How to delete your Netflix account
Netflix is a global streaming service with more than 260 million paid memberships. Netflix stores your viewing history, ratings, watchlist (My List), profile preferences, payment information, and the device list of every TV, console, and phone you've ever streamed on. Closing a Netflix account is straightforward but the account is retained for 10 months so you can return without losing your settings — true deletion requires extra steps.
Delete your Netflix account, step by step
- 1Sign in to netflix.com
- 2Click your profile icon > 'Account'
- 3Under 'Membership & Billing', click 'Cancel Membership'
- 4Click 'Finish Cancellation' — your subscription ends at the next billing date
- 5To force EARLIER data deletion, fill out the 'Delete your personal information' request at help.netflix.com (search 'data deletion')
- 6Otherwise, Netflix retains your data for ~10 months after cancellation, then auto-deletes
What actually happens when you delete
Gets removed
- ✓Profiles, viewing history, ratings, and 'My List' / Continue Watching
- ✓Payment methods and billing address
- ✓Communication preferences and notification settings
- ✓Activated device list and Smart Downloads cache
- ✓Profile avatars and Kids mode PIN
Stays behind
- ✗Records Netflix retains for tax, billing, and fraud-prevention (multi-year)
- ✗Aggregated and de-identified viewing data used for content recommendations
- ✗Customer service interaction logs
- ✗Partner-billed accounts retained by the partner (T-Mobile, Verizon, etc.)
- ✗Subscriber-level analytics used in Netflix's content licensing decisions
Before you delete
Cancelling Netflix is not the same as deleting your data. By default Netflix keeps your viewing history, preferences, and billing data for 10 months in case you return. Filing an explicit data-deletion request via the Help Center accelerates removal. If you have a paid family subscription via a partner (T-Mobile, Verizon, etc.), cancel through the partner — Netflix can't remove the partner-managed billing on its own.
Download your data from Netflix first
Most platforms only honor a data-export request while the account is still active. Do this before you delete.
- 1Open netflix.com/account
- 2Under 'Profile & Parental Controls', open a profile > 'Viewing activity'
- 3Click 'Download all' for that profile's history (CSV)
- 4For broader data, file a privacy request via the Help Center: 'Request my personal information'
- 5Full archive arrives via email within 30 days
Want to take a break instead? Deactivate
Deactivation hides your profile without permanently destroying it. Logging back in restores everything.
- 1Open Account > 'Cancel Membership'
- 2Your subscription ends at the next billing date but the account is retained for 10 months
- 3Logging back in within 10 months restores everything
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.
Netflix deletion FAQs
Cancelling Netflix didn't delete my data — why?+
Cancelling stops billing but Netflix keeps your account profile, viewing history, and preferences for 10 months by default so you can come back without losing anything. To delete your data immediately, file a 'right to delete' request via help.netflix.com (search 'request my personal information' or 'privacy request').
How do I delete just my viewing history without cancelling?+
Open Account > Profile > 'Viewing activity'. Click the circle-slash icon next to each item to remove it, or 'Hide all' at the bottom to clear everything. Hidden items are removed from recommendations after 24 hours.
Will my Netflix account still work after cancellation?+
It works until the end of the current billing period, then enters 'on hold' status. Your data is preserved for 10 months. Resuming reactivates the same profiles, lists, and recommendations.
What if my Netflix is bundled with T-Mobile, Verizon, or another partner?+
Cancel through the partner's billing portal — Netflix can't end a partner-managed subscription. After the partner unenrolls you, the Netflix account behaves like a standard cancelled membership.
Will canceling Netflix remove me from Netflix-hosted profiles I share?+
If you're the primary holder of the account, cancellation affects every profile under it. If you're an 'extra member' (a paid add-on from someone else's account), cancel through the primary holder's Account page.
Will Netflix delete my downloaded movies and shows?+
Yes. Downloaded titles in the Netflix app expire after cancellation (or by their normal license window, whichever is earlier). You can't keep offline copies after the account closes.
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