You can delete a Facebook page permanently, but Facebook keeps your data for 90 days before removing it completely
When you delete a Facebook page, the page disappears from public view when ready. Your followers can no longer see it, and the URL stops working. However, Facebook stores a copy of everything on that page — posts, photos, comments, messages — for 90 days. During that window, you can cancel the deletion and restore the page. After 90 days, Facebook permanently removes the data from its servers.
Deleting a page is different from deactivating it. A deactivated page is hidden but can be reactivated anytime. A deleted page is gone for good after the 90-day period ends. If you are not sure you want to lose the page forever, deactivation is the safer choice.
Key Takeaways
- Deleted pages disappear when ready from public view, but Facebook keeps all content for 90 days in case you change your mind.
- You must be an admin of the page to delete it, and you need to access the page settings, not your personal profile settings.
- After you request deletion, Facebook sends a confirmation email — you must click the link in that email to complete the process.
- If you only want to hide the page temporarily, deactivation is reversible anytime, while deletion is permanent after 90 days.
How to delete a page step by step
Go to your Facebook page (not your personal profile). Click the three horizontal lines in the top right corner to open the menu. Scroll down and select Settings and privacy, then click Settings. On the left side, click General. Scroll to the bottom of the page and look for the option that says Remove page or Delete page — the exact wording depends on your Facebook version.
Click that option. Facebook will show you a warning that explains the page will be deleted permanently after 90 days. It will also ask you to confirm your password. Enter your password and click Delete. Facebook sends a confirmation email to the address connected to your account. Open that email and click the link inside it to finalize the deletion. Without clicking that link, the deletion does not go through.
Once you click the confirmation link, the page is gone from public view. You will see a message saying the page is scheduled for deletion. During the next 90 days, you can still restore it by going back to your page settings and selecting Restore page if that option appears. After 90 days, the restore option disappears and the deletion becomes permanent.
What happens to your page's followers and content
When you delete a page, all followers lose access to it when ready. They cannot see the page in their feeds, cannot visit the page URL, and cannot message the page. Any posts you made on that page are gone from their view. If followers had saved posts from your page or shared them to their own timelines, those shared versions remain on their profiles, but they will no longer link back to your original page.
All content on the page — posts, photos, videos, reviews, comments, and messages sent to the page — is deleted along with it. If you need to keep a record of this content, you should read it before you delete the page. Facebook offers a read tool that lets you save your page data as files on your computer.
How to read your page data before deleting
Go to your page settings and look for read your information or Data read in the menu. Click it. Facebook will prepare a file containing all your page posts, photos, videos, and other content. This process can take a few hours or even days if your page has a lot of content. Facebook sends you an email when the file is ready to read.
Click the link in that email to read the file to your computer. The file is usually a ZIP folder containing HTML files and image folders. You can open these files in any web browser to view your page's history. This is the only way to keep a permanent record of your page before it is deleted.
Deactivation as an alternative to deletion
If you are not ready to delete your page permanently, you can deactivate it instead. A deactivated page is hidden from public view — followers cannot find it, and it does not appear in search results. However, the page still exists in Facebook's system, and you can reactivate it anytime by going back to settings and selecting Reactivate page.
Deactivation is useful if you are taking a break from managing a page, want to pause a business page temporarily, or are unsure whether you want to delete it forever. All your content stays intact during deactivation. When you reactivate, everything is exactly as you left it.
What you need to know about the 90-day window
The 90 days starts the moment you click the confirmation link in Facebook's email. During this time, the page is invisible to the public, but you can still restore it if you change your mind. To restore it, go to your page settings and look for a Restore page option. Click it, and the page comes back online with all its content intact.
After 90 days pass, Facebook permanently deletes all data associated with the page from its servers. The restore option disappears, and you cannot get the page back. If you realize after 90 days that you wanted to keep it, you would have to create a new page from scratch and rebuild it manually.
Troubleshooting: Why you might not see the delete option
If you cannot find the delete option in your page settings, you may not be an admin of the page. Only page admins can delete a page. If someone else created the page and made you an editor or moderator instead of an admin, you do not have permission to delete it. Ask the page creator or another admin to delete it, or ask them to change your role to admin first.
Another reason the delete option might be missing is if your page is connected to a Facebook Shop or has active ads running. Facebook requires you to remove these connections before you can delete the page. Go to your Shop settings or Ads Manager, remove or pause the active ads, and then try deleting the page again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete a page I do not admin?
No. Only admins can delete a page. If you are an editor or moderator, you do not have the permission to delete it. Contact the page admin and ask them to delete it, or ask them to change your role to admin so you can do it yourself.
What happens to messages people sent to my page?
All messages in your page inbox are deleted along with the page. If you need to keep records of customer messages or important conversations, read your page data before you delete it. The read includes message history.
Can someone else recreate my page after I delete it?
Yes. Once your page is deleted, anyone can create a new page with the same name. If you want to protect your page name, you could deactivate instead of delete, or you could delete it and then when ready create a new page with the same name and set it to private or unpublished so others cannot claim it.
Does deleting my page affect my personal Facebook profile?
No. Your page and your personal profile are separate. Deleting a page does not delete your profile, your friends list, or your personal posts. Only the page itself is removed.
How long does it take for the page to disappear after I request deletion?
The page disappears from public view when ready after you click the confirmation link in Facebook's email. Followers cannot see it or access it right away. The permanent deletion from Facebook's servers happens after 90 days.