You may think if you deactivate the Facebook account, it will automatically deactivate Messenger as well but in reality, you have to deactivate it separately.
So if you don’t want people to contact you through messages, follow the deactivation process below.
Note: You cannot deactivate the Messenger without deactivating FB. If you haven’t then at first check out our article on How To Deactivate Facebook Account.
Table of Contents
Steps to Deactivate Messenger
- Launch the Messenger app on your phone.
- After opening the app, if you see the Keep using Messenger page, then tap on the CONTINUE button.
- Tap on your profile at the top left corner.
- Now, scroll down to the bottom of the page and select Legal and Policies option.
- Select the Deactivate Messenger option.
- Enter your password and tap on Continue.
- At last, tap on the Deactivate button.
What happens after the deactivation process?
- You will be invisible in the Messenger app. No one will be seeing your profile in the app.
- No one will be able to communicate with you.
- When you reactive Messenger, it will also reactivate your Facebook account automatically.
Note: Deleting Facebook account will also delete all your messages, it’s not like deactivating both separately.
How To Reactivate Facebook Messenger?
If you want to reactivate your Facebook Messenger, then simply log in to the Messenger app with your email address/phone number and password.
The latest iOS version of the app is not showing Deactivate Messenger option under legal & policies. So wait till they fix the issue or deactivate it via the Android phone.
There is no Deactivate button under Legal and Policies!!!
Thank you, Casey Snell, for your query.
Please, make sure that you have deactivated your Facebook account at first because without deactivating your Facebook account, you cannot deactivate Messenger. You can check out our article on How To Deactivate Facebook Account. If you have already done that, here’s what you should do:
1. Tap on Legal and Policies.
2. Tap on Deactivate Messenger.
3. Tap on the Deactivate button.
I hope it will solve your problem.
I have no deactivation button under legal and policies ?
Even if my facebook deactivated, there’s still no deactivate messenger button under legal and policies. should i wait?
This is also my problem, there is no “deactivate” button in the new update of messenger. This is so frustrating. I hope they would do something about this
Hello Michie,
You need to deactivate the Facebook account to deactivate the Messenger.
Yeah I am annoyed. I can’t deactivate my messenger either even I deactivated my facebook! What happened to fb?! Why they removed the option of deactivating messenger in desktop version??!!
Hello LJ
You can download Facebook Messenger, deactivate it from the phone and uninstall the app.
I have no option to deactivate messenger either, this is just total crap and should never be allowed to be live without a deactivate button active. I am a manger of IT within a large corporation and never would something like this be put into production without everything working properly. I don’t know what fb is doing but they truly better get their acts together, again another violation of someone’s rights to stop their account without issue. Also the translation option doesn’t exist for those who used it heavily as well, not right to implant something and then take it away after a very short amount of time. Certainly hope these things are fixed quickly but seeing it has almost been a month I wouldn’t recommend anyone holding their breath.
Hello Nicole,
You can deactivate Facebook Messenger from the Messenger app for Android or iOS.
You can only deactivate Messenger if you previously deactivated your Facebook account.
To deactivate Messenger after you’ve deactivated your Facebook account:
1. Open Messenger.
2. Tap your profile picture in the top left corner > Legal & Policies > Deactivate Messenger.
3. Tap Deactivate.
NEW MESSENGER UPDATE DOES NOT ALLOW USERS TO DEACTIVATE MESSENGER EVEN IF YOU HAVE DEACTIVATED YOUR FACEBOOK ACCOUNT!!
THERE IS NO OPTION TO DEACTIVATE WHEN YOU GO TO LEGAL & POLICIES. SO MANY PEOPLE KEEP ON REPEATING TO GO TO LEGAL AND POLICIES, PLEASE TAKE YOUR TIME TO READ AND UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM. THE OPTION IS NOT THERE AFTER FACEBOOK ACCOUNT IS DEACTIVATED
It’s 12/31 and im still experiencing the same problem…
You keep telling us how to David messenger… Even if you deactivate Facebook first… There is no deactivate button for Messenger anymore
Hello John,
It seems the issue with iOS, as Android users are able to deactivate properly. I hope Facebook will enable the deactivation option soon for iPhone users
Found out that Deactivate button only works for android. (March 2020)
Yes, i have the same problem with new vversion. There’s no deactivated button on Messenger apps
You can no longer deactivate Facebook messenger from an iPhone!!?!!!!!! I repeat!!!!!! You can not deactivate it off iOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Must be done on an android!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank me later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted 3-11-2020
Hello my friend says he’s deactivated his Facebook and messenger
Iv typed his name on my second Facebook account and cannot find him on there.
Then checked his messenger and his face picture is grey and all the messages that he sent me doesn’t show up anymore.
Has he deactivated his Facebook temp or permanently?
Cause other accounts iv had has gone completely but the messages from them are still on my messenger .
Seems strange I cannot see his messages anymore .
I cannot find the account on a secondary account so I know he’s deactivated it but I don’t know why the messages are gone also.
I have a note 8 and everytime I click deactivate messenger it brings up an error message that the link is not active. What the hell? This is super frustrating. Many people have the exact same issue. Impossible to remove myself from messenger!
I have an iOS and found a work around.
I too did not have the deactivate option even after I deactivated Facebook.
Once I deleted both apps (Facebook and messenger ) I then reinstalled messenger, logged back in and FINALLY the deactivate option showed up under legal and policies.
If you have an iPhone and the option is not there, you will have to delete the messenger app and reinstall it. Once you do this the Deactivate Messenger option will be there under Legal and Policies. Nobody is violating anyone’s rights
I’ve deactivated facebook.
Uninstalled and re-installed messenger app.
It still isn’t showing the deactivate option in legal and policies.
There is no longer a Deactivate button on a new update. I just deactivated my account the other day and when I installed it again, I can no longer deactivate
Thank you to the educator for provided these most simplest steps that helped me to deactivate my FB messenger.