Do you want to know how to delete Patreon account? Maybe you no longer wish to support creators on the platform or want more control over your data. Fortunately, deleting your Patreon account is possible, though the process can take up to 30 days.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll outline everything you need to know to permanently delete your Patreon account, stop active pledges, and remove personal information from the platform.
Overview of Patreon and Reasons to Delete an Account
For those unfamiliar, Patreon is a membership platform that allows fans to provide monetary support to their favorite creators directly. Through small, recurring pledges, fans help fund projects they love while accessing exclusive content and perks in return.
However, there are a few reasons why someone may eventually want to delete their Patreon account entirely:
- You no longer wish to support certain creators financially
- You want to take a break from the platform for a while
- You have concerns over data privacy or security
- You want to consolidate online accounts and memberships
Fortunately, Patreon allows users to permanently delete their accounts. Here’s how to fully erase your profile and presence from the site.
Step-By-Step Guide to Deleting a Patreon Account
Deleting your Patreon account is a multi-step process that can take up to 30 days to fully complete. Here is an overview of what to expect:
Access Patreon’s Privacy Policy Page
First, you’ll need to access Patreon’s online privacy tools to initiate account deletion:
- Go to Patreon’s Privacy Policy page
- Scroll down and click the “Take Control” button under “Managing Your Personal Data”
This will redirect you to Patreon’s third-party data privacy portal.
Submit an Account Deletion Request
Next, you can officially submit your account deletion request:
- Click the “Erase” tab
- Log into your Patreon account if prompted
- Click “Allow” to give access to process your deletion request
- Click “Confirm Request”
Once these steps are complete, your account deletion is in motion.
Cancelling Active Memberships and Pledges
Before deleting your account, it’s highly recommended you cancel any active pledges or memberships tied to your profile.
Otherwise, you may continue to be billed as a patron even after closing your account. Here’s how to avoid this:
- Go to your memberships page while logged into your Patreon account
- Click “Edit” next to any active pledges
- Select “Pause my membership” to halt payments
- Click “Cancel Membership” to permanently end pledge
Repeat for any other creators you may be actively supporting. This will stop billing charges going forward.
What to Expect After Submitting an Account Deletion Request
After starting the Patreon account deletion process, here is helpful information to know:
- There is a 14-day period after submitting your request where you can reverse it if you change your mind
- It takes up to 30 days for accounts to be fully deleted from Patreon’s systems
- Some data may be retained for legal compliance or security purposes
Essentially, your account will be scheduled for termination, deactivated over the following weeks, and eventually erased from Patreon’s user database.
Can You Reactivate a Recently Deleted Patreon Account?
If it has been less than 14 days since you submitted your account closure request, you may be able to undo it. Simply log back into your privacy dashboard and select “revoke request”.
However, after two weeks, deletion cannot be reversed. You would have to create an entirely new Patreon account instead moving forward.
Step-by-Step Guide On How to Delete Patreon Account
Now let’s explore the step-by-step process on how to delete Patreon account in greater detail:
Access the Patreon Privacy Hub
To begin deleting your Patreon account, you first need to access their online privacy tools. Here is how:
- Go to Patreon.com on any web browser
- Scroll to the bottom and click on “Privacy Policy”
This will open the Privacy Policy page devoted to user data and controls.
- Under the “Managing Your Personal Data” section, click the button labeled “Take Control”
Selecting this button will redirect you to Patreon’s third-party privacy hub powered by Transcend.
Submit a Data Erasure Request
The Transcend portal allows Patreon users to manage personal data stored by the platform. Here, you can officially request account deletion:
- Select the tab labeled “Erase”
- Click the option for “Erase my Patreon account”
- You may need to log into your Patreon account if not already authenticated
- Review the consent disclaimer and click “Allow”
This will grant Transcend temporary access to process your account deletion.
- Verify your password when prompted
- Click the “Confirm Request” button
Once you complete these steps, your account closure is formally underway!
What Happens After You Confirm Deletion
After confirming your request to delete your Patreon account, here is what you can expect:
- You will receive a confirmation email from Patreon Support
- There is a 14-day period where you can still reverse deletion
- It takes up to 30 days for account termination to fully complete
- Some usage data may still be retained by Patreon after deletion
While account removal will process rapidly, full data deletion occurs on a longer timeline due to system constraints. Still, this will eventually erase your profile and presence from Patreon in a month’s time.
Cancel Any Active Pledges or Memberships
As mentioned previously, before closing your entire Patreon account, it’s wise to cancel any active pledges or creator memberships tied to your profile first.
If you fail to do so, Patreon may continue attempting to bill you even after you delete your account. Creator payments are processed separately from account termination.
Here is a step-by-step guide to canceling active pledges:
- While logged into your Patreon account, click your profile icon
- Select “Settings” > “Memberships” to manage active pledges
- Locate any active pledges shown here
- Click “Edit” to modify the membership
- Select “Pause Membership” to halt payments
- Click “Cancel Membership” to permanently end pledge
Repeat this process for every creator you currently support financially on Patreon. This will stop any recurring charges or monthly bills related to their membership program.
Once all active pledges are cancelled, you can safely proceed with deleting your Patreon account without worrying about being billed moving forward.
Can You Reverse a Patreon Account Deletion?
After initiating shutdown of your Patreon account through their privacy tools, you may change your mind. The good news is reversal is possible, but only during a limited window:
- You have 14 days after requesting data erasure to revoke this decision
- Simply log back into your Transcend privacy hub on Patreon’s website
- Click “revoke request” to cancel deletion
However, once two weeks have passed from your original confirmed account closure date, the process cannot be undone. At this point, your profile is scheduled for permanent termination.
You would then need to sign up for a brand new Patreon account instead if you wished to rejoin the platform later on.
What Happens When the 14-Day Period Ends
Fourteen days after submitting your verified Patreon account deletion request, the window for reversal closes.
At this point:
- Your account will start getting deactivated by Patreon
- Key account features and data may no longer be accessible
- Full deletion will continue over the following 30 days
So in the two weeks following your reversal period ending, your profile will get purged from Patreon’s systems. Expect to lose access to:
- Your member feed showing new posts from creators you support
- Messaging capabilities to contact creators or Patreon support
- Notification settings and preferences saved to your account
- Billing details such as payment methods
- Your profile visibility showing account age or patron lifetime spending
- Connection to social media accounts or linked platforms
Essentially, your entire Patreon presence will get wiped clean from their services aside from some backend analytics or usage data they may retain internally. Outside of legal obligations, they endeavor to erase all personal information provided during sign up.
When the 30 days concludes, your account transformation will be complete. For all intents and purposes, it will be like you never had a Patreon at all! All that will linger are your memories of supporting beloved creators over the years.
What Data is Removed When Deleting a Patreon Account?
As part of the account termination process, Patreon states they delete the information below from their databases about you:
- Email address used for sign up
- Password credentials
- Name details and profile bio
- Physical addresses on file
- Phone number provided
- Payment methods such as credit cards
- Comment history across Patreon
- Messages with creators or internal support
- Favorite creators list and browsing activity
More or less, your entire essence as a Patreon user gets purged after 30 days. Outside of basic interaction logs, they aim to erase your digital footprint per account deletion rights.
However, some scraps of data may stubbornly persist if required for legal compliance or security auditing such as:
- Date of account creation
- Number of total pledges
- Lifetime patronage amount
- Brief donation history
But this remains non-identifiable and sparse metadata. For most intents and purposes, you’ll be free from Patreon’s systems for good! Just may take up to a month for this full data purge.
Closing Thoughts on How To Delete Patreon Account
While patrons have supported amazing creators over the years through Patreon, many reach an inflection point where they need to move on. Fortunately, fully deleting your Patreon account is possible and erases most personal data in a month’s time.
The process can additionally stop any further billing for active pledges along the way too. So whether you’re leaving temporarily or once and for all, this guide covered all the essential steps to remove your account. We wish you the best pursuing whatever is next after Patreon!
