Deactivating your Facebook account DOES NOT deactivate Facebook Messenger. Here's how to properly disable Facebook Messenger.
Most people are aware of the difference between deleting and deactivating a Facebook account. If you deactivate Facebook you are temporarily deleting your account and you can reactivate it at any time. If you delete Facebook you permanently remove your data.
However, you may not realize that deactivating your Facebook account does not deactivate Facebook Messenger. People will still be able to see you and may try to contact you. With that in mind, here's how to disable Facebook Messenger.
What happens when you turn off Messenger
When you deactivate Facebook Messenger, no one will be able to see your profile in the app or message you in existing conversations.
Reactivating Messenger will also reactivate your main Facebook account. If you want to keep only the Messenger service, you will need to deactivate your Facebook account for the second time.
And keep in mind that if you completely delete your Facebook account, you will also lose access to Messenger. Unfortunately, there is no way to keep Messenger without maintaining a Facebook profile.
How to disable Facebook Messenger
Before you can deactivate Facebook Messenger, you must. Once you have deactivated your Facebook account you can move on to deactivating Messenger.
When you're ready to move on, follow the simple step-by-step instructions below:
- Open the Messenger app.
- Tap your profile picture in the top left corner.
- Scroll down and select Legal and regulatory information.
- On the next screen, choose Disable Messenger.
- Enter your password.
- Tap Continue.
To reactivate Facebook Messenger, log back into the Messenger app using your username and password.
