Interacting with people over social media can be really fun and exciting. Still, it is definitely capable of pushing your life into a haphazard and lure you into the never-ending abyss of networking. So taking a break from it does help and is always recommended.

Many of the users taking a break from Facebook deactivate their accounts temporarily and can always come back in a jiffy by logging in to their accounts. However, for some reason, even after deactivating the account, Facebook does not deactivate your Messanger account associated with it.

People can still see you and try to contact you over Messenger, which can pose a serious risk to your digital detoxing routine. Thus, you need to know how to deactivate your Messenger account separately if you are already on a break or thinking about taking one soon.

Since Messenger is associated and more or less dependent on your main Facebook account to function, one cannot deactivate their Messenger account without first deactivating their Facebook account. Thus, make sure your Facebook account is deactivated before you jump in to deactivate your Messenger account.

For people, who are not aware of how to deactivate your Facebook account, below are some quick steps to do that.

Deactivate your Facebook Account

From the Facebook app, tap on the hamburger menu icon (three horizontal lines) situated on the top right corner of your screen.

Next, scroll down and tap on the ‘Settings & Privacy’ option.

Then, tap on the ‘Settings’ option.

After that, tap on the ‘Account Ownership and Control’ option present on the screen.

Now, tap on the ‘Deactivation and Deletion’ option from the list.

Next, select the ‘Deactivate Account’ option and tap on the ‘Continue to Account Deactivation’ option.

After that, choose a reason for deactivating your account from the available options or type one in the provided space. Then tap on ‘Continue’.

Then, if you do not want to receive notifications from your friends about them tagging you in pictures or request to join groups/communities or event invitations, tap on ‘Opt-out of receiving future notifications from Facebook’. Finally, tap on ‘Deactivate My Account from the bottom section of the screen.

(If you notice in the screenshot below, Facebook does bring to your notice that your Messenger account will not be deactivated unless you deactivate it separately.)

After that, you will be logged out of Facebook. So now your Facebook account has been deactivated.

Deactivate Facebook Messenger on iPhone and Android

Finding the setting to deactivate your Facebook Messenger account can be a bit tricky. However, once you know where to go, it’s as plain sailing as it gets.

After deactivating your Facebook account, open the Messenger application on your iPhone or Android device.

Then tap on your account profile picture from the top left corner of the screen.

Then, scroll down and tap on the ‘Legal & Policies’ option from the list.

After that, tap on the ‘Deactivate Messenger’ option from the available list.

Next, enter your Facebook account password and tap on the ‘Continue’ button.

Finally, tap on the ‘Deactivate’ button to deactivate your Messenger account.

After tapping the ‘Deactivate’ button, you will be logged out of your Messenger account, and it will be deactivated.

Reactivate Facebook Messenger

Reactivating your Messenger is pretty straightforward. In fact, it’s just a single-step procedure.

You will need to log in to the Messenger app either from the Desktop, Android, or iPhone by entering your credentials, and your account will be reactivated.

That’s it, people. This is how you deactivate your Messenger account after deactivating your Facebook account, so it doesn’t hinder your digital detox.