Facebook pages are different from personal accounts, and deleting one is permanent
A Facebook page is a public profile for a business, organization, or public figure — separate from your personal account. If you created a page for a local shop, community group, or project that no longer exists, you can remove it entirely. Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone, so make sure you want to remove it before you start.
The process takes about 14 days. Facebook gives you two weeks to change your mind, during which the page is hidden from public view but still exists in your account. After 14 days, the page and all its content — posts, photos, comments, followers — are gone for good.
If you are not sure whether you have a page or a personal account, go to facebook.com and look at the top left. A personal account shows your name. A page shows a business name, organization name, or public figure name. You manage pages from your personal account, so you need to log in to your personal account first.
Key Takeaways
- Facebook pages are deleted from your personal account settings, not from the page itself, and the process takes 14 days to complete.
- You must be an admin of the page to delete it, and deletion removes all posts, photos, followers, and messages associated with that page.
- During the 14-day waiting period, the page is hidden from the public but you can still undo the deletion if you change your mind.
- If you want to keep the page but stop managing it, you can remove yourself as admin instead of deleting it entirely.
How to delete a Facebook page in four steps
Start by logging into your personal Facebook account on a computer or phone. Mobile and desktop versions have slightly different layouts, but the steps are the same.
Go to your Settings and Privacy, then select Settings. On a phone, tap the three horizontal lines (menu icon) at the bottom right. On a computer, click the downward arrow at the top right of the page. Look for Settings and Privacy and tap or click Settings.
In Settings, scroll down to find Pages on the left side menu. Click or tap Pages. You will see a list of all pages you manage. Find the page you want to delete and click on it.
Once you are on the page, look for Settings at the top. Click or tap it. Scroll down to the bottom of the page settings and look for Remove Page or Delete Page (the exact wording varies by device and Facebook version). Click or tap that option. Facebook will ask you to confirm. Select Delete again.
What happens during the 14-day waiting period
After you request deletion, the page disappears from public view when ready. Nobody can find it by searching, and it will not appear on your profile or in anyone's feed. However, the page still exists in Facebook's system for 14 days.
During this time, you can undo the deletion by going back to Settings > Pages and looking for a notification or option to restore the page. If you do nothing for 14 days, the page is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.
If you change your mind before the 14 days are up, click the restore option as soon as you see it. After 14 days have passed, there is no way to recover the page, its posts, its followers, or any messages sent to it.
Removing yourself as admin without deleting the page
If you want to keep the page but no longer manage it, you can remove yourself as an admin instead of deleting it. This is useful if someone else will take over the page, or if you want to leave it up but inactive.
Go to the page, click Settings, and scroll to Page Roles. You will see a list of all admins and their roles. Find your name and click the X or Remove button next to it. Confirm the removal. You are now no longer an admin, and the page will remain live for other admins to manage.
If you are the only admin and you remove yourself, the page will have no admin and cannot be edited. It will stay on Facebook but frozen in its current state. If you think someone else might want to manage it later, add them as an admin before you remove yourself.
Backing up your page content before deletion
If the page contains photos, posts, or messages you want to keep, read them before you delete. Facebook lets you read a copy of page content, though the process is not as straightforward as it is for personal accounts.
Go to the page, click Settings, and look for read Your Information or Access Your Information. Select the date range and content types you want to save — usually posts, photos, and comments. Facebook will prepare a file and send you a read link, usually within a few hours. read and save this file before you delete the page.
Keep in mind that this read is for your own records. It does not restore the page if you delete it — it is just a backup copy for you to keep.
Differences between deleting a page and deactivating it
Facebook pages can only be deleted, not deactivated. A personal account can be deactivated (hidden but recoverable) or deleted (permanent). Pages go straight to deletion with the 14-day waiting period.
If you want to pause a page temporarily without deleting it, you can unpublish it instead. An unpublished page is hidden from the public but still exists and can be republished later. Go to Settings and look for Page Visibility or Unpublish Page. This keeps the page and all its content intact while hiding it from view.
Unpublishing is useful if you think you might need the page again in the future. Deletion is the right choice if you are certain you will not need it.
What to do if you cannot find the delete option
If you do not see a delete option in Settings, check that you are logged into your personal account and that you are actually an admin of the page. You must be an admin to delete a page — if someone else created it and only made you an editor, you cannot delete it.
If you are an admin and still do not see the delete option, try using a computer instead of a phone. Some older phones or browsers do not display all Settings options. Go to facebook.com on a desktop or laptop, log in, and follow the steps again.
If the page has very recent activity or pending moderation requests, Facebook may temporarily hide the delete option. Wait a few hours and try again. If you still cannot find it after checking these things, the page may have restrictions that prevent deletion — contact Facebook Support through the Help Center for information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete a Facebook page if I am not the original creator?
Yes, as long as you are an admin. The creator does not have special deletion rights — any admin can delete the page. If you are an editor or moderator but not an admin, you cannot delete it. Ask an admin to remove you from the page if you no longer want to manage it.
What happens to messages people sent to the page after I delete it?
All messages are permanently deleted along with the page. If you need to keep any messages, read your page information before deletion. After the page is gone, there is no way to recover those messages.
Can someone else recreate the page with the same name after I delete it?
Yes. Once your page is deleted, the name becomes available for anyone to use. If the page name is important to your business or organization, consider transferring admin rights to someone else instead of deleting it.
Will deleting a page affect my personal Facebook account?
No. Deleting a page only removes that page. Your personal account, friends, and personal posts remain unchanged. Pages and personal accounts are separate, so removing a page does not affect your personal profile.
How do I know if the page is actually deleted after 14 days?
After 14 days, if you go to the page URL or search for the page name, it will not appear. You can also check your Pages list in Settings — the page will no longer be there. If it still appears, wait a few more hours, as the deletion may take a little time to process across Facebook's servers.