Twitter — a microblogging and social networking service that we all know (at least in this generation) for broadcasting short posts known as tweets which may contain photos, videos, links, and text. It is a microblogging service that is great to get the latest updates and promotions from brands, use it to stay current on news & events, communicate with friends, and follow people you like including; business leaders, politicians, and celebrities, among others.
And just like any other social media platform out there, Twitter comes with risks such as privacy breaches, fake news/disinformation, harassment & negative comments which can affect both individuals and businesses. One might as well find the microblogging website overwhelming and addictive — and with all this, it can affect the user’s mental health, and they might decide to do away with it — deleting the account once and for all.
The first step to getting rid of your Twitter account permanently is by leaving it deactivated for 30 days. After the 30-day deactivation window and you haven’t reactivated your account, Twitter Inc. will have to permanently remove it from the platform. Once your account is deleted, you won’t be able to reactivate, have access to any old Tweets, or retrieve the account.
Things to keep in mind before you deactivate or delete your Twitter account:
- Deleting your Twitter account won’t delete your information from search engines like Google, Safari, Bing, and Microsoft Edge, among others because Twitter doesn’t control those sites.
- When you deactivate your Twitter account, mentions of your account’s username in other’s Tweets will still exist. However, it will no longer link to your profile as your profile will no longer be available.
- Logging into your account within the 30-day deactivation window easily restores your account.
- If you want to download your Twitter data, you’ll need to request it before you deactivate your account. Deactivating your account does not remove data from Twitter systems.
- Twitter may retain some information on your deactivated account to ensure the safety and security of its platform and people using Twitter.
Whether you are just taking a temporary break or a permanent break, follow these step-by-step instructions on how to deactivate—or delete—your Twitter account on the website or in the mobile app:
Step 1: If you’re using the web version, select More in the list on the left side of your Twitter profile then select Settings and Privacy in the menu that appears. When using the mobile app, click on your profile icon in the top right-hand corner, then tap Settings and privacy.
Step 2: Go to Your Account (Account, in the mobile app) and select Deactivate your account.
Step 3: Read the account deactivation information, and once you’re done, select Deactivate.
Step 4: Enter your Twitter account password and select Deactivate.
Step 5: Confirm that you want to proceed to deactivate your account by clicking Yes, deactivate.
Step 6: THIS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP — if you’re taking a break from the platform and don’t wish to permanently delete it, [after step 5] your account will be deactivated for 30 days — so you’ve to ensure that you login back before the 30-days expire because after the 30-days expire, your account will be deleted permanently.
Note: If you wish to ever come back to Twitter, since you can’t recover your deleted account, you can create a new one with the same username (only if it is still available) and email address. However, it will be a brand new account with no tweets or followers.
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