Are you ready to say goodbye to your Reddit account? Whether you’re worried about privacy, want to start a new online life, or want a break from the social media platform, deleting your Reddit account is simple. You can do it both using the website or mobile app.
What you need to know before deleting your Reddit account
Before you delete your Reddit account, consider a few essential points. Reddit is a diverse platform with many communities and content, and deleting an account is an irreversible decision. If you have any doubts about how to delete an account properly, I’ve selected the main points you should know about and check before deleting; here’s that list:
Deleting Data and Content: Deleting a Reddit account deletes your username and associated personal information, such as your email address and preferences. However, it does not delete your past posts and comments. They will remain on the platform, but instead of your name, you’ll see the label (deleted) next to them. If you’re concerned about privacy, review your post history and manually delete any content you want to delete permanently.
According to Reddit’s rules as of October 2023, after submitting an account deletion request, Reddit may take up to 90 days to complete the deletion.
Subscriptions and Saved Messages: Take a moment to review your subscriptions and saved messages. When you delete an account, all subscriptions and your saved message list will be deleted. If you have valuable or favorite messages, save them before deleting them.
Karma and Reputation: Deleting your Reddit account means saying goodbye to your karma and reputation on the platform. Karma is a numerical rating of your posts and interactions. If you have accumulated significant karma, consider whether you want to lose it.
Third-party apps and services: If you have used your Reddit account to log in or authenticate to third-party apps or services, disable or update those connections before deleting your account. Failure to do so may result in problems accessing these external platforms or data loss.
Personal attachments: Think about any personal attachments or sentimental values associated with your Reddit account. This could be communities you’ve actively participated in or relationships you’ve established with other users. Deleting your account means severing these ties.
Alternatives: Sometimes, the reasons you want to delete your Reddit account can be addressed in other ways. If you are concerned about privacy, you can change your account settings to increase your privacy. Reddit has reporting and blocking features that can help if you’re stalked.
A quick guide on how to delete your Reddit account from your computer
- Open a web browser: Launch the web browser of your choice on your PC and navigate to the Reddit website (www.reddit.com).
- Log in: If you are not already logged in, click the “Log in” button in the top right corner of the Reddit homepage. Enter your username and password to access your account.
- Access your user settings: Once logged in, click on your profile icon in the top right corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear. Click on “User Settings”.
- Account tab: From the User Settings menu, click the Account tab in the left sidebar.
- Deactivate Account: Scroll down the page to the ‘Deactivate Account’ section. Here, you will see the option to deactivate your account. Click on the blue “Deactivate Account” label.
- Confirmation: For security purposes, Reddit will ask you to enter your account password. Enter your password and click the ‘Deactivate’ button.
- Final confirmation: Reddit will display a final confirmation message. Please read it carefully to understand the consequences of deactivating your account. If you want to proceed, click the “Deactivate” button again.
- Account deleted: Your Reddit account has been deleted. You will be logged out, and your username will no longer be available on the platform.
A quick guide to deleting your Reddit account from your phone
Open the Reddit app: Launch the Reddit mobile app on your phone.
- Log in: If you’re not already logged in, tap the “Login” button in the app’s home screen’s top left or top right corner. Enter your username and password to access your account.
- Access your user settings: Once logged in, tap your profile icon, usually in the screen’s top left or top right corner.
- Settings: From your profile, click the Settings or User Settings option.
- Deactivate account: Scroll down the page to the Account Settings section, where you should see the Deactivate Account option. Click it.
- Confirm your password: For security purposes, Reddit will ask you to enter your account password. Enter your password and click ‘Next’ or ‘Continue’.
- Final Confirmation: A confirmation message will appear explaining the consequences of deactivating your account. Read this information carefully. If you are sure you want to proceed, click ‘Deactivate.’
- Account deleted: Your Reddit account has been deleted, and you will be logged out of the application. Your username will no longer be available on the platform.
If you prefer simpler visualized instructions, you can check out the detailed instructions on how to delete your Reddit account below.
How to delete a Reddit account via the website
If you prefer removing your Reddit account via the website using your computer, follow these steps:
- Visit Reddit and sign in to your account if necessary.
- Then click your profile icon at the top right corner and select User Settings.
- Select the Account tab and scroll to the very bottom of the page.
- Click Delete Account.
- Finally, enter your Username and Password to verify it’s you, check the box, and click Delete.
After completing the previous steps, Reddit permanently deletes your account and all associated data. You will be redirected to the Reddit homepage. If you try to log in with your deleted account’s credentials, you will receive an error message indicating that the account no longer exists.
How to delete a Reddit account via the mobile app
If you want to delete your Reddit account using the app on your mobile device, here’s what you should do:
- Open Reddit and sign in to your account if needed.
- Next, tap on your profile icon at the top right corner of the screen and select Settings.
- Scroll down and tap Delete account.
- Finally, confirm it by tapping Yes, Delete.
Here’s how you can permanently delete your Reddit account. Although deleting a Reddit account is a straightforward process, remember that you won’t be able to recover your Reddit account after it.
Why can’t I delete my Reddit account?
If you consistently face errors while attempting to delete your Reddit account, various factors could contribute to this issue. Here are a few aspects to consider and verify before proceeding with the deletion process:
- Correct Credentials: Ensure you use the correct username and password combination when attempting to delete your Reddit account. Double-check for any typos or capitalization errors.
- Account Activity: Verify that no ongoing activity is associated with your Reddit account. Make sure you are not currently logged in on any devices or platforms. Active sessions can prevent deletion attempts.
- Technical Issues: Check for any technical issues on the Reddit platform itself. Temporary glitches or server problems can impede the deletion process. In such cases, waiting for a while and trying again later is recommended.
If you have addressed these considerations and still encounter errors while attempting to delete your Reddit account, it may be beneficial to contact Reddit’s support team for assistance. They can guide how to resolve any potential issues preventing the deletion of your account.
Does deleting Reddit account delete DMS?
Short answer: No, DMs (direct messages) are not deleted
Once you delete your Reddit account, your direct messages will not be deleted. They will remain in the inbox of the person you’ve been corresponding with, and you won’t be able to delete them. Your username will still be attached to these messages, but it will appear as “[deleted].”
Privacy implications
While deleting your account removes most of your activity on Reddit, the fact that DM messages remain can have implications for your privacy. The person who received your messages can still read, forward, or even screenshot them. So before you delete your account, it’s worth manually deleting confidential messages one by one from your chat history if you’re worried about that information remaining accessible.
Is deactivating Reddit the same as deleting?
It’s worth noting that Reddit doesn’t offer a complete “deletion” of accounts but rather a deactivation process. This means that while your account will appear as deleted to other users (your posts and comments will become irrelevant), and yes, you will lose access to your account, the data will not be removed entirely from Reddit’s servers. Anything you’ve posted on Reddit can be read by tech staff with high-level access to the Reddit core even after your account is deleted.
Can deleted Reddit accounts be traced?
What you need to know: Deleting a Reddit account is a step that is often taken for various reasons, whether it’s a need for privacy or a desire to leave the platform. But what to do with the digital footprint left behind? One pertinent question often arises among users is: Can a deleted Reddit account be traced back to its original owner? This article will tell you what you need to know.
Deactivation process on Reddit: First, we need to clarify that Reddit doesn’t technically allow you to “delete” your account, but it does allow you to “deactivate” it. Your posts and comments will remain on the platform, but they will not be attributed to any account and will appear as coming from a “[deleted]” user. While the account will appear deleted to the public, Reddit will still retain some data.
Trackability: Not exactly easy, but possible The simple answer to the question of traceability is that it’s complicated. For the average Reddit user, a deactivated account will show up as “[deleted],” and they won’t be able to trace it back to you. However, this does not mean that the account is untraceable.
Legal and exceptional circumstances: As required by law or as part of an investigation, Reddit may share data related to a deactivated account if required. Reddit’s privacy policy states that data is backed up for a certain period, even after deactivation. This way, the account can be traced back to the original user in extreme legal situations.
Digital footprints and third-party services: If you have interacted with third-party services or sites using your Reddit account, traces of your activity may exist outside of the Reddit platform. This can be a vulnerability if someone wants to track your online activity.
User-generated content: Remember that your comments and posts will not be deleted; they will only be anonymized. If you include any personal information in your posts or comments, it may be used to track your account.
Anonymization Precautions
If maintaining anonymity is critical to you, here are some steps you can take:
Delete posts and comments: Before deactivating, manually delete all posts and comments you think could identify you.
Check third-party connections: Disconnect your Reddit account from third-party services that may store information associated with your account.
Be aware of DM messages: As discussed in a previous article, DM messages are not deleted when deactivating your account. Manually delete any sensitive or identifying messages before deactivating.
Is it possible to trace a deleted Reddit account?
For regular users, it’s unlikely, if possible. However, under exceptional circumstances and depending on various factors such as legal requirements or third-party data, it’s not entirely impossible. If privacy is important to you, take the necessary steps to minimize your digital footprint before deactivating your Reddit account.
