How to Delete Your Reddit Account Permanently

Reddit is one of the social media sites where you can stay up to date with the latest trends and news. In comparison with Instagram and Facebook, where everyone only uses it to update about each other’s lives, Reddit favors the anonymous. 

Most Redditors don’t even use their real names. However, for whatever reason it may be that requires you to delete your account; it isn’t rocket science. If you aren’t happy with Reddit for any reason, simply delete your account. I’ll walk you through the steps for the app and the web browser.

A Brief Overview Of Reddit

For the uninitiated, Reddit is a platform that consists of a combination of social news, web content, forum, and social network. Registered accounts can post any form of content such as videos, images, text, and links. 

Every post and comment comes with an option to upvote or downvote by everyone else on the site. In a way, this helps to increase engagement for popular posts that most users find interesting. It’s also known as a platform for great memes and viral content.

Registered accounts can also create smaller communities known as Subreddits. You can pretty much find one for every topic or niche. 

When compared with other social media sites like Facebook, they didn’t design Reddit to build and grow relationships. Most users are anonymous, so you won’t know with whom you’re communicating. 

In other words, Reddit is a place for everyone to be part of a community while having the ability to share about their life without revealing their true identities. 

What You Should Know Before Deleting Your Reddit Account 

First things first, you need to be aware that, unlike other social media accounts like Instagram or Facebook, you can simply deactivate your account if you wish to use it again. But with Reddit, once you delete your Reddit account, it’s gone forever. 

That means you can’t use the same account in the future. However, all of your comments and posts remain undeleted (unless you delete them yourself. More on this below!) 

So if you’re sure of deleting your Reddit account, proceed with this step-by-step guide below!

How To Delete Reddit Account On Web Browser

Step 1: Log in to your Reddit account

Reddit Log In
The Reddit log In pop-up

Head over to https://www.reddit.com/ on your preferred browser and click the Log In button. Then, the pop-up will appear with various options to sign in to your Reddit account. 

Step 2: Click your username and go to ‘User Settings’

Reddit Home
Reddit Home

Click your Reddit username located on the top right side. On the dropdown menu, select User Settings

Step 3: Click the ‘Account’ tab and search for ‘Delete Account’

Delete Reddit Account
User Settings Page

Under the Account tab, scroll down until you find the sub-category Delete Account. 

Delete Reddit Account 2

Below, you’ll find the button Delete Account. Click the button, and a pop-up will appear. 

Step 4: Double-confirm your account deletion

Delete Reddit Account Confirmation

You will need to confirm whether you’d like to delete your Reddit account. You have the option to explain why you want to delete your account or simply leave it blank. Enter your account details once again. Then, tick the box where it mentions you are aware that your account isn’t retrievable once deleted.

How To Delete Reddit Account On The App

Delete Reddit Account On Android

There is no straightforward option to delete your Reddit account on Android. It requires additional steps. 

Step 1: Open up your Reddit app

Step 2: Sign in with your Reddit account

Step 3: Click your profile icon located in the top right corner

Step 4: Once the menu appears, click Settings

Step 5: Scroll down until you reach the Support sub-category. Click Help Center

Step 6: Once the mobile browser is open, type Delete account in the search bar. Look for the question How do I delete my account?

Step 7: Under On reddit.com, click Account Settings. The system will bring you to the mobile browser version of Reddit, where you’ll need to re-enter your login details. Once you’ve logged in, scroll down under the Account tab to find the Delete Account category. 

Step 8: Click the Delete Account button. You’ll have an option to explain why you’re deleting your account, or you can leave it blank. Re-enter your login details once again and tick the box to acknowledge that you won’t be able to recover your account once deleted. Finally, click Delete


Delete Reddit Account On iPhone

Unlike Android, the Reddit app on iOS offers a straightforward approach to deleting an account. 

Step 1: Open up your Reddit app. 

Step 2: Click your profile avatar. Once the menu appears, click ‘Settings’ at the bottom. 

Step 3: Scroll down until you see Delete Account

Step 4: Click Delete Account and a prompt will appear to confirm if you’d like to delete the account. 


Deleting A Reddit Account When Signed In With Google or Apple ID 

If you use your Google or Apple email sign-in, you might not have a separate password just for your Reddit account. This requires additional steps compared to the other methods. Below are the steps needed: 

Step 1: Open up Reddit on your browser.

Step 2: Click your username and select User Settings

Step 3: Under the Account tab, scroll down until you see the sub-category Connected Accounts. Depending on what you’re connected to (Apple or Google), you will see the word Disconnect

Step 4: There will be a prompt letting you know that to disconnect your account, you’ll need to create a new password. Click Confirm, and then you will receive an email to reset your password.

Step 5: Then, follow the instructions to create your new password. Once that’s done, you can log in using your Google or Apple ID. 

Step 6: Once again, click your username and select User Settings

Step 7: Scroll down under the Account tab until you see the sub-category Delete Account. Click the Delete Account button. 

Step 8: You will need to confirm if you’d like to delete your account. There will also be an option if you’d like to mention why you’re deleting your account. This field can be left blank. Re-enter your login details, and then you’re done!


How To Delete Your Reddit Posts And Comments

Step 1: Log in to your account and click your username

Once you click on your username located in the top right corner, a dropdown menu will appear. Then, click Profile. 

Step 2: Click Posts and Comments

Under the Posts tab, you will see all of your posts. Click the ‘…’ button on each post located at the bottom. Then, click Delete

Under the Comments tab, you will see all of your comments. Click each comment to manually delete them by clicking the ‘…’ button located at the bottom of your comment. Then, click Delete comment


Also Read:


Why Should You Delete Your Reddit Account

There are endless reasons why people delete their Reddit accounts. However, there are common reasons among those who decide to delete it. One of them includes negativity. Since everyone is mostly anonymous, they are bold in commenting on whatever that’s on their mind. 

As Reddit has upvotes and downvotes, it can be disheartening when you are getting loads of downvotes. Not only that, but people can be straight-up rude, and some even face bullying. Though there are dedicated moderators for each thread, some don’t bother doing their job properly. 

Whatever your reasons why you want to delete your Reddit account, do think twice about it since you can’t recover the same account again after that. 


Should You Delete Your Reddit Posts and Comments?

The answer to this question depends on how you use Reddit in the first place. As a rule of thumb, simply don’t bother to remove posts if others can’t use them to identify you. People will simply see that these posts came from a deleted account. 

However, if your posts contain content that tells people where you work, where you live or provides other personal details, it would be best to delete them before you deactivate your account. After all, these posts contain identifiable content that can link to you. It would be in your best interests to delete such posts then.

Incidentally, as far as possible, don’t leave personal information floating about anywhere online. If you haven’t already done so, it may be time to start re-assessing your digital footprint.

Maintaining Your Online Privacy

Today, the Internet is kind of what the Wild West was back in the day – only worse. Everyone knows that cybercriminals will do their best to steal or cheat netizens. Yet few are aware of the extent to which legal companies are stealing and sharing the same information.

Each time you visit a website or service, it’s likely recording down everything you do, then using the information to sell you more things or see the data to someone else who will attempt that. If that sounds like a load of crock to you, protect yourself by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) like NordVPN or Surfshark.

VPNs let you connect to secure servers and encrypt all the data you’re sending and receiving from your devices. They act as the first line of defense, so nobody will know who you are or from where you’re connecting.


Conclusion 

We can never run away from social media as it has become a massive part of our daily lives. But you don’t have to use every single social media site around. If Reddit isn’t something you plan on using in the long run, deleting your account would be a good decision. 

Besides, you can always create a new account if you suddenly decide to come back on Reddit! 

Helen Chan

Helen Chan is a dedicated mother and fan of movie streaming. Her love of Netflix led to a life in pursuit of digital freedom, boldly attempting to explore everything blocked online for no good reason.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.