How to Delete Old Social Media Accounts

Old social media accounts you no longer use are a privacy and security risk. They may contain personal photos, your birthday, email address, and other information that hackers or scammers can use. If the service gets hacked, your data is exposed. Deleting unused accounts reduces your digital footprint and improves your online safety.

Before deleting, download your data. Most services let you export your photos, posts, and messages. Facebook: Settings → Your Information → Download Your Information. Instagram: Settings → Accounts Center → Your Information and Permissions → Download Your Information. Twitter/X: Settings → Your Account → Download an Archive.

To delete Facebook: Settings → Accounts Center → Personal Details → Account Ownership and Control → Deactivation or Deletion → Delete Account. Facebook gives you a 30-day grace period — if you log in during that time, the deletion is canceled.

To delete Instagram: Settings → Accounts Center → Personal Details → Account Ownership and Control → Deactivation or Deletion → Delete Account. Same 30-day window applies.

To delete Twitter/X: Settings → Your Account → Deactivate Your Account. After 30 days of inactivity, the account is permanently deleted.

To delete LinkedIn: Settings → Account Management → Close Account.

For other services you have forgotten about, try searching your email inbox for "welcome to" or "confirm your email" to find old accounts. The website justdelete.me provides direct links to the deletion pages of hundreds of services.