Snapchat accounts that have been deactivated can typically be reactivated within 24-48 hours. The exact time frame depends on a few factors, but in most cases it does not take more than a couple of days for a deactivated Snapchat account to become active again.
What happens when you deactivate a Snapchat account?
When you deactivate your Snapchat account, either voluntarily or because it was locked, your profile immediately disappears from the app. Your friends can no longer see your profile or snaps. Your Snapchat memories also disappear from the app, though they are stored by Snapchat for 30 days in case you reactivate your account within that time period.
Deactivating your account does not delete it permanently. All your data remains in Snapchat’s system, it is just hidden from view. This allows you to recover your account if you log back in within 30 days with your original username and password.
How long does account deactivation last?
Snapchat gives users a 30 day window to reactivate a deactivated account. This means you have 30 days from the deactivation date to log back in before the account is permanently deleted from Snapchat’s servers. Within this 30 day period, your account can be restored quickly by simply logging back in on the app or website.
If you do not reactivate the account within 30 days, Snapchat will automatically delete all your data permanently. Once deleted, accounts cannot be recovered. You would have to create a brand new account with a new username.
Account deactivation period
Deactivation action | Effect on account | Duration |
---|---|---|
User deactivates account | Account hidden from friends | 30 days |
Account locked by Snapchat | Account access blocked | 30 days |
No reactivation after 30 days | Account deleted permanently | Permanent |
How long does it take to reactivate an account?
The reactivation process is quite fast. In most cases, you can complete it in under an hour. The steps are simple:
- Open the Snapchat app and tap to log in
- Enter your username and password that were used before deactivation
- Read and accept the Terms of Service
- Snapchat will process the request and reactivate your account
The actual reactivation process takes just a few minutes in most cases. Snapchat simply restores access to your profile and memories that were saved before deactivation. You should be able to use your account as normal right away.
Average reactivation time
Step | Time |
---|---|
Log in to account | 5 minutes |
Read Terms, Accept | 5 minutes |
Snapchat processes request | 5-10 minutes |
Total time | 15-20 minutes |
As you can see, the entire reactivation process takes about 15-20 minutes on average. The actual restoration of your account by Snapchat’s servers takes just 5-10 minutes. The rate limiting steps are just logging in and accepting the Terms of Service again.
Why does reactivation take some time?
While Snapchat can technically reactivate your account instantly, the company imposes a short waiting period of 24-48 hours for security purposes. There are a few reasons for this:
- To prevent spam or abuse accounts from instantly reactivating
- To confirm legitimate owner is reactivating the account
- To process and restore archived account data
- To verify no Terms of Service violations occurred
By making users wait a day or two before restoring full account access, Snapchat reduces fraudulent activity. The short waiting period helps verify legitimate users and gives Snapchat time to process the reactivation properly.
How to make your account reactivate faster
There are no definitive ways to speed up the reactivation time. Since the waiting period is imposed intentionally by Snapchat for safety reasons, there are no shortcuts around it.
However, there are a few things you can do to help ensure your account is reactivated as quickly as possible within the 24-48 hour window:
- Use the correct username and password when logging back in
- Avoid trying to log in repeatedly – stay patient
- Connect to a strong WiFi signal before starting
- Update to the latest version of the Snapchat app
- Contact Snapchat support if you encounter any issues
While these tips may help, the standard 24-48 hour reactivation period is enforced for all accounts. So try to be patient, and your account should be restored within a couple days at most.
Conclusion
To summarize, here is an overview of how long Snapchat account reactivation takes:
- Accounts are deactivated for 30 days before permanent deletion
- Reactivation takes around 15-20 minutes of simple steps
- Snapchat processes the request within 5-10 minutes
- But a 24-48 hour waiting period is enforced before full access granted
- The entire process usually completes within 48 hours
So while technically reactivating a Snapchat account takes just minutes, you will usually need to wait 24-48 hours before you can use your Snapchat account again. Just be patient, use the correct login details, and your account should be restored quickly as long as you are within the 30 day deactivation window.