Canceling vs. Deleting Your Netflix Account: What’s the Difference?

Canceling and deleting your Netflix account might sound the same, but it is not. First, canceling your Netflix account means you can’t watch movies and TV shows on the platform after your current billing cycle ends. The good part is that Netflix will stop charging you every month—unless you restart your subscription. However, your account will still be available on Netflix’s servers, and you can still log in.

On the other hand, deleting your Netflix account means your details are removed from the company’s servers. After your account has been deleted, you will not be able to log in. And if you wish to subscribe to Netflix in the future, you must create a new account.

However, it’s good to note that by simply canceling your subscription, Netflix will delete your account after ten months. Sadly, unlike deleting your Netflix profile, account deletion is not a quick and straightforward process.

How to Delete Your Netflix Account After Canceling Your Subscription

If you wish to delete your Netflix account, the first step is canceling your subscription if you still have one. There are different ways to cancel your Netflix subscription depending on whether you subscribed directly or via a third party. Luckily, we have covered all the ways to cancel your Netflix subscription—and on different devices.

Once you’re done with that, follow these steps to delete your account:

Contact Netflix’s support by sending an email to privacy@netflix. com. You’ll need to use the same email address you used for your Netflix account. Use “Request for account deletion” as the subject of the email.

You might have to wait a few days before hearing from the company. Keep in mind that if you request to delete your account before the end of your current billing period after cancellation, Netflix will delete your account once the billing ends. Otherwise, if you wish that the company deletes your account immediately, explicitly mention it in your email.

Does Netflix Retain Your Information After Account Deletion?

Netflix will delete your account, but it won’t purge all the information related to you. A Netflix support page states, “We retain limited information following account deletion for lawful reasons, including for fraud prevention, accounting purposes, and enforcing our Terms of Use.” The limited information in question includes your email address, device identifier, and your payment details (in encrypted form).

Delete Accounts You No Longer Need

If you no longer use a service, delete your account. Whether it’s your social media, streaming service, or any other account, just let it go and delete it. Regardless of whether it takes more than a few clicks or requires human intervention, like in the case of Netflix, do it.