How to delete your X (Twitter) account
X (formerly Twitter) is a real-time microblogging service used by hundreds of millions of people for news, public conversation, and short-form posts. X stores every post, reply, like, bookmark, DM, search query, location signal, and the contact list you uploaded if you allowed phone-book matching. Deletion uses a 30-day 'deactivation' grace period — but tweets you sent are immediately hidden from the public-facing site once you deactivate.
Delete your X (Twitter) account, step by step
- 1Log in to x.com
- 2Click 'More' in the sidebar > 'Settings and privacy'
- 3Open 'Your account' > 'Deactivate your account'
- 4Read the deactivation information
- 5Click 'Deactivate'
- 6Re-enter your password
- 7Your account is hidden immediately and permanently deleted 30 days later
What actually happens when you delete
Gets removed
- ✓Your @username, display name, bio, avatar, banner, and pinned tweet
- ✓Tweets, replies, retweets, quote tweets, and bookmarks
- ✓Following list, followers, and lists
- ✓Direct messages from your inbox (recipients keep their copy)
- ✓Subscriptions, communities, and Spaces hosting history
Stays behind
- ✗Replies you sent to others' tweets may stay quoted in screenshots and archives like the Wayback Machine
- ✗DMs persist in recipients' inboxes — X cannot pull them back
- ✗Aggregated and de-identified analytics X uses for ads and ranking
- ✗Records X keeps for trust & safety and legal compliance
- ✗Quote tweets of you remain — but the embedded tweet body disappears
Before you delete
Download your full archive BEFORE deactivating — once the 30-day window closes you can't get your data back. If you log in (even by accident) during the 30 days the deletion is canceled and you start over. Premium / X Premium subscriptions don't auto-cancel — cancel separately through Apple, Google, or x.com/i/premium_sign_up if you don't want to keep paying.
Download your data from X (Twitter) first
Most platforms only honor a data-export request while the account is still active. Do this before you delete.
- 1Open Settings and privacy > 'Your account' > 'Download an archive of your data'
- 2Confirm your password
- 3Enter the 6-digit code X sends to your email or phone
- 4Click 'Request archive'
- 5Archive arrives via in-app and email notification in roughly 24–72 hours
Want to take a break instead? Deactivate
Deactivation hides your profile without permanently destroying it. Logging back in restores everything.
- 1The same flow IS the deactivation flow — X uses 'deactivation' as the grace period before permanent deletion. To stop deletion, just log back in within 30 days and your account is restored.
If deletion fails — or you live in the EU, UK, or California
You have a legal right to request erasure of your personal data under GDPR (EU/UK) and CCPA (California). Use these official channels if the self-service flow doesn't work.
- GDPR / data-subject request form →
- Privacy contact: privacy@x.com
- Full privacy policy →
X (Twitter) deletion FAQs
What's the difference between deactivating and deleting on X?+
There isn't a separate 'delete' option — deactivation IS the deletion flow. Deactivation hides your account and starts a 30-day clock. If you don't log in, the account is permanently deleted on day 30. If you do log in, deletion is canceled and the account comes back.
Can someone else take my @username after I delete?+
Yes. After the 30-day deletion completes the handle is released and another user can register it. If your handle is valuable or you're worried about impersonation, change it to something throwaway before deactivating so the original handle stays parked under your account.
Will my tweets be deleted from Google search?+
Eventually. X removes your tweets from x.com within a few days, but Google can take weeks to drop them from search results. You can speed this up by submitting a removal request through Google Search Console once the page returns a 404.
Will deleting my X account cancel my X Premium subscription?+
Only if you subscribed directly through x.com. If you signed up via the iOS or Android app, you have to cancel through Apple or Google or you'll keep being charged.
Can I delete just my tweets without deleting my account?+
Yes, but X doesn't offer a built-in 'delete all' button. Use a tool like TweetDelete, Redact, or Semiphemeral to bulk-delete tweets, likes, and DMs while keeping your account active.
What about replies under other people's tweets?+
Your replies disappear from public view once deletion completes. However, the parent tweet's reply count won't decrement immediately, and any screenshots or third-party archives of the reply remain outside X's control.
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