How to Delete a Snapchat Account

So you’re thinking about deleting your Snapchat account. Maybe you feel like Snapchat is taking up too much of your time or you want more privacy. Whatever the reason, deleting your Snapchat account is a big decision.

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about how to delete a Snapchat account. We’ll cover: When to Consider Deleting Snapchat, How to Temporarily Deactivate Snapchat, Permanently Deleting a Snapchat Account, What Happens When You Delete Snapchat, Reactivating Your Snapchat Account, & FAQs About Deleting Snapchat.

Let’s get started!

When to Consider Deleting Snapchat

Here are the most common reasons people choose to delete their Snapchat accounts:

• You’re spending too much time on Snapchat. Snapchat can be addicting. If you find yourself constantly checking notifications or aimlessly using filters, it may be time for a break. Deleting Snapchat helps you reclaim focus.
• You want more privacy. Even though messages disappear in Snapchat, the app still collects a lot of personal data. Deleting Snapchat limits how much of your data is out there.
• You’re taking a social media detox. If you feel overwhelmed by apps and are looking to rebalance your digital life, removing Snapchat clears one distraction.
• You have an old account you no longer use. Do you have a spare Snapchat that you never check anymore? Deleting old unused accounts does a little digital housekeeping.

Make sure you think through the pros and cons before deleting Snapchat for good. The app can be fun for keeping up with friends, even if it comes with some downsides regarding privacy and screen time.

How to Temporarily Deactivate Snapchat

If you’re unsure about deleting Snapchat forever, consider deactivating temporarily first:

1. Open Snapchat and tap your profile icon in the top left corner
2. Scroll down and select the gear icon to access your settings
3. Tap “Support”
4. Choose “I need more help”
5. Select “Account Information” followed by “Deactivate Account”

Snapchat will now be disabled but not deleted. Your friends won’t be able to search for your account.

However, deactivating Snapchat does NOT:

• Delete your account
• Remove your contacts
• Erase any of your message history

Everything will stay saved in your account if you choose to reactive it later!

Deactivating Snapchat is best for those who just need a short social media cleanse for a week or two. But if you are positive you want to delete Snapchat forever, then you’ll have to permanently delete.

How to Permanently Delete Your Snapchat Account

Warning: Unlike deactivating, deleting Snapchat is permanent. You’ll lose your saved messages, Memories, contacts and more if you delete Snapchat. Proceed with caution!

Follow these steps:

1. Open the Snapchat app
2. Tap your profile picture
3. Navigate to your settings using the gear icon
4. Scroll down and select “Support” followed by “I need more help”
5. Choose “Account Information” and then “Delete Account”

Snapchat will now show a list of what exactly you’ll lose if you delete. Tap continue.

Next, Snapchat will make you re-enter your password to confirm your identity.

After entering your password correctly, your Snapchat account will be scheduled for deletion. It can take up to 30 days for Snapchat to completely erase your account.

You can repeat the steps to cancel and recover your account at any point during this period if you change your mind! But once the 30 days have passed, the deletion cannot be undone.

What Happens When You Delete Snapchat

When your Snapchat account is erased after that 30 day window, here is exactly what you’ll lose:

• Your username – This gets removed from Snapchat’s database so no one else can claim it.
• Friends/contacts – Your connections will disappear from your contacts’ friend lists.
• Snaps – All previous snaps, stories, saved messages get deleted. They can’t be recovered.
• Memories – Memories and any saved media is erased. Your bitmoji will vanish too.
• Account history – Purchase history, device history and other account records are deleted.
• Snap score – Your Snapscore showing total snaps sent and screenshots will reset to 0.
• Snapstreaks – Any snapstreaks you had going with friends will come to an end.

So in summary, permanently deleting Snapchat erases everything tied to your account. There is no going back once the 30-day deletion period ends.

The one thing that does not get removed when deleting Snapchat is your contacts’ memories. For example, if you previously sent a friend a snap, and they saved that snap to their Memories, they’ll still have it even if you delete your account.

Reactivating Your Deleted Snapchat Account

If you end up regretting deleting your Snapchat within 30 days, fear not! You can still recover your account.

Here is how to reactivate Snapchat:

1. Reinstall the Snapchat app if you deleted it
2. Login using your old username and password
3. Select “Cancel Deletion” when Snapchat asks if you want to recover your account data

Your contacts, snaps history, settings and more will be restored as if nothing had changed. Keep in mind you only have a 30 day window to reactivate before permanent deletion.

However, there is no guarantee you’ll get back your old Snapchat username if you recover your account. It depends if another user has taken it already in the interim. You may have to make a new username.

Common Questions Asked About Deleting Snapchat Answered

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about permanently deleting Snapchat:

Can you ever revive your account after 30 days?

No. Snapchat does not allow accounts restored once the full deletion happens after 30 days. This cutoff is final.

Do your friends lose the snaps you sent them if you delete Snapchat?

No, snaps you sent to friends stay in their memories even after deletion. Just your copies get erased.

If you delete your account, can someone else take your old username?

Yes. Once deleted after 30 days, another user can create an account with your past username.

Can Snapchat actually delete everything from their servers?

While Snapchat claims to erase all your personal data after account deletion, there is skepticism about whether some metadata lingers in backups. But all reasonable efforts are made to scrub an account.

Is there a way to download your Snapchat data before deleting?

Unfortunately no. Unlike platforms like Facebook, Snapchat does not allow users to export their account data as a file download or backup. Everything is erased when your account is deleted.

What happens to group chats I was in if I delete my account?

You’ll be removed from any Snapchat groups chats automatically once your account is deleted. The groups will continue to exist among the other members.

So there you have it – a complete walkthrough on permanently deleting your Snapchat account as well as answers to common questions. Hopefully this guide covered everything you needed to know! Let me know in the comments if you have any other Snapchat account deletion questions.