How to Delete Your Twitter Account

So you’ve done your time on Twitter and you’re ready to move on. That’s okay, the platform isn’t for everyone.

Whether you’ve decided Twitter just doesn’t make sense for your business or you’re trying to minimize your screen time by cutting down on your social media, we’ve put together a quick how-to that walks you through the steps to delete your Twitter account.

Deactivating vs. Deleting Your Twitter Account

When it comes to shutting down a social media account, there are two words you’ll often hear thrown around – deactivating and deleting.

They don’t always mean the same thing. For example, on Facebook you have the option of temporarily deactivating your account for however long you choose, and the option to reactivate it always remains. Or you can permanently delete your account, and you’ll have to create a new one if you want to rejoin the social network.

However on Twitter, your only option is to deactivate your account, which remains inactive for 30 days before deleting entirely. This means you can still log in within the first 30 days to reactivate your account if you change your mind or the account was wrongfully deactivated.

Once those 30 days are up, your Twitter account is fully deleted and access is unable to be regained.

How to Permanently Delete Your Twitter Account

Ready to rid yourself of the Twitter bird for good? Remember, you have 30 days to change your mind.

To permanently delete your Twitter account, click More in the sidebar of your Twitter feed. A pop-up will appear, and you’ll need to select the Settings and privacy option from the menu.

Your settings will automatically land on the Account tab, which is conveniently right where you need to be!

The very last option in the Account menu will be Deactivate your account. And while we’ll miss you, we understand the reasons you might want to go.

Once you click the option to deactivate, you’ll be met with a screen that tells you exactly how deactivation works.

A few of the basics are that you don’t need to disable your account just to change your username or email address. Those can be done very easily at the top of the Account section of your settings.

Once you click Deactivate, you’ll have to enter your Twitter password to confirm that you want to proceed. This is a security precaution that ensures someone can’t deactivate a Twitter account that was left open on a public computer or an account that doesn’t belong to them.

How can you recover a deleted Twitter account?

If it has been less than 30 days since you deactivated your account, you can easily reactivate it and get right back to tweeting.

All you need to do is open the Twitter app or website and log in with your regular credentials, just like you did before.

Once you sign in, Twitter will ask if you want to reactivate your account. Confirm that yes, you do want your account back, and it will be immediately restored without issue.

If it’s close to the 30 day mark and you’re having issues with reactivation, a Twitter support agent can help get your account back on track.

However, if your account has been deactivated for over 30 days, all of your tweet data has been deleted and the account is no longer accessible. This means you want to be totally sure that you’re ready to delete your Twitter account, or you could permanently lose all of your old content.

What should you consider before deleting your Twitter account?

How much content do you have stored in your Twitter account? If you’ve had Twitter for years, but it no longer makes sense for your brand, or you don’t want it for personal use anymore, you can still keep the account dormant without fully deleting it.

If Twitter no longer makes sense for your brand, consider leaving a pinned tweet with the other social media platforms audience members can find you, and simply stop posting.

If you’re trying to spend less time on Twitter or you just don’t want to tweet anymore, consider simply deleting the app or blocking the website from your browser with an extension.

There are options to consider if you want to have the ability to go back through your old tweets. However, if you no longer want that content to be available, tread right on forward with your account deletion mission.

Pros and Cons to Deleting Your Twitter Account

As with every major life decision, try making a pros and cons list before deciding to delete your Twitter account. What good can come of this? What consequences could you face?

Pros

Virality can come with a cost. That funny thought you might have tweeted off the cuff could have caused some seriously controversial opinions to pop up in your mentions, and we all know that not everyone is the nicest on the internet.

If you’ve had a viral tweet make your feed go a little crazy, and you’re sick of the conversation or maybe even the backlash, deleting your Twitter account might be the best way to leave it all behind you.

Plus, how annoying is it that you can’t edit your tweets? Don’t ever deal with the stress of another typo. Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn all allow you to edit your published content, but Twitter hasn’t jumped on the bandwagon as they want to retain the authenticity of the initial thought behind each tweet.

Another pro is that you’re able to focus your time elsewhere. How often are you creating content for Twitter, engaging with an audience, or simply scrolling through your feed?

(If you ask me? It’s a good couple of hours a day.)

What else could you be doing with that time? You could focus on other areas of your business, play an extra game or two with your kids, or even read a book instead of a feed of tweets.

Cons

Every pro has its con. Twitter is an ever-updating real time source of breaking news. If you suffer from FOMO, you might want to put that deactivating idea on the backburner.

Plus, it can be a great place to create a community around your business. Twitter chats are a great way to connect with other like-minded users and generate a following and even a customer base.

Twitter has 330 million users, which means there are a lot of potential customers you and your business can reach on the platform. Interacting with those users can help to generate revenue for your company – revenue that you’d be missing out on if you deleted your account.

Deleting Your Twitter Account

Whether or not you decide it’s time to pull the plug on your Twitter account, Twiends is here to help. Check out our learning center for more Twitter-centric content, or sign up to start growing your account.