You’ve signed up for Meta’s Threads but aren’t too crazy about it. So you want to get rid of your profile and exit the service. But Threads is tied to your account on Meta-owned Instagram, and in the past, deleting a Threads profile meant your Instagram profile would also get the heave-ho. Meta has now fixed that issue so you can remove your Threads profile independently without affecting the one on Instagram. Here's how to get it done.

You have two options for dealing with a Threads account you no longer use or want—deactivating or deleting. Deactivating hides your profile and its content, sets it to private mode, and hides all your posts and likes. You can always reactivate your profile if you want to use Threads again.

Deleting removes your account completely, hiding and then permanently deleting all posts and replies. After 30 days, your account is permanently removed, so you can save it from the chopping block by signing back in during that time. Once the 30 days pass, you can’t recover a deleted account and would have to create a new one if you ever want to rejoin the platform.

How to Deactivate or Delete Your Threads Account

DIFFICULTY Beginner DURATION 3 minutes TOOLS Threads app

Step 1: Open the Threads app and tap the profile icon in the lower-right corner.

Step 2: Tap the double line icon in the upper-right corner.

Step 3: Select Account > Deactivate or Delete profile.

(Credit: Lance Whitney / Meta)

Step 4: To deactivate, tap Deactivate profile.

Step 5: Tap Deactivate again when asked if you’re sure.

(Credit: Lance Whitney / Meta)

Step 6: To delete, tap Delete profile.

Step 7: Enter your password in the password field.

Step 8: Confirm your action by tapping Delete Threads profile.

Step 9: A message tells you your account is scheduled for deletion in 30 days.

(Credit: Lance Whitney / Meta)

Step 10: To reactivate before the 30 days are up, just sign back in.