In view of recent Twitter news, leaving the platform may have crossed your mind. Yet quitting Twitter isn’t as simple as logging out for the last time and never going back.
This is because of the massive amounts of data platforms like Twitter collect about us while we use them. To ensure that Twitter does not continue to use your data after you leave, you must take appropriate steps to completely delete your account and all data associated with it when you leave.
In this guide, we explain how to do it, and especially how to take all your precious data with you. Follow the steps outlined here and you’ll be done with Twitter. If you change your mind and decide that you cannot leave the microblogging service, we will also tell you how to cancel the process.
Step 1: Disable third-party services
Unlike some other sites that allow you to immediately delete your information and close your account, Twitter requires a 30-day or 12-month deactivation window when you decide to delete your account. If a third-party application that you have linked to your Twitter account connects to your Twitter account during this period, your account may be reactivated and will remain active even after the 30-day or 12-month period.
For this reason, the first step to take when deciding to delete your account is to unlink all third-party services linked to your account. Here’s the procedure to follow :
- Log in to your Twitter account;
- If you’re on a desktop browser, click More on the left side, then Settings and privacy. If you’re on the Twitter mobile app, click on your profile picture in the top left, then on Settings and privacy;
- Once in your account, click or tap Security and account access, then Apps and sessions, and finally Connected apps;
- Twitter will provide a list of all third-party apps and services that are connected to your account. You will need to select each of them and then click on Revoke App Permissions.
Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to actually delete your account without worrying that a forgotten app you attached to your Twitter profile years ago will accidentally derail your attempt to leave.
Step 2: Archiving your data (optional)
When your deactivated Twitter account reaches the 30-day or 12-month threshold (depending on your choice), all your data is permanently deleted from the social network’s servers. If you still want to keep your data, however, Twitter offers a way to download an archive of everything linked to your account that remains on its servers. To do this, you must use the Twitter website. None of its mobile apps offer this option. The process is almost identical whether you access the website through a desktop browser or a mobile browser.
Here are the steps in the process:
- Open your desktop or mobile browser;
- Go to Twitter.com and click More on the left side;
- Then click on Settings and privacy;
- Once inside, click on Your account, then on Download an archive of your data;
- You may need to enter your password at this point, then you can click Request Archive.
Once you do this, you will receive a notification that the process may take up to 24 hours. Once the archive is ready, you will receive a push notification through your Twitter mobile app and email. Both of these notifications will contain a link that will automatically take you to your settings page on the Twitter website. There you can download the prepared archive of your data as a .zip file. This contains an HTML file titled Your Archives and a data folder containing all of the content you’ve posted on Twitter.
You can navigate to this folder like any folder on your desktop or smartphone. In this folder you can play/view your media locally, assuming the media type is supported by your current device. Once done, you will have your data and can proceed to the final step. If any of this data is valuable to you, we strongly recommend backing it up, either locally or to a cloud storage service of your choice.
Step 3: Deleting your account
As this process differs somewhat depending on whether you are doing it on your PC or on your phone, we will describe each scenario individually.
Deleting your account on your PC:
- Log in to Twitter.com in your desktop browser.
- Click More on the left side.
- Click on Settings and Privacy and find the Your Account section.
- In this section, click Deactivate your account. At this point, you are offered two “reactivation” periods: 30 days or 12 months. It is important to choose carefully because when this period expires, your account and all its data will be gone forever. If you think you might change your mind in the future, the 12 month option might be right for you. Or, if you’re sure you want to retire as soon as possible, choose the 30-day option.
- Once you have made your choice, click Disable.
- You will then have to enter your password and confirm your decision one last time by clicking on Deactivate account one last time.
Deleting your mobile account:
- Log into your Twitter mobile app.
- Tap your profile icon in the upper left corner.
- Tap Settings & privacy from the pop-up menu.
- In this menu, tap on Your account, then on Deactivate your account. The same two “reactivation” options are available to you. It is up to you to make your choice.
- Once you have made your choice, click Disable.
- At this point, you will need to enter your password and confirm your decision one last time by clicking Deactivate Account one last time.
Once you have completed this procedure on your computer or mobile, wait for the reactivation period you have chosen. After 30 days or 12 months, your account and all accompanying data will be permanently deleted. However, if you change your mind within the aforementioned time frames, read on to find out how to reactivate your Twitter account.
Reactivate your Twitter account
As you might expect, Twitter makes it easy to reactivate your Twitter account versus archiving or deleting it. Simply log into your account within 30 days or 12 months (depending on what you chose during deactivation). Once logged in, you will receive a message asking if you want to reactivate your account. If you choose Yes, you will immediately be taken to your restored home page.
Twitter can take a while to restore all of your account content, including followers, media, tweets, and past DMs, so don’t panic if something is missing when you return to your homepage.
Return to Twitter after deleting your account
One last remark. If you ever decide to come back to Twitter after your 30-day or 12-month period expires, you’ll need to create a whole new account. If you want to reuse the username you had before, you will have to hope that no one has chosen it as your username in the meantime. When an account is deleted, anyone who registers can claim that account’s username as their own. If someone chose your username while you were away, you will need to choose a new name.
Please note that this does not apply if you are in a reactivation period. Twitter keeps your username reserved until the reactivation period expires.
Source: ZDNet.com