Technologies

Don’t just deactivate your Facebook account. Delete it permanently

Deactivating your Facebook account isn’t good enough. We’ll show you how to completely cut ties with the social network.

People’s opinions about Facebook are a mixed bag. For some, the social media site is an essential tool for keeping in touch with friends and family around the globe, interacting with common-interest groups and getting news. But others see Facebook in terms of privacy violations, political brawling, damaging misinformation and other content that could be harmful to teens. Now known as Meta, Facebook has a new name but the same old problems. Whatever your reasons for wanting to cancel your account, we’ll tell you below what steps to follow.

It’s important to note that there’s a difference between deleting your Facebook account and deactivating it. Deactivating your Facebook account temporarily freezes it, which is useful if you want a brief hiatus. But that does nothing to prevent the company from tracking your online activity.

To fully separate from Facebook, deleting your account is the only answer. Deleting it also severs ties to Facebook Messenger, the platform’s chat app. (If you want to also get rid of Instagram and WhatsApp, which are Facebook properties, you’ll have to do that separately.) We’ll explain some things you’ll need to consider before going through the process, which requires time and patience.

1. Delete the Facebook app from your phone and tablet

The first step is to delete the app from your smartphone or tablet. Remember that deleting the Facebook app doesn’t delete your account — you can still access it from the browser and other apps might still use Facebook as a login.

Removing the icon from your phone gets it out of sight and mind, but it doesn’t do anything to your overall account. You’ll need to make sure to do all these other steps or Facebook can still track your online activity.

2. Choose a messaging or social media alternative

Remember, when you delete your Facebook account, your Messenger access goes with it. Meaning, you’ll need to reach out to those you frequently talk to on Messenger and figure out another app or messaging service to use to stay in touch.

Take the same approach with your Facebook friends in general. Post a status a few days before you plan on deleting your account, and ask that anyone who wants to keep in touch send a message with their contact info.

Facebook also gives you the option to transfer your photos, videos, notes and posts to other sites like Google Photos and Dropbox. Here’s how to transfer Facebook data.

3. Disconnect your Facebook account from other apps and logins

Third-party developers such as Spotify and DoorDash have long offered the option of using your Facebook account as a way to sign up and log in to their services. It’s convenient because it keeps you from having to remember yet another password. That is, until you don’t have a Facebook account anymore.

You’ll need to address those outside accounts that rely on your Facebook info by logging in to each account and disconnecting it from your Facebook account.

To find a list of apps linked to your Facebook account:

Sign in to Facebook.
Go to Settings > Apps and websites.
If you’re having trouble figuring out how to unlink your Facebook account from a service, contact the company’s customer service department for help.

Once that’s done, request and download a copy of all your Facebook data by following these steps:

Log in to Facebook on your computer.
Go to Settings > Your Facebook Information.
Click View next to Download Your Information.
Leave all of the boxes checked under the Your Information section.
Leave the date range to All of my data.
Leave the format set to HTML — doing so puts your data in an easy-to-navigate format.
In order to save high-resolution copies of photos and videos you’ve posted to Facebook, change the Media Quality drop-down from Medium to High.

Finally, click Create File. Facebook will then gather all of your information and send you an email when it’s ready to be downloaded. It can take some time for this to happen — it’s not an instant process.

4. Finally, it’s time to delete your Facebook account

The final step is to delete your account. To do so, visit this page and sign in.

Facebook will give you a list of tasks and things to consider before deleting your account. For example, you’ll be advised to download all of your information, or if you’re the sole admin of a Facebook Page, you’ll be asked to grant another account admin privileges. Otherwise, the page will be deleted alongside your account.

All right, you ready? Click Delete Account, enter your password and click Continue. Finally, click Delete Account again and you’re done.

5. You have 30 days to change your mind about Facebook

Facebook will take up to 90 days to delete all of your account data from its servers. For the first 30 days of that period, you can still sign in and cancel your deletion request. Your account will be restored and it’ll be like you never left. For better or worse.

To cancel your deletion request, visit Facebook.com, log in to your account, and click the Cancel Deletion button.

And if you need any help with the emotional side of the breakup, here are some tips on how to ease the pain of Facebook separation.

Technologies

We Love This Ugreen Tracker, and It’s Just $13 Right Now

These handy tags are a great way to keep track of your items without having to fork over the full price of $20 — for a limited time, at least.

Losing keys, having misplaced luggage and other items can be a major inconvenience. It takes time to recuperate your things, and replacing them can cost you money you’d rather spend on other needs. If you’ve got a few things you want to keep a closer eye on, then a tracker might be a great option for you. We’ve spotted this Ugreen FineTrack smart finder for just $13 at Amazon, which saves you $7 after you clip the on-page coupon. Amazon prices tend to fluctuate, so we suggest acting fast if this deal is of interest. Plus, it’s a great chance to save on electronic goods that might increase in cost due to impending tariffs.

This Ugreen FineTrack smart finder is compact, light and easily clips onto your keys, bags and other items. It’s compatible with Apple’s FindMy feature, which makes it a more affordable alternative to AirTags, which have a list price of $30. Once removed from the package, all have to do is use Bluetooth and sync this tracker to your FindMy app on any Apple device. The Ugreen FineTrack requires a battery that can last up to two years.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

Need an extra pair of eyes? You can share the location of your tag with up to five more people. Plus, you can turn on an alarm that makes a loud sound so you can locate misplaced items. You can also set up notifications that can remind you if you’ve left something behind.

To better take advantage of these trackers, take a look at our article about the best places to use your tracker during travels.

Why this deal matters

This Ugreen FineTrack smart finder is down to just $13 for a limited time at Amazon. This saves you $7 over its usual asking price and is much more budget-friendly than other available trackers. Considering the potential for price increases due to tariffs, now is an excellent opportunity to nab this deal.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for April 28, #421

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 421 for April 28.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle has a very strange, long spangram, but the answers themselves are short and pretty easy to solve. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: My bad!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Uh-oh!

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

NUMB, TOLE, POLE, POLES, SPIT, PITS, SOPPY, BREW, TALE, DUMB, DUMBS, ALTER, LETS, BALE, BALES.

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you’ve got all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

SLIP, SPILL, FALTER, TOPPLE, BLUNDER, STUMBLE.

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is WHOOPSIEDAISY.To find it, start with the W that’s four letters down on the far right row, and wind across, and then down.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 28, #687

Hints and answers for Connections for April 28, #687.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

As an ’80s girl, I immediately spotted the four words in the yellow category of today’s Connections puzzle. I definitely had at least three of those products in my college apartment, so that was an easy solve. And since I read a lot of Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie, the blue category came along pretty easily, too. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Bought at Ulta, maybe.

Green group hint: Not fancy.

Blue group hint: Nancy Drew would spot these.

Purple group hint: Yawn.