PayPal makes it simple and secure to purchase and sell items online. After creating an account, you must link a credit or debit card (or a bank account), and you can send payments to any retailer that accepts PayPal.
If you have ever used PayPal to make a purchase or receive payment, the transaction is documented, and there isn’t much you can do to conceal it.
In the past, PayPal allowed users to archive transactions individually; however, this feature was removed in 2014.
If you’re wondering how to delete PayPal history, keep reading as we look at a workaround to PayPal’s non-support for deleting transaction history.
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How to Delete PayPal History
PayPal transactions were once routinely archived after a specified amount of time. Yet, they were still retrievable; they were simply difficult to find.
Today, every transaction may be seen in plain sight under the “Activity” tab at the top of the website.
Therefore, if you’re thinking of making a PayPal transaction that you’d like to keep secret from anyone who can access your PayPal account, you might want to reconsider because you can’t delete your PayPal history unless you’re ready to deactivate your account immediately.
Your whole transaction history with PayPal will be deleted if you delete your account, so your PayPal history will always remain private.
If you are okay with deleting your PayPal account, then read on
Everything You Need to Know Before Delete Your PayPal Account
Before continuing, you need to be aware of a few key points. With social networking accounts, you typically have the choice to deactivate your account instead of deleting it, but not with PayPal.Â
Your account may only be deleted, and once it is, the account and all associated data are permanently lost.Â
You should download any account data that you might require in the future.
Of course, you can open a new account (even with the same email address), but PayPal will treat it as an entirely new account—the old one cannot be retrieved.
To close your account, you’ll need to pay off any remaining debt or balances. You cannot close your account if you owe money or if there are any outstanding payments.Â
Any funds in your PayPal account must be withdrawn (or used).
You won’t be allowed to terminate your PayPal account if you use it for commercial purposes rather than for personal expenses and if you haven’t submitted all the required supporting evidence to prove your identity.
You heard correctly. Without completing the account verification process, you cannot close your account, even while you can use it. Bizarre.
Last but not least, you might want to download your account history before you cancel your PayPal account in case you ever need to refer to it.
Because as we already stated, the data is also lost when your account is closed.
How to Download Your PayPal Account History
Visit the official PayPal website, sign into your account, and then choose the “Reports” link to obtain your account history.
Click “Activity Download” on the left-hand panel.
You can choose the file format of the report, the date range of the transactions (up to 7 years), and the transaction types you want to download on the Activity Download page (such as CSV or PDF).
Once you’ve made your decisions, select “Create Report” from the menu.
Then, when your report is prepared for download, you’ll notice a message stating that you’ll receive an email from them.
Depending on the volume of transactions in the report, it can take some time.
To access the report once it’s ready, you’ll need to log back into your account, so wait until you can download the file before deleting it.
You can download your report from the same website once you get the email informing you it’s available.
How to Permanently Delete Your PayPal Account
Open any desktop browser, navigate to the PayPal website, and log into the PayPal account you wish to deactivate to remove your account and transaction history completely.Â
Once there, select the gear icon in the window’s top-right corner to access your account.
There will be a drop-down menu. Please select “Account Settings.”
Click “Account Preferences” in the left-hand panel on the Account Settings screen.
The phrase “Account Type” can be found at the bottom of this page.
Depending on your choice when creating the account, this may be “Personal” or “Business.” In any case, select the Account Type option and click the “Close Account” button.
The reason for your desire to remove your account will then be requested of you.
Click any applicable check boxes to indicate your agreement, then enter any comments you wish to make in the text box before clicking “Continue.”
Depending on the boxes you checked in the preceding stage, they will ask you to confirm that you want to terminate your account and then leave a customized message attempting to persuade you to stay.
Click “Continue” if you want to deactivate your account permanently.
Your PayPal account and your data, including your transaction history, are now permanently deleted.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Change Name on PayPal
If you want to change your account’s display name, PayPal may require you to supply supporting papers to ensure your new name is legal.Â
This is because PayPal does not want you to hide your identity or pretend to be someone else on their site.
You may be required to upload an official document declaring the new name to alter your legal name in your PayPal account. This could be a photo ID, a marriage certificate, or anything similar.
This document should have one or more of the following details: your photo, legal name (first and last name), date of birth, date of issue or expiry, signature, and ID number. Also, when you submit this document to PayPal, it must not be expired.
Once you have all the necessary paperwork, begin the name change procedure by opening a web browser on your device and accessing the PayPal website. Log in to your account on the website.
After logging in, click “Settings” in the top-right corner of PayPal (a gear icon). On the next screen, click “Change Name” next to your existing name.
You’ll be sent to a screen titled “Select Your Type of Name Change.” Choose the type of change you wish to make to your current PayPal account name here.Â
Depending on the option you select, PayPal will request additional information. If your legal name has been formally changed for whatever reason, you should select “Change Your Legal Name.”Â
If you registered under a different name and want to use your real name, select “Update Your Name.” PayPal will expect validating documentation in either situation.Â
Only the “Make a Minor Correction” option is document-free, allowing you to modify only one or two characters. Examine the document(s) you must upload to legally alter your name in your account on the “Update Your Name” page that appears.Â
Then, by choosing “Choose File,” you may upload your papers. To finish altering your name, follow the on-screen instructions. When PayPal authorizes your request, your new name will appear in your account.
How to Cancel Subscriptions on PayPal
PayPal makes it simple to stop receiving automatic subscription payments if you decide not to use a service you have a subscription to. Here’s how to accomplish it in your desktop PayPal account.
Note: A subscription may be cancelled up until the day before the following scheduled payment. Also, be aware that even if you cancel your subscription, you still have to pay for the services you already have.
How to Stop Automatic Payments
You must first open a web browser on your computer and go to the PayPal website to stop your automatic payments. Log into your website account. Click the gear icon from PayPal’s top-right corner after logging in.
Choose “Payments” in the tab at the top of the “Settings” page. Click “Manage Automatic Payments” under the “Automatic Payments” heading. You can find a list of all your recurring payment services in the “Automatic Payments” section of the left sidebar.Â
Choose the payment you want to halt here. Your subscription data will be shown in the right panel. Press the “Cancel” button here. If you truly wish to discontinue your automatic payment, a prompt will ask you. Choose “Deactivate Quicker Checkout” from the menu.
You’ll be good to go after PayPal cancels your regular payment for the chosen service. Note: You can visit the service’s website to reactivate your subscription. You can restart it at a later time on PayPal.
How to Remove Your Card Details From PayPal
Say you changed banks, your old debit card expires, or you have a card you just don’t want to use. You can delete a card from your PayPal account so it doesn’t reflect as an option when carrying out a transaction.
It is worth noting that you must always have at least one active payment method, so if you want to remove your last card, you must first add a new card or bank account.
To remove your card from PayPal:
Visit the PayPal website and sign in with your email address and password to access your account.
Click “Wallet” on the menu bar at the top of your home screen to access your wallet.
Select the card you want to remove from the list of payment options in the menu on the left side of your screen.
Your credit card details will show on the menu. Click “Remove card” in the menu’s bottom after scrolling down.
Click “Remove card” once more to confirm that you wish to remove the card from your PayPal account in the pop-up that appears.
If you change your mind, you may always add your cards again.
Conclusion
PayPal makes internet transactions easier, but without the option to delete transaction history, it could complicate a user’s experience.
The only workaround would be to delete your PayPal account.
We hope you found this article helpful. Let us know in the comments if you are having any challenges with PayPal that you’d like us to discuss in our next post.
We’d love to hear from you.
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