How to delete your IMDb account
IMDb (Internet Movie Database) is the world's largest film and TV database, owned by Amazon since 1998. IMDb is unusual: regular user accounts (for ratings, reviews, watchlists) CAN be deleted, but professional film/TV credit entries — your name listed on cast/crew of a project — are considered factual industry data and IMDb resists removing them. For people in the entertainment industry, this distinction matters. Deletion is therefore partial: account easily, professional credits hardly ever.
Delete your IMDb account, step by step
- 1Sign in to imdb.com using your IMDb account
- 2Click your username (top-right) > 'Account settings'
- 3Or go to imdb.com/account-settings directly
- 4Scroll to the 'Delete your account' section at the bottom
- 5Click 'Delete account'
- 6Enter your password
- 7Confirm — account enters a 30-day grace period then is permanently deleted
- 8For removal of PROFESSIONAL CREDITS, see notes — this is a separate (and harder) process
What actually happens when you delete
Gets removed
- ✓Your IMDb user account, profile, and login
- ✓Personal ratings, reviews, and watchlist
- ✓Comments and message-board posts
- ✓Custom lists you created (Best of 2024 etc.)
- ✓Connected IMDbPro/Amazon login info specific to IMDb
Stays behind
- ✗Your PROFESSIONAL credits on cast/crew pages (cannot be removed without IMDb editorial review)
- ✗Your IMDb name page if you have professional credits
- ✗Age and date-of-birth data on your name page (HIDDEN with IMDbPro, never deleted)
- ✗Your linked Amazon account is unaffected
- ✗Reviews and posts cached by Google and third-party IMDb scrapers
Before you delete
Two distinct things on IMDb: (1) Your USER account (ratings, watchlist, comments) is easily deletable via account settings. (2) Your CREDIT page (your name on cast/crew lists) is treated as factual industry data and IMDb almost never removes it — they consider it editorial/journalistic content protected by the First Amendment. For credits removal, the only realistic path is the IMDbPro 'self-management' feature (paid) which lets you HIDE certain personal data like age and bio while leaving credits intact.
Download your data from IMDb first
Most platforms only honor a data-export request while the account is still active. Do this before you delete.
- 1Open Account Settings
- 2Look for 'Download your data' / privacy export
- 3IMDb provides a downloadable archive of your ratings, watchlist, lists, and reviews
- 4For broader personal data, file a request via the Help Center under 'Privacy'
Want to take a break instead? Deactivate
Deactivation hides your profile without permanently destroying it. Logging back in restores everything.
- 1Make your IMDb profile private (Account Settings > Privacy > 'Hide my activity')
- 2Unfollow lists and people to clean your feed
- 3Account stays active but minimally visible
If deletion fails — or you live in the EU, UK, or California
You have a legal right to request erasure of your personal data under GDPR (EU/UK) and CCPA (California). Use these official channels if the self-service flow doesn't work.
IMDb deletion FAQs
Why won't IMDb remove my professional credits even if I want them gone?+
IMDb treats credits (cast/crew listings) as factual editorial content protected as journalism. Their official stance is that they will not remove verifiable credits except under narrow circumstances (clearly factually wrong, legally compelled, or the project itself was unreleased). Professionals in the industry sometimes object to age or birthdate disclosure, which led to the AB 1687 California 'age erasure' law that IMDb fought.
Can I hide my age or date of birth on IMDb?+
Only with an IMDbPro subscription (paid, ~$20/month or ~$150/year). IMDbPro members can request to hide age and birthdate. Free accounts cannot. This has been controversial — Hollywood unions argue it enables age discrimination.
Will deleting my IMDb user account remove my name from cast/crew listings?+
No. Cast/crew credits are editorial data tied to projects, not to your user account. Deleting the user account removes your ratings/reviews/watchlist but does NOT touch professional credits.
What about reviews I wrote — will those be deleted?+
Yes. User-generated reviews tied to your account are removed with the account, typically within the 30-day grace period. Cached copies on Google can persist for weeks.
Does deleting IMDb affect my Amazon account?+
No. IMDb is owned by Amazon but accounts are separate. Deleting IMDb has no effect on your Amazon shopping, Prime, or Kindle accounts.
I'm in the industry and want my IMDb credits removed — what are my options?+
Email IMDb at submitter-management@imdb.com (filmmaker/talent) with verifiable proof of a factual error or a legal basis (unreleased project, contractual NDA). Otherwise, the realistic path is to manage the page via IMDbPro (hide age, request photo updates) rather than full removal. Some people retain entertainment-industry attorneys to pursue specific edits.
Related guides
Not sure where else you have accounts?
Scrub scans 150+ platforms with your email and username to find every account tied to you — then gives you removal guides like this one.
Run a free scanNo credit card required · How Scrub works →