How to Delete Your Online Presence in 2025 (Step-by-Step Guide)

I typed my name on Google out of curiosity. What I saw wasn’t surprising: forgotten social media accounts, a few old blogs, and personal information on random directories I never signed up for.

Many people have a similar experience. Over the years, our data ends up in places we don’t remember sharing it with, from job portals to old forums and more.

If you’ve also been wondering whether it is possible to delete online presence, the answer is “yes.” Yes, there are reliable ways to clean up your digital footprint. 

In this handy guide, we will tell you the easy steps to check and delete your online presence from search engines, social media platforms, and data broker sites. 

You’ll also learn how to erase online presence that’s tied to inactive accounts or completely outdated content.

Whether you're trying to start fresh, protect your privacy, or just feel more in control of your name online, this guide can be a savior for you. 

What Is a Digital Footprint or Online Presence?

Everything that’s left behind when you use the internet is part of your online presence or your digital footprint. It includes things like your social media posts, online reviews, public profiles, account signups, and even your name mentioned on other websites. 

All of this forms your online presence, basically, how you appear online when someone searches on the web using search engines like Google. 

What are the Two Types of Digital Footprints​?

There are two types of digital footprints: active and passive.

An active footprint is what you knowingly leave behind. This could be a tweet, a blog comment, a YouTube video, or a LinkedIn update.

A passive footprint is what gets collected without you directly posting anything like your IP address, search history, or your activity tracked by cookies on websites.

Now, why should this matter?

If you're planning to clean up or delete online presence and rebuild your brand from scratch, our guide on online presence management covers how to do it the right way.

Why is Protecting Your Digital Footprint Important​?

Every time you sign up for a service, post on social media, or search online, some part of that activity gets stored. 

Over time, this adds up and reveals more about you than you realize. It can affect how you're seen by potential clients, investors, employers, or even strangers.

Many people don’t realize how much of their personal data is available until they actually search for it. Your digital footprint can even contain sensitive information you never meant to share publicly.

This can lead to privacy issues, identity theft, or even a loss of credibility in professional settings. Keeping your digital presence clean helps you reduce unnecessary personal information online. 

As a result, you get more control over your reputation, privacy, and security. It’s not about disappearing. It’s about showing up the way you want to be seen.

This is quite important for people whose online presence affects their opportunities, such as:

Job seekers: Employers often look up candidates online

Startup founders: Investors check credibility before calls.

Freelancers or solopreneurs: Clients Google you before hiring

Students: Scholarship panels and admission teams may review online profiles

Anyone online: Data brokers and tracking tools collect more than you think

Can You Delete Your Online Presence​?

Yes, you can clean up your online presence with some effort. You’ll need to delete old accounts, remove personal info from websites, and request search engines to take down outdated results. Some platforms make it easy. Others don’t.

However, only 42% of American adults are aware of data removal services, and just 6% actually use them. (source)

Even after all that, traces might still remain. If you want to fully delete your online presence professionally, you can even consider getting the help of companies such as DeleteMe or Incogni. They monitor and remove your information from sites that are hard to deal with on your own.

How to Delete Your Online Presence: 5 Easy Steps

If you're ready to delete online presence, these are a few steps you can follow to do it systematically: 

1. Delete or Deactivate Social Media Accounts

You can start by logging into social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, X, etc) that are inactive but appear in search results. They store a lot of your personal data.

If you want to delete these accounts, most platforms have two options: deactivate and delete.

Deactivate: This temporarily hides your profile. Your content is no longer public, but your data remains stored. You can reactivate it anytime.

Delete: This permanently removes your profile and data. Once deleted, your profile and content are permanently removed, though some platforms may take up to 30 days to complete the process.

However, if you want to keep the account but limit what’s visible, you can:

• Make your profile private

• Limit who can see your past posts

• Remove personal info like phone numbers, emails, or location

• Turn off profile indexing in search engines (available on most platforms).​

2. Remove Personal Information from Websites

Next, you can start removing your personal information from websites. To remove your personal data:

Identify the Website: Locate the site displaying your information. For example, online forums, old blog posts, alumni directories, or company staff pages.​

Find Contact Details: Look for a "Contact Us" page or administrative contact information.​

Request Removal: Politely ask the site administrator to delete your data.​

In regions like the European Union, the ‘Right to Be Forgotten’ law allows individuals to request search engines to delist certain results containing personal information. ​

Note: Kindly note that removing content from search engines doesn't erase it from the internet entirely; contacting the hosting website is important.

3. Opt Out of Data Broker Databases

Data brokers collect your personal information, like your name, phone number, age, and home address, and list it on public sites without your permission.

These platforms mainly scrape data from public records, social media, and third-party apps. You can start by checking sites like Spokeo, Whitepages, PeopleFinder, and BeenVerified. 

Most of them have an opt-out form on their site, though the process may involve submitting ID or email verification.

If you don’t want to do this manually for each site, you can use paid services like DeleteMe, Incogni, or Privacy Bee to handle the removals for you. They also monitor and resubmit requests as needed.

However, you must keep in mind that this isn’t a one-time fix. Many brokers re-list your info after a while, so you’ll need to check in from time to time or use an automated service for ongoing protection.

4. Delete Unused Online Accounts

Old accounts on apps, forums, or services may still store your personal data. Even if you forgot about them, they might still appear in search results.

You can use tools like JustDelete.Me or AccountKiller to quickly find links and instructions to delete these accounts.

To track them down, search your inbox using words like “Welcome,” “Signup,” or “Account.” Check these unused accounts and then delete online presence from the ones you no longer use.

5. Clean Up Search Engine Results

Sometimes, even after deleting an account or post, it still shows up on Google. That’s because search engines keep a cached version.

You can use Google’s Removal Tool to request that outdated or sensitive content be taken out of search results.

If the content still exists on the original site, contact the owner and ask for it to be removed. Once it’s gone, submit the link to Google for a quicker update. This step helps you clean up your online presence that’s no longer relevant or accurate.

Companies That Clean Up Your Online Presence

Some of the top companies that help you delete online presence are:

DeleteMe: DeleteMe specializes in removing your personal information from data broker websites and search engines, offering ongoing monitoring to keep your data off the internet. ​It removes personal information from over 750 data broker sites.

Incogni: Automates the process of sending data removal requests to various data brokers, ensuring your personal details are deleted from their databases. Incogni also ​sends data removal requests to over 180 data brokers.

Privacy Bee: Focuses on protecting your personal information by continuously scanning and removing your data from data brokers and people-search sites. ​

OneRep: Helps you opt out of people-search websites, ensuring your personal information is removed and stays off these platforms. ​

ReputationDefender: Offers services to manage and improve your online reputation by removing unwanted content and promoting positive information.

Are You Ready to Delete Online Presence? Here’s What to Do Next

Deleting your online presence isn’t a one-time task; it’s a quite time-taking process. From removing old accounts to requesting data removal, each step brings you closer to a cleaner, safer digital footprint.

Remember, it’s not about disappearing completely. It’s about staying in control of what people see when they search for you.

If you're rebranding, changing careers, or simply want a fresh start, cleaning up your online presence is the right place to begin. Along with the steps we’ve covered, here are a few extra tips:

• Avoid using your real name or personal email for casual signups

• Use a password manager to track and update your logins

• Regularly check Google Images to remove outdated or unwanted photos

Need help building a new and better online image? At Better Marketing, we help individuals and startups create a strong, professional presence that works for them not against them. Contact us Today!

FAQs

1. How can I delete my online presence and rebuild with privacy in mind?

To delete your online presence, start by removing personal information from websites, deleting unused accounts, and opting out of data broker databases. Once you've minimized your digital footprint, you can rebuild with privacy in mind by using pseudonyms, limiting the personal details you share, and utilizing privacy-focused tools like encrypted email services and browsers that prioritize user privacy. Regularly monitoring your online presence will help maintain your desired level of privacy.​

2. Does deleting my social media accounts remove my digital footprint?

Deleting social media accounts helps reduce your digital footprint but doesn't erase it entirely. Information may still exist on other websites, forums, or data broker sites. Additionally, search engines may have cached versions of your profiles. To more thoroughly minimize your digital footprint, consider removing personal information from other websites and opting out of data broker databases.​

3. Can I remove my personal information from Google search results?

Yes, you can request the removal of certain personal information from Google search results using Google's Removal Tool. However, this only removes the information from Google's index; the content will still exist on the original website. It's advisable to contact the website hosting your information to request its removal directly.​

4. How long does it take to delete my online presence?

The time required to delete your online presence varies based on the number of accounts and the responsiveness of websites and data brokers. Manually removing information can take several weeks to months. Using professional services may expedite the process, but it's an ongoing effort, as new data can appear over time.

5. How can I find and delete old accounts I no longer use?

You can start by searching your email inbox for keywords like "​Welcome," "​Verify," or "​Account" to identify old sign-ups. Websites like JustDelete.me provide direct links to delete pages for various services. Additionally, Deseat.me can help identify accounts associated with your email.​

6. What should I do if my personal information appears on a website without my consent?

You can directly contact the website administrator and request the removal of your information. If the site doesn't comply, you can file a request with search engines like Google to remove the content from search results. Google's "​Results About You" tool facilitates this process.

7. Can I remove my information from data broker sites for free?

Yes, many data brokers offer free opt-out processes, though they can be time-consuming. Alternatively, paid services like DeleteMe and Incogni can handle the process for you.

8. Are there any legal protections for removing personal information online?

Yes, laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the U.S. provide rights to request the deletion of personal data. These laws require companies to remove your data upon request, with certain exceptions.​

9. How can I prevent my information from being collected in the future?

You can use privacy-focused browsers like Firefox with extensions such as uBlock Origin. Opt for encrypted email services like ProtonMail and avoid oversharing on social media. Regularly review app permissions and be cautious about the information you provide online.​

10. What are data brokers and how do they get my personal information?

Data brokers are companies that collect and sell your personal details like name, address, and phone number, mainly without your knowledge. They gather this info from public records, social media, app data, and third-party sources. You can remove your info manually through their opt-out pages or take the help of companies that remove online presence like DeleteMe or Incogni.