If you’re tired of Facebook or just want a refresh and a restart on the social networking website deleting your account seems like a pretty easy process. Unfortunately, it can be a little bit complicated.
One note before we begin: It takes 14 days for Facebook to officially delete your account. If you log into your account before those 14 days are up you’ll need to restart the deletion process. This is the most complicated part of the process.
1. Make a list of any sites that you log into using the Facebook connect feature. This means any site that isn’t Facebook itself. For example, you can use Facebook to log into Digital Trends using the same password and account name that you use for Facebook. You’ll need to go each of those sites and close your accounts there. If you log into any of them over the 14 day period it counts and you’ll have to start over. You can always recreate the accounts later.
2. Visit the Facebook Account Deletion page. If the site asks you to log in, do so. You’ll be taken to a page titled “Delete My Account”. There are two buttons click the button labeled “Submit”.
3. You will now be asked, “You are about to permanently delete your account. Are you sure?” If you are sure, you’ll need to enter your password. There’s also one of those security boxes where you enter the random text to ensure your humanity. Do that. When you’re done hit the button labeled “OK”.
4. After you confirm the deletion, do nothing. Again, the process takes 14 days before the account is deleted. If you log into during that period your profile is instantly reinstated and you’ll need to start over. If you don’t login during those 14 days afterwards your account will be gone.
5. You should receive a note to your e-mail from Facebook telling you that you’ve initiated the deletion process. If you don’t receive this e-mail it’s possible that the process may not have begun and you’ll need to try again.
If you’re creating a new Facebook account we recommend you just login to that. It’ll keep you from going to your old one so you won’t be distracted by it.
This article was originally posted on Digital Trends
More from Digital Trends
How to: Set up a Facebook profile