Methods to obtain a backup copy of your Twitter information (or deactivate your account)

Huge modifications are underway at Twitter as we communicate—together with new management—and a few persons are nervous about what the longer term may convey for the social community. Issues might find yourself fully fantastic, however even in tranquil occasions, it is good to know the best way to get a duplicate of your Twitter information for native safekeeping—or to deactivate your Twitter account for those who select. This places management of your information in your arms.

Earlier than we begin, it is essential to know that the method of getting a duplicate of your Twitter information can take 24 hours or extra. Twitter does this each for security causes and ostensibly to offer its servers time to assemble the detailed information it should ship you.

Additionally, you may want an electronic mail handle or cell phone quantity registered to your Twitter account so the location can ship you a particular affirmation code to finish the method. After getting the info, you may get an area copy of your whole tweets which you can retailer indefinitely with no need to log in to Twitter.

Methods to request your Twitter information on desktop or cellular

To get a duplicate of your Twitter information, you first want to finish a request course of. To get began, log in to Twitter.com or open the Twitter app utilizing the account for which you’d prefer to request an archive.

When you’re on the Twitter web site, click on “Extra” within the sidebar, then click on “Settings and Assist.” On the cellular Twitter app, simply faucet “Settings and Assist” within the sidebar. When that menu expands, click on or faucet “Settings and Privateness.”

Underneath “Settings,” choose “Your account,” then click on or faucet “Obtain an archive of your information.”

After verifying your password, Twitter will ship a verification code to both your electronic mail handle or a cell phone quantity via a textual content message, relying on what you select.

After you get the code, kind it into Twitter, and you will be again on the “Obtain an archive of your information” web page. Underneath “Twitter information,” click on the “Request archive” button.

Twitter will start making ready your archive, which may take 24 hours or extra to finish.

When the archive is prepared, you may get a notification by way of electronic mail and/or a pop-up notification within the Twitter app. On the Twitter web site or within the app, navigate to “Settings and privateness” > “Your account” > “Obtain an archive of your information” to obtain the ZIP file that accommodates your information.

What’s within the Twitter information you get?

As soon as you’ve got downloaded the ZIP file, extract it right into a folder on a PC, Mac, or Linux. In that folder, you’ll be able to open “Your archive.html” in a regular internet browser and look via your Twitter information regionally, which is now hosted in your laptop in that folder.

The Twitter account information you’ll be able to obtain arrives as a ZIP file, viewable in an area internet browser on a PC or Mac, which incorporates your tweets and direct messages, account data and historical past, apps and gadgets you’ve got used, accounts you’ve got blocked or muted, and promoting profile data.

A observe about direct messages

From our experimentation, we have seen that Twitter direct messages (DMs) will probably be retained in Twitter’s servers so long as one individual within the chat doesn’t delete them. So even for those who delete your DM historical past with an individual, the opposite individual you chatted with will nonetheless have a duplicate of your shared DM historical past. But when each individuals within the DM chat delete the direct message dialog, it disappears out of your Twitter archive (and certain from Twitter’s servers) eternally. So when you’ve got delicate DMs you’d prefer to erase, ask the opposite get together to delete their DM chat historical past with you as nicely.

Methods to deactivate your Twitter account

When you’ve already downloaded your Twitter information and really feel such as you’re able to take the extra dramatic step of deactivating or deleting your account, then log in to Twitter.com or open the Twitter app utilizing the account you’d prefer to deactivate.

Utilizing the sidebar, navigate to “Settings and privateness” > “Your account” > “Deactivate your account.” On that web page, you may see just a few disclaimers about how deactivation works, however they are not clear about deletion. Consulting Twitter’s help pages reveals extra element concerning the course of: Deactivation might be reversed for as much as 30 days. After that, your Twitter account and all related information will probably be completely deleted.

When you’re prepared, click on “Deactivate.”

Even after clicking “Deactivate,” you may have to enter your Twitter password and undergo one other affirmation immediate.

When full, your Twitter account will deactivate, and your tweets will disappear from the web site inside a couple of minutes. When you change your thoughts, log in once more inside 30 days and your account will reactivate. However for those who do not log in once more inside 30 days, your account will probably be deleted eternally.