I2LSVRtnHY?t=10
  2. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/439967172740816
  3. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/439967172740816
  4. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/1222350381541557?helpref=faq_content
  5. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/1638212473101795/
  6. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/take_a_break
  7. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/1638212473101795/
  8. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/take_a_break
  9. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/931186400288334
  1. ↑ https://youtu.be/catOQGOdSzE?t=12
  2. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/self-talk-science/202404/can-a-break-from-social-media-improve-mental-health
  3. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/439967172740816

About This Article

Candace Gasper
Co-authored by:
Candace Gasper
Social Media & Digital Marketing Consultant
This article was co-authored by Candace Gasper and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Candace Gasper is a Social Media & Digital Marketing Consultant and the Owner of Digital Candy, a social media agency. With over seven years of professional experience, Candace is an expert in social media and content creation, specializing in working with local businesses to share their narratives and help them expand their reach. Candace received her Bachelor of Science in Merchandising, Apparels, and Textiles from the University of Kentucky. This article has been viewed 5,443 times.
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Co-authors: 4
Updated: March 31, 2025
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Categories: Facebook
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