Without going into too many specifics, suffice it to say that there’s a bit of turmoil when it comes to Twitter. One of the largest social media platforms in the world is undergoing some of its most drastic changes ever, as it has recently been purchased. Coming with the new ownership, quite a few changes are already being made to how the platform works, resulting in many unhappy users.
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How to Delete Your Twitter Account from Your Phone
We’re seeing quite an impressive amount of users leaving the platform in favor of other social media networks, including Mastodon, which has its own set of headaches. While you don’t necessarily need to delete your Twitter account to stop using the platform, you can do so.
Unless you’re ready to give up on Twitter completely, we don’t recommend outright deleting your account, as you’ll lose access to your history of tweets, along with any media shared and your followers. However, if you want to avoid the platform altogether for the time being and want to ditch your account, here’s how you can delete your Twitter account from your phone:
- Open the Twitter app on your phone.
- Tap your profile picture in the top left corner.
- In the bottom of the pop-out drawer, tap Settings & Support.
- From the drop-down menu, tap Settings and privacy.
- Tap Your account.
- Tap Deactivate Account.
- Read through the warning information.
- Tap the Deactivate button at the bottom.
- Enter your Twitter password.
- Tap the Deactivate button in the bottom right corner.
As a note, the steps listed above will work regardless of whether you are trying to delete your Twitter account from an iPhone or an Android phone. Additionally, and for the time being, Twitter allows you to restore your Twitter account “for up to 30 days after deactivation.” On the 31st day, your Twitter account will be gone for good.
How to Delete Your Twitter Account from the Web
If you’re like us and prefer to handle tedious projects from your computer instead of your phone, you can also delete your Twitter account this way. The steps are largely the same, albeit in slightly-different places due to the different layouts between mobile and desktop. Here’s how you can delete your Twitter account from the web client:
- Open your browser of choice on your computer.
- Navigate to twitter.com.
- If necessary, sign into your Twitter account.
- In the left sidebar, click the More button.
- From the drop-down menu, click Settings and Support.
- Click Settings and privacy.
- Make sure the Your account option is selected.
- Click the Deactivate your account button.
- Read through the warning information.
- Click the Deactivate button.
- When prompted, enter your Twitter password.
- Click the Deactivate button.
The same rules apply, as when you go through the “deactivation” process, you’ll be warned about the 30-day reactivation limit. After this has passed, your Twitter account will be officially deleted, and the only way you’ll be able to go back to Twitter is by creating an all-new account.
Save Your Twitter Data
If you know that you aren’t planning to reactivate your Twitter account within the 30-day grace period, the social media network allows you to download a copy of your Twitter data. This is available from the Settings panel within either the Twitter mobile app or the web client in a browser.
By downloading “an archive of your data,” you are essentially requesting a ZIP file that contains the following:
- Account information
- Account history
- Apps and devices
- Account activity
- Interests
- Ads data
Notably, the “Account history” portion of the file includes a history of your tweets, including the very first tweet you ever sent. If you’re sentimental, you might want to consider downloading this before deciding whether to delete your Twitter account altogether. If you return to the platform at some point in time, none of this will be available with the new account.
