How To Deactivate Snapchat Account

With approximately 498 million active users, Snapchat is the world’s twelfth most popular social networking site. When it first came into existence, no one expected the photo/video sharing platform to grow famous solely for displaying its user’s posts for a limited amount of time before deleting them forever. On the platform, users can share ‘snaps’ with their friends using diverse filters. Unlike other social media platforms, the Snapchat app also gives you the option to share your location data with your friends. In this article below, you’ll learn how to deactivate Snapchat account in 5 easy steps.

Although its popularity has gone down over the years among teens and young adults, Snapchat has been the most popular social network since 2016.

But the world of social media changes fast. And though you might have been enthusiastic about maintaining a ‘snap streak’ with your friend last week, you might not be as keen about it this week. There are a number of reasons why people leave Snapchat, and two of the main ones are privacy risks and undesirable updates. Sometimes people grow old and then out of their habit of using social media since Seniors and Technology is an evolving relationship anyway.

Aside from that, many people were peeved by its jokes about domestic violence or simply the self-image it promoted and eventually decided to quit the application altogether. And if you’re not using your account, you might be wondering, ‘How to deactivate my Snapchat account?’

But here’s the thing: unlike other social media platforms, you can’t temporarily deactivate your account. You can only delete your account. The only way you can ‘deactivate’ it is to finish the deletion process instead, which gives you 30 days to return to the app before your Snapchat account is gone forever. You can only reactivate your Snapchat account if you go back within those 30 days. Once it’s permanently deleted, there’s no way for you to get it back.

If you look at their website, it clearly states that while your account is deactivated, your friends will not be able to contact you. 30 days in, and then your account will be permanently deleted. Your account, account settings, friends, Snaps, Messages, Story, and device/location data in their main user database, will be deleted for good.

How To Deactivate Snapchat Account From Web:

1. Open the Snapchat web browser.
2. Log in to your account.
3. On the manage, my account settings in the left-hand side menu, select delete my account.
4. Re-enter your username and password.
5. Click continue.

Your friends won’t be able to find you after your Snapchat account is deactivated. And in case you want to reactivate your account only a day after, there’s a chance that the app might not allow it before 24 hours of account deletion (attempting this within 24-hours will display a “Cannot find the user” error message. Waiting for a little bit and then trying again would fix it).

How To Deactivate Snapchat Account From Your Phone:

1. Open the Snapchat app on your device.
2. From the top left corner, tap your avatar.
3. Tap the gear icon.
4. Scroll down until you reach Support.
5. Press I Need Help.
6. On the Search Bar, type in Delete, and press the first option.
7. In the How to delete your Snapchat account section, click accounts portal.
8. On the account deletion page, type in your username and password.

That should do it! Your Snapchat account has been deactivated, which means friends won’t be able to contact you on Snapchat or see any of your other information. After 30 days, your Snapchat account will be deleted for good. Your account, account settings, friends, Snaps, Chats, Story, device data, and location data in their main user database will be wiped out of the servers. If you don’t want it gone forever, we suggest you set a reminder to reactivate it before the 30-day period.

Having your e-mail address verified by Snapchat will get you a confirmation email when the deletion finally happens.

Take note that there are also chances you might want to save your data before you permanently delete Snapchat. It lets you download images, videos, login history, account information, snap and chat history, memories, Bitmoji, purchase and shop history, Snapchat support history, location data, and user account details (basically all of your personal data). And you can choose to do this anytime you want, not just because you’re on your way to delete your account.

How To Download Your Snapchat Data:

1. Open the Snapchat website.
2. Log in to your account.
3. On the manage my account settings, click my data.
4. Scroll all the way down and click submit a request.
5. Check your e-mail for a link from Snapchat.
6. Click on the link to download your Snapchat data.

You can now find all of your data on your device in a zip file format.

Things To Note:

• Snapchat can share your info with other users, sister companies, business partners, or concerned parties when required by law. They can also retain personal data for other needs, and if it worries you and makes you feel concerned about your privacy, you can go through their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy in detail.
• You can’t deactivate your Snapchat account without deleting it.
• Only deleting the app does not delete your Snapchat account.
• If you don’t go on the website often, you might receive a ‘suspicious login’ page that would ask you to enter the code they send to your registered number.
• For security reasons, if you want to download your data, you need a verified e-mail ID.
• After you delete your Snapchat account, your friends/family will not contact you via Snapchat.
• You have to wait 30 days for your account to be completely wiped out of the servers.
• If you don’t save your data before the 30 day recovery period, it will be permanently deleted when you delete your account.
• While your account is deactivated, your username and password are the only two things that allow you to log in. An email address wouldn’t work, and you won’t be able to change your password unless you’ve managed to reactivate via username.
• If there are further issues, ask about your issues on Snapchat’s support page.

Last Updated on December 8, 2022 by Laveleena Sharma