Tech

How to deactivate your Messenger account

It is possible to deactivate your Facebook Messenger account if you no longer need it. However, the manipulation requires first to deactivate your Facebook account.

With over a billion people using it regularly, Messenger is arguably one of the most popular instant messengers in the world. But there are also many individuals who do not use it at all. And then there are those who, for one reason or another, no longer want to deal with it. The question then arises of how to get rid of it.

The easiest: uninstall Messenger

In this regard, the simplest remains uninstallation of the dedicated application which is on your smartphone so you don’t have it in front of you.

This has the advantage of not preventing you from using the Facebook application if you want to follow the news of your loved ones and interact with them or participate in groups. But its flaw – for someone who wants to escape Messenger – is that it alerts you if you have unread chats. Except you can’t read them on Facebook: you need messaging. All that remains is to cut off all notifications.

The most rigorous: deactivate Messenger

More drastic than the first method is the outright deactivation of his Messenger profile – we are talking here about deactivation and not from deletion. Clearly, if you opt for this process, you can retrace your steps at any time and reopen your account and your conversations normally. However, you have to keep in mind that this manipulation has repercussions on Facebook.

Indeed it is impossible to disable Messenger without disabling Facebook at the same time.

How to deactivate your Facebook account?

If this is not a problem for you, then you will need to take care of Facebook first. It is only after this step has been taken that you can tackle messaging. To do this, log in to your profile and go to settings, by clicking on the arrow pointed at the bottom.

In the side menu, click on “Settings” then go to the line “Your Facebook information”.

In the center of the menu you will see the option “Deactivation and deletion”. Choose the first option offered carefully, and not the second, because it is irreversible. Note that disabling Facebook has no effect on Messenger. From there, you have to confirm your decision and enter your password to verify that you are the origin of this request.

The message that Facebook sends when an account has just been deactivated.

How to deactivate Messenger?

At this point, you can tackle Messenger:

  • Go to the application (on Android or iOS) then go to the settings by clicking on your portrait at the top left.
  • Then, go to the “Legal and policies” to see the option “Deactivate Messenger”. If you have not deactivated Facebook previously, this line does not appear.

You will then have to confirm that you are indeed at the origin of the maneuver by entering your password in the choice. Here again, the manipulation can be reversed whenever you want, by logging in normally with your credentials. The application, if you reconnect, will ask you again if it can access your contacts, which allows it, among other things, to find your conversations.

Some screens to go through to deactivate Messenger.

Article originally published on March 06, 2020 and updated on August 16, 2021

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