If someone deactivates their Facebook can you still search for them

Facebook are very big on security and privacy, and as a result they ensure that it’s easy for users to deactivate their account.

When someone deactivates their Facebook account, the platform will effectively hide everything they’ve ever posted to the point where it will appear like that person was never on Facebook in the first place.

Due to that fact, it can be difficult to figure out if someone has deactivated their Facebook account – and virtually impossible if you weren’t familiar with their profile pre-deactivation.

We’re going to look at how you can figure out if someone has deactivated their Facebook. Let’s get into it!

The easiest way to find out if someone has deactivated their Facebook account is to simply search for their account using the search bar on Facebook, either on the mobile phone app or on the web address.

If their account comes up then it means their account is still active, however if it doesn’t then it could mean that they have deactivated their account.

This isn’t conclusive evidence though, because a Facebook user not appearing on your search could also mean that they have blocked you.

To find out whether they have blocked you or if they have deactivated, you will need to to do one of two things:

1. Ask a friend to log on to their Facebook and search for the user. If they aren’t showing up for them either then it’s likely that they have deactivated their account. If they are showing up for them then it likely means that you have been blocked.
2. Set up a secondary Facebook account and search for the user on this account. If they aren’t showing up on this account then you can guarantee that they’ve deactivated their account because there would be no reason or time for them to block a new, anonymous account.

You will need to log into a profile, as it’s difficult searching Facebook without an account – you don’t get full access to what the search feature offers.

This is the easiest way to identify a deactivated Facebook account, as you’ll no longer be able to see them in your friends list.

Using Messenger to find out if an account has been deactivated

Facebook’s instant messaging service, Facebook Messenger, can also be used to decipher whether someone has deactivated their Facebook account or not.

The process within Messenger is fairly similar to the process we’ve discussed above, except in this instance you are going to be trying to start a new Messenger conversation with someone rather than simply searching for them on Facebook.

To do this, please follow these steps:

1. Log into your Messenger account on the mobile phone app.
2. Select the notepad and pen icon on the top right hand side of the screen to start a new conversation with someone.
3. Type in the name of the user who you suspect has deactivated their account into the search bar.
4. If their name/account appears then their account is still active, if doesn’t then their account has either been deactivated or they have blocked you.
5. Follow the steps in relation to asking a friend and setting up a secondary account to establish whether a blocking or deactivation has taken place.

When you combine looking at Facebook messages with checking their FB account, you can usually work out if the account has been deactivated.

How to deactivate your Facebook account

If you’re looking for this information to find out what traces will be left behind once you deactivate your account, then you could probably do with knowing how you actually go about deactivating your account.

You can do this on the mobile app OR via a web browser, making it an easy process regardless of how you typically use Facebook.

On the mobile phone app

1. Log on to your Facebook account.
2. Select the three lined icon on the bottom right hand side of the screen, followed by ‘settings and privacy’ and then ‘settings’.
3. Locate the ‘account’ subheading and select ‘personal and account information’.
4. Select ‘account ownership and control’.
5. Select ‘deactivation and deletion’.
6. Select whether you want a temporary deactivation or a permanent one and then enter in your Facebook password to confirm your decision.

Via a web browser

1. Log on to your Facebook account.
2. Select the downward arrow on the lop right hand side of the screen.
3. Select ‘settings and privacy’, followed by ‘settings’.
4. From the left hand side menu, select ‘your Facebook information’.
5. Select ‘deactivation and deletion’.
6. Select whether you want a temporary deactivation or a permanent one and then enter in your Facebook password to confirm your decision.

Conclusion

To conclude, being able to decipher whether someone has deactivated their Facebook account or merely blocked you from viewing their profile can be a difficult task.

You can start by browsing their previous activity, like looking for their Facebook comments and previous activity with others on the platform, or checking your mutual friends.

As a result, you are going to need either ask a friend for help or set up a new, anonymous Facebook account to figure it out. Either way, we hope the instructions given within this article will help you to get to the bottom of it.

Author

Andy

Andy is a Professional Content Editor with expertise in a whole host of areas (or so he tells us anyway). His main interests are sports, tv/film and social media. He has reviewed over 100 apps so far for Apps UK.