How to Delete Your Reddit Account
Step-by-step guide to permanently deleting your Reddit account on desktop, iPhone, and Android. Covers data backup, content removal, subscription cancellation, and what happens after deletion.
Reddit has over 1.5 billion monthly active users as of 2026, and every single one of them has the same problem when they want to leave: the deletion process is buried in settings, and the consequences are not obvious until it is too late.
The actual deletion takes about 30 seconds. But there are things you should do beforehand that Reddit does not warn you about. Your posts and comments do not disappear when your account does. Your username is gone forever. And if you have Reddit Premium, you might keep getting charged even after deletion.
Here is how to leave Reddit properly, with your data backed up, your content cleaned out, and no surprise charges afterward.
Request a copy of your data
Before you delete anything, grab a copy of everything Reddit has on you. Once your account is gone, you lose access to your post history, saved items, messages, and settings permanently. Open a browser and go to reddit.com/settings/data-request. Log in if prompted, then click Submit. Reddit will process your request and send a download link to your Reddit inbox (or your verified email) when it is ready. The archive is a ZIP file containing CSVs of your posts, comments, votes, messages, settings, and more.
Heads up: Data requests can take up to 30 days to process. If you want this archive, submit the request well before you plan to delete your account. You cannot request your data after deletion.
Delete your posts and comments first
This step is optional, but important if you care about privacy. Deleting your account does not delete your content. Your posts and comments stay on Reddit forever. The only thing that changes is the author name, which switches to "[deleted]." The text itself remains visible to everyone. If you have a handful of posts, you can delete them manually. Open your profile, go to Posts or Comments, tap the three-dot menu on each one, and select Delete. If you have years of activity, manual deletion is not realistic. Third-party tools like Redact or browser extensions like Nuke Reddit History can bulk-delete or overwrite your content before you close the account.
Good to know: Overwriting your comments with random text before deleting them provides better privacy than deletion alone. Some archiving services save Reddit content before deletion happens, so overwriting replaces the original text in those archives too.
Cancel Reddit Premium if you have it
Deleting your account does not automatically cancel your Reddit Premium subscription. If you subscribed through Reddit directly, you need to cancel separately or you may continue to be billed. Go to reddit.com, click your avatar in the top-right corner, and select Settings. Click Subscription in the sidebar, find the Reddit Premium section, click Manage, then click Cancel Subscription. If you subscribed through the App Store on iPhone, cancel in your phone's Settings, then Apple ID, then Subscriptions. If through Google Play on Android, cancel in the Play Store under Subscriptions.
Heads up: Cancel at least 24 hours before your next billing date to avoid one more charge. There are no refunds for accidental renewals.
Delete your account on desktop
Open reddit.com in your browser and log in. Click your profile avatar in the top-right corner and select Settings. Scroll down to the Advanced section at the bottom of the page. Click Delete Account. Reddit will ask you to enter your username and password to confirm. There is also a checkbox that says "I understand that deleted accounts are not recoverable." Check it. Click the final Delete button. Your account is gone immediately.
Heads up: There is no grace period, no cooling-off window, and no way to undo this. The moment you click Delete, your account is permanently gone. Reddit does not offer account recovery for any reason.
Delete your account on iPhone instead
If you prefer to do this from your phone, open the Reddit app on your iPhone. Tap your profile icon in the top-right corner. Tap the gear icon (Settings) at the bottom of the side panel. Scroll down to the Support section and tap Delete Account. Enter your password when prompted and confirm the deletion. The result is identical to the desktop method. Your account is permanently removed on the spot.
Delete your account on Android instead
Open the Reddit app on your Android phone. Tap your profile avatar in the top-right corner, then tap Settings from the side menu. Tap Account Settings (listed directly under your username). Scroll to the very bottom and tap Delete Account. Confirm with your password. Same as desktop and iPhone, the deletion is immediate and irreversible.
The deletion itself is the easy part. What matters is the preparation: backing up your data, cleaning out your comment history if privacy matters to you, and canceling any subscriptions. One thing worth repeating: Reddit cannot recover a deleted account for any reason. There is no email you can send, no form you can fill out, and no exception. If there is any chance you might want to come back, consider simply logging out and leaving the account dormant instead. If you are clearing out multiple platforms, we also have guides for deleting your TikTok account, deleting your Telegram account, and deleting your Instagram account. If Cash App is next on your list, here is how to delete your Cash App account and get your money out safely.
Questions we get asked about this
Answers from experience, not a textbook.
No. Reddit's deletion is immediate and permanent. There is no recovery process, no grace period, and no way to contact support to get your account back. This is clearly stated during the deletion process and confirmed in Reddit's official help documentation.
Your posts and comments remain on Reddit permanently. The only change is that your username is replaced with "[deleted]" wherever it appeared. The content itself stays visible and searchable. If you want your content removed, you need to delete each post and comment individually before deleting your account.
No. Your username is permanently retired. Nobody, including you, can create a new account with the same username. If you have a username you might want back someday, think carefully before deleting.
Your messages and chats stay on Reddit, but your username is replaced with "[deleted]" in the conversation. The other person can still see the message content. You cannot retroactively delete messages after your account is gone.
If you are the sole moderator of a subreddit, the subreddit becomes unmoderated after your account is deleted. Other users can then request to take over moderation through Reddit's subreddit adoption process. If there are other moderators, they continue managing the subreddit normally.
Reddit initiates a server-side deletion process within 90 days of your account deletion. During this period, your personal data is removed or anonymized from their systems. Your public posts and comments are not affected by this process since they have already been disassociated from your identity.
You need your password to confirm the deletion. If you have forgotten it, go to reddit.com/password and request a reset link to your email. If you no longer have access to the email on the account, you will not be able to delete it through normal means. You can try contacting Reddit support, but there is no guarantee they can help.
Account Deletion Guides
How to Delete Your Instagram Account
How to Delete Your TikTok Account
How to Delete Your Telegram Account
How to Delete Your Reddit Account
← you’re hereHow to Delete Your Cash App Account