Netflix gives you two ways to stop using your account: pause it temporarily or delete it completely
If you want to keep your Netflix account but stop paying for a while, you can pause your membership. If you want to remove your account entirely — cancel your subscription and erase your profile, watch history, and saved shows — you delete it. Deletion is permanent. Once you delete your account, Netflix will not restore it, and you cannot recover your watch history or saved lists.
You can delete your account from any device with a web browser. The Netflix app on phones and tablets does not have a delete option, so you will need to go to Netflix.com on a computer or phone browser instead. The process takes about five minutes and requires you to confirm your choice twice.
Key Takeaways
- Deleting your account removes everything permanently — your profile, watch history, saved shows, and payment method — and Netflix cannot restore it.
- You must delete your account through a web browser at Netflix.com; the Netflix app does not have a delete option.
- If you share your account with others, deleting it removes access for everyone on that account, though other profiles under the same email stay active if you have a plan with multiple profiles.
- If you are on a free trial, you can delete your account without being charged, but you lose access when ready.
- Pausing your membership is different from deleting — pausing stops charges but keeps your account and watch history intact.
How to delete your account step by step
Go to Netflix.com and sign in with your email and password. Once you are logged in, look for your profile icon or account menu — this is usually in the top right corner of the screen. Click it and select "Account" or "Your Account".
On the Account page, scroll down until you see a section called "Membership and Billing" or "Plan Details". Below that, look for a link that says "Cancel membership" or "Delete account". Click that link. Netflix will show you a page explaining what happens when you delete — your watch history, saved shows, and payment information will all be removed.
Netflix will ask you to confirm that you want to cancel. You may see options to pause your membership instead, but if you want to delete completely, select the delete or cancel option. Netflix will ask you a second time to confirm. Once you click the final confirmation button, your account is deleted when ready and you will be signed out.
What happens to shared accounts and multiple profiles
If you share your Netflix account with family members or roommates, deleting your account removes access for everyone using that account. All profiles under that account will disappear, and no one will be able to watch Netflix using that login.
If you have a Netflix plan that allows multiple profiles and you only want to remove one person's access, you do not need to delete the whole account. Instead, you can delete just their profile. Go to Account, find "Manage Profiles", and select the profile you want to remove. This keeps your account active and lets other profiles continue watching.
If you are the account owner and other people are paying you for their share, tell them before you delete. They will lose access the moment you confirm deletion, and there is no way to undo it.
The difference between pausing and deleting
Pausing your membership stops your charges but keeps your account alive. Your watch history, saved shows, and payment method stay on file. You can unpause anytime within three months and pick up where you left off. Pausing is useful if you want a break but plan to come back.
Deleting removes everything permanently. You cannot recover your watch history or saved lists. If you want to use Netflix again later, you will have to create a new account from scratch. Deletion is the right choice only if you are certain you will not want Netflix again, or if you want to completely separate from the account for privacy reasons.
To pause instead of delete, go to Account, find "Membership and Billing", and look for "Pause membership" rather than "Cancel" or "Delete". Pausing is reversible; deletion is not.
What to do before you delete
Before you delete, read or write down any information you want to keep. Netflix does not save your watch history after deletion, so if you want a record of what you watched, take screenshots or notes yourself. There is no export feature, so you will have to do this manually.
If you have a paid subscription, check your billing date. Deleting your account when ready stops all charges, even if you are in the middle of a billing cycle. Netflix does not refund partial months, so if you delete on the first day of your billing period, you lose the rest of that month's access without a refund.
If you are on a free trial, deleting removes your access right away, but you will not be charged. If your trial is about to end and you do not want to be charged, deleting before the trial ends prevents any charges from going through.
If you cannot find the delete option
Netflix sometimes changes where the delete option appears on its website. If you cannot find "Cancel membership" or "Delete account" on your Account page, try scrolling to the very bottom of the page — it is often placed there. If you are on a phone browser, the page may be formatted differently, so scroll all the way down.
If the option still does not appear, you may be logged into a profile that is not the account owner. Only the person who created the account and set up the payment method can delete it. If someone else created the account, ask them to delete it, or ask them to remove just your profile instead.
If you still cannot locate the delete option after checking these places, you can contact Netflix support through the Help Center on Netflix.com. They can walk you through the deletion process or delete the account for you if there is a technical problem.
What happens after deletion
Once you delete your account, you will be signed out when ready. If you try to log in with that email and password, Netflix will tell you the account does not exist. You cannot recover the account or any of its data.
If you want to use Netflix again in the future, you will create a brand new account with a new profile and start with an empty watch history. You can use the same email address for the new account, but it will be treated as a completely separate account with no connection to the deleted one.
Any payment method you had on file is removed from Netflix's system. If you used a credit card or PayPal account, Netflix will no longer charge it. You may see a final charge for the current billing period if you deleted partway through the month, but no future charges will occur.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get my watch history back after I delete my account?
No. Deletion is permanent and Netflix does not restore watch history, saved shows, or any other account data. If you think you might want this information later, take screenshots or write down the titles before you delete.
Will I be charged after I delete my account?
No charges will occur after deletion. If you delete in the middle of a billing cycle, you will not be refunded for the unused portion of that month, but no future charges will be made.
Can I delete my account from the Netflix app?
No. The Netflix app does not have a delete option. You must go to Netflix.com in a web browser, sign in, and delete from there. This works on any device — phone, tablet, or computer — as long as you use a browser instead of the app.
What if someone else created the Netflix account?
Only the account owner can delete the account. If you are a profile on someone else's account and want to stop using it, ask the account owner to delete your profile instead. This removes your access without deleting the entire account.
Can I pause my account instead of deleting it?
Yes. Pausing stops charges but keeps your account and watch history intact for up to three months. You can unpause anytime within that window. Go to Account, find "Pause membership", and follow the steps. Pausing is reversible; deletion is not.