Pick the service. Each guide covers deactivate vs delete, what to save first, and what to do if you cannot log in. Last updated: September 2026.
Delete when you do not need the service and it still stores a password, card, or backup email. Lock (new unique password + two-factor authentication) when you still use it. Deactivation hides a social profile; the data often remains.
Do not delete your only email until every other account can recover to a new address. Use the account security checklist for order.
Deletion is hygiene. Pair it with a unique password in a password manager, two-factor authentication or a passkey on what you keep, and email aliases so the next signup is not the same inbox.
If a government ID leaked, a credit freeze is a separate job from closing a social account. Walk the after-breach playbook first when the match is still fresh.
No. Deactivation hides the profile and often lets you come back. Deletion is a request to close the account, sometimes with a waiting period. After a breach, deactivation is a pause; deletion is for accounts you are done with.
Download anything you need, move a recovery email off that login, cancel paid plans, remove stored cards, and sign out other devices. Then check whether the email on the account appeared in a breach so you know which other logins to lock.
Use the official account-recovery flow on the real website (type the address yourself). Do not use a help number from a search ad. If recovery fails, the company’s published privacy or deletion form is the next step — not a random “hacker for hire.”
No. Breach files already copied your data. Deletion stops that company from holding a live login. You still want unique passwords and an email check for everything you keep.
