How to Permanently Delete Your Reddit Account & History

Feel like you can’t put up with Reddit mods and admins anymore? Is it taking up too much of your time and attention, you need to let go? Reddit’s unique and somewhat quirky system isn’t for everyone. Apart from trolls downvoting you into oblivion, Reddit makes your online privacy vulnerable.

It’s true that Reddit usernames are often anonymous, but don’t let that trick you into thinking Reddit is the most private platform. Let’s see why Reddit isn’t your friend when protecting your data, and what steps you need to follow to delete your Reddit account for good.

What Info Does Reddit Have On You

If you haven’t already perused Reddit’s privacy policy, here’s a round-up of all the information Reddit collects on you:

Type of Data Reddit Stores	Examples
Account information	Username, avatar, and email address
Content information	Your posts, comments, saved drafts, private messages, chats, and modmail
Activity information	Joined communities, people you follow, votes, saved data, reports you sent
Transactional information	All data related to purchases you made on Reddit, including address and payment type
User information	IP address, browser type, operating system, device, and search terms
Information from cookies	Preferred language, clicks, and other details to track your behavior to personalize recommendations and ads
Information from Reddit partners	Information from any third-party apps or services you’ve allowed access to your Reddit account, like demographic details from advertising partners

That’s a lot of information! The silver lining is, Reddit claims to delete all this information from its servers every 100 days–all except the IP address you used when you created your Reddit account.

Still, this silver lining may be useless considering another interesting detail Reddit mentions in its privacy policy:

That essentially means the platform may store your data, even the posts and comments you’ve deleted. Not to mention, any Reddit visitor can see, save, or even share the information you share on Reddit communities. It’s best to always limit what you share on Reddit and on any social media platform, for that matter.

Protect Your Digital Identity

Evade Reddit’s Online Tracking: Browse With Improved Privacy

Like any social media, Reddit has been the subject of heated debates regarding online privacy and security. A celebrity’s photos got hacked, users got doxxed, harassed, or even lost their jobs due to their Reddit posts and comments.

Additionally, users have started to gradually lose trust in this platform, especially after these events:

🠆 2016: Reddit removed the warrant canary part of its transparency report. The warrant canary was a claim that the company doesn’t collaborate with or hand over data to authorities. This removal meant that Reddit has started to receive court orders forcing the company to share information about its users.

🠆 2018: Reddit secretly re-enabled online tracking via third-party cookies on users that had it disabled. Third-party cookies are a common way for websites to get information about your browsing habits, mostly for advertising purposes.

That sure belongs on r/mildlyinfuriating! Luckily, you can get rid of Reddit’s online tracking, and other websites’ tracking, too!

Browse Privately with a VPN

CyberGhost VPN helps you stay away from all prying eyes. Each time you connect to our VPN, you replace your real IP with a new one from the CyberGhost database. The Reddit servers and users won’t be able to personally identify you. They’ll only see the VPN’s IP address. That makes it impossible for anyone to trace you, making you virtually unknown on the internet.

Our app encrypts your online activities with bulletproof 256-bit AES technology. No online spy can decode your digital habits, like where you go and what you do on the web.

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Before You Hit the Delete Button

If you want to flee from Reddit’s invasion, don’t quickly rush into deleting your account. Here are 3 things you need to consider first:

1. You don’t have the option to disable your Reddit account temporarily. Once you delete your account, it’s gone forever. If you change your mind in the future, you can’t sign up to Reddit with the same username. You can still get a new Reddit account with a different username, though.
2. You can’t remove your comments by deleting your account: your comments will still be visible. That said, Reddit will display your username as [deleted]. If you’ve ever exposed any personal details in your posts and comments (e.g., your name, address, name of the company you work for, etc.) Reddit users can still read all those details. The only good part is they can’t associate it with your former (now deleted) Reddit username.
   
3. You should remember to cancel your subscription if you’re a Reddit Premium member.

If you want a copy of your Reddit data, check the steps below:

1. Go to https://www.reddit.com/settings/data-request website.
2. Log in to your Reddit account.
3. Follow the instructions and click Submit.

It usually takes up to 30 days to receive your data. Reddit will send you a private message or an email with a link to download your data.

Steps to Delete Your Reddit Account

Here’s what you need to do if you’ve had enough of Reddit.

Delete Reddit Posts and Comments

1. Go to the Reddit website and sign in to your Reddit account.
2. Select Profile.
3. Select Posts at the top of the page, then click Comments.
4. Click the “…” button under the post or comment you want to delete.
5. Select Delete.

How to Delete Your Reddit Account on a Browser

Follow the steps below to delete your Reddit account permanently.

1. Log in to your Reddit account.
2. Go to the user icon and select User Settings from the dropdown menu.
   
3. Click on Deactivate Account at the bottom.
   
4. Enter your username and password and optionally, provide a reason why you’re deleting your Reddit account.
   
5. Click Deactivate.

*Notice: Reddit will ask you to fill in your password to confirm the deactivation of your account.

How to Delete Your Reddit Account on Your Phone

1. Open the Reddit app.
2. Go to Settings from the profile icon, and select the Help and FAQs button.
3. Enter the term Deactivate account in the search bar and click the search button.
4. Choose How do I Deactivate my account?
5. Click on the link from the newly opened page.
6. Login with your ID and password.
7. Enter your username and password and optionally, provide a reason why you’re deleting your Reddit account.
8. Click Deactivate.

If you forgot to make a copy of your Reddit data, you can still retrieve it. Click Download Exported Items to save all your comments and posts within the User Settings menu.

The Bottom Line–You’ve Made an Important Step in Securing Your Privacy

Now that you’ve ended your Reddit chapter, you might feel disconnected and lost without your daily dose of r/AskReddit. Don’t worry, though. You’ll eventually get used to it. You’ll also realize you’ve tremendously improved your digital privacy. After all, you escaped Reddit’s intrusive online tracking.

Get CyberGhost VPN and become the master of digital privacy. A VPN helps you encrypt your traffic and conceal your digital footprint. Any pair of snooping eyes will find it incredibly hard to figure out what you’re up to online and won’t trace you. You’ll turn into a digital ghost!

What’s more, you don’t need r/Privacy to stay up-to-date on the latest news in cybersecurity. Use CyberGhost VPN’s privacy hub, and you’ll proactively stay safe on the internet!

If you’ve thought about taking a break off from other social media, check out our dedicated guides:

• • 🦺 How to delete your Facebook account
  • 🦺 How to delete your Twitter account
  • 🦺 How to delete your Instagram account
  • 🦺 How to delete your Snapchat account
  • 🦺 How to delete your TikTok account

Have you ever considered quitting Reddit? What’s the reason for it?

Let me know in the comments below.

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