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Facebook · Privacy & keeping your memories

How to delete Facebook but keep your photos and memories

Updated June 2026 · by everkept · 5 min read

Short answer: Download your full Facebook export (your photos and videos in one ZIP file) before you delete. Confirm it's complete, then delete your account — once deletion is permanent, the photos can't be recovered. Keep everything in a private gallery off Meta, so you get the privacy you want without losing the memories.

Prefer a click-by-click walkthrough with screenshots? See the full guide →

everkeptphotos.com/gallery

Off Meta, in your hands — every photo and video organized by year and by the people in them.

Why so many people are leaving Meta right now

If you're thinking about deleting Facebook, you're far from alone. The reasons people give tend to be calm and practical rather than dramatic:

Privacy. Many people simply want less of their life stored on a platform they no longer use much, and more control over who can see it.

How uploaded content gets used. Meta's products increasingly include AI features, and how a platform may use the photos and content people upload is a fair thing to care about. The exact rules are set by Meta's own policies and your account's privacy settings, and they change over time — so it's worth reading Facebook's current Privacy Policy and reviewing your settings rather than relying on rumor. Many people would simply rather keep their memories somewhere private and entirely their own.

A lighter footprint. Plenty of people are stepping back from social media in general — and they don't want stepping back to mean losing years of family photos and videos.

Whatever your reason, the move that protects your memories is the same: get them out first.

Download everything before you delete

  1. Open Accounts Center. On a computer, go to Settings & privacy → Settings → Accounts Center (or visit accountscenter.facebook.com).
  2. Find "Your information and permissions." Then click Download your information.
  3. Create the export. Choose your profile, set Date range to All time, Format to HTML (easiest to browse) or JSON, and Media quality to High.
  4. Select Photos and videos. Deselect everything else if you only want your media — a smaller, faster export.
  5. Submit and wait for the email. Facebook usually delivers within a few hours; large archives can take a day or two. The download link expires after a few days, so grab it promptly.
  6. Download the ZIP and confirm it's complete — then delete. Large archives arrive as several ZIP files; download all of them and open one to make sure your photos are really there. Only then start the deletion. After the grace period (typically about 30 days, during which logging back in cancels it), deletion is permanent.

For the detailed version with screenshots, see how to download all your Facebook photos and how to request your archive step by step.

Keep your memories private and your own

The export gets your photos out — but it leaves them in a mess. They land in nested folders, the original dates are often stripped, and videos sit apart from photos. After leaving Meta for the sake of control, you don't want to land in a ZIP file you can't make sense of.

That's what everkept fixes. Upload the ZIP and you get one private gallery — every photo and video together, organized by year and grouped by the people in them, with the dates restored. Only you can access it, your uploaded files are deleted from our servers after 30 days unless you keep your gallery, and it's never sold, shared, or used to train anything. Free to preview; one-time price to keep it, no subscription. The privacy you wanted, with all the memories intact.

Common questions

Can I delete Facebook and still keep my photos?

Yes — as long as you download your full export first. Use Facebook's "Download Your Information" tool to get your photos and videos in a ZIP file, confirm it's complete, and only then delete your account. Once deletion is permanent, the photos can't be recovered from Facebook.

Why are people leaving Facebook in 2026?

Common reasons include wanting more privacy, concern about how Meta uses the content people upload (including for its AI features), and simply wanting less of their life on social media. People want their memories somewhere private and under their own control rather than tied to a platform they no longer trust.

Does Meta use my photos for AI?

How Meta handles uploaded content is governed by its own policies and privacy settings, which change over time — check Facebook's current Privacy Policy and your account settings for the latest. Many people who'd rather not have their content used in ways they can't fully control are choosing to download their memories and keep them off Meta entirely.

Where should I keep my photos after deleting Facebook?

Somewhere private that you control. everkept turns your downloaded export into one private gallery — every photo and video together, organized by year and by person, with dates restored. Only you can access it, it lives off Meta, and it's yours to keep — free to preview, one-time price, no subscription.

Leave Meta. Keep every memory.

Download your export, then see it turned into one private gallery you control — organized by year and by person, free to preview.

See your gallery free →

No password needed · Your files are private and deleted after 30 days unless you keep your gallery · One-time price, no subscription