Facebook: get back in or close for good

What Facebook itself says, in plain words. We link to every source. Platform rules change, so check the link before you act. This is not legal advice.

Get back in

• If you think you have been hacked, start at facebook.com/hacked. If you can, use a phone or computer you have used to log in to Facebook before. (Source: Facebook Help Centre. Checked 25 October 2026.)
• If you no longer have the email or phone on the account: go to facebook.com/login/identify, ideally on a phone or computer you have used before. Choose "No longer have access to these?". Then give a new email or phone that has never been used on the account. (Sources: Facebook Help Centre page 1 and Facebook Help Centre page 2. Checked 25 October 2026.)
• If Facebook disables your account, you have 180 days to appeal. After that, it is disabled for good. (Source: Facebook Help Centre. Checked 25 October 2026.)

Close it for good

• You must be logged in to delete your account. (Source: Facebook Help Centre. Checked 25 October 2026.)
• You then have 30 days to cancel. Meta says the number of days can vary by region. (Source: Facebook Help Centre. Checked 25 October 2026.)
• Deletion can take up to 90 days. Copies may stay in backups. (Source: Facebook Help Centre. Checked 25 October 2026.)
• If you cannot log in, you can write to Meta in your own name and ask it to erase your data. Use the letter builder.

Download your data first

• Use "Download your information" in Accounts Centre, while logged in. (Source: Facebook Help Centre. Checked 25 October 2026.)

If the person has died

• To remove the account, you need one of these:

  • a death certificate
  • proof of authority, plus proof of death

  Proof of authority can be:

  • a power of attorney
  • a birth certificate, if the person was a minor
  • a will
  • an estate letter

  Proof of death can be:

  • an obituary
  • a memorial card
  (Source: Facebook Help Centre. Checked 25 October 2026.)
• Meta never gives login details for a memorialised account. (Source: Facebook Help Centre. Checked 25 October 2026.)
• A legacy contact can ask for the account to be removed. They can download some content, if allowed. They cannot log in or read messages. They must be 18 or over. (Source: Facebook Help Centre. Checked 25 October 2026.)

Your username after deletion

• Usernames are at least 5 characters. Facebook does not say whether a deleted username is released. (Source: Facebook Help Centre. Checked 25 October 2026.)

Privacy contact, for letters

• Meta's privacy rights portal: help.meta.com/support/privacy. The old form now sends you here. Choose Change location, then United Kingdom. (Source: Meta Privacy Centre. Checked 25 October 2026.)

• You do not need to log in to use the portal's "Contact the data protection officer (DPO)" form. The form asks for:

  • Have you previously contacted the DPO
  • Case ID (if yes)
  • What best describes your query (one choice is "I want to delete my account/information")
  • First name
  • Surname
  • Email address
  • Username and Account URL (optional)

  It has no box for your own words. Meta says it will email you for details.

• The portal also points UK residents to an erasure form at facebook.com/help/contact/1762855531304727. It is for EU and UK residents. You do not need to log in to open it. Sometimes it shows "Not Found". If it does, try again later. Meta says sending it "does not guarantee that your personal data will be removed". (Source: Facebook Help Centre. Checked 25 October 2026.)
• Post: Meta Platforms, Inc., FAO: Privacy Operations, 1 Meta Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025, US. (Source: Meta Privacy Policy. Checked 25 October 2026.)

Next steps