Deleting your Twitter account is a straightforward process that removes your account and all tweets and replies. It’s a permanent action, so if you want a break from Elon Musk’s social network, deactivate your account instead. If you’re struggling with bugs, try these solutions to the eight most common Twitter problems instead of deletion.
Whether you use Twitter on an Apple device or a budget-friendly Chromebook, this guide shows you how to delete and deactivate your account on a desktop and the mobile app. We also show you how to archive your data ahead of deletion.
After deactivating your Twitter account, some data may still appear in search engines until the 30-day grace period expires.
How to archive your Twitter data
Even if you want to delete your account, you may still want a record of your data. This archive includes account information, account history, associated apps and devices, account activity interest, and ad data. It can’t be used to create a new account with your old tweets and data, but it’s a handy way to see what information about you is stored on Twitter.
- Open Twitter.
- Tap your profile icon in the upper-left corner of your screen.
- Tap Settings & Support in the sidebar.
- Tap Settings and privacy from the drop-down menu.
- Tap Your account at the top of your screen.
- Tap Download an archive of your data.
- Tap Request archive.
You’ll wait at least 24 hours to receive your data, which is emailed to you as a ZIP file.
How to delete and deactivate your Twitter account on the web
Deleting your account is done through the Twitter website. Before you can delete it, you must deactivate your account.
Here is what the process looks like:
- Open your Twitter homepage on any web browser.
- Select More from the sidebar.
- Select Settings and Support in the pop-up menu.
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Select Settings and privacy.
- Go to Your account and click Deactivate your account.
- Click the Deactivate button at the bottom of your screen.
- Enter your Twitter account password to confirm your deactivation request.
- Click the Deactivate button.
The Twitter account deactivation process begins. Once deactivated, your Twitter account disappears from public view but hasn’t been deleted entirely. Twitter’s 30-day grace period gives you time to reconsider your decision and reactivate your account, which you can do by logging in to Twitter with your account’s username and password.
Failing to log in to your Twitter account before the grace period expires deletes your account and any associated data, including profile pictures and replies.
How to delete and deactivate your Twitter account on iPhone and Android devices
The Twitter app is functionally identical on Android and iOS, so you can follow the steps regardless of your device. However, like on the desktop, you must deactivate your account first.
- Open Twitter.
- Tap your profile icon in the upper-left corner of your screen
- Tap Settings & Support in the sidebar.
- Tap Settings and privacy from the drop-down menu.
- Tap Your account at the top of your screen
- Tap Deactivate Account.
- Tap the red Deactivate button at the bottom of your screen.
- Enter your account password on the next page to confirm your decision.
- Tap the Deactivate button.
You have 30 days to reconsider account deletion. It is deleted permanently if you don’t log in to your Twitter account during this period.
Going beyond Twitter
Plenty of social media apps provide a more fulfilling experience than Twitter. These alternative social media platforms can help you rethink how you use social media. Delete your Twitter account, and don’t be afraid to try something new.
