Twitter is a great way to stay up to date with the world. All the latest news, funny memes and updates from your favorite celebrities are only a tap away. But it can get overwhelming sometimes and you may be in need of a break.
Here is how you can delete and deactivate your Twitter account.
How to Deactivate Your Twitter Account on Desktop
- Click the tab ‘More’.
- A menu will appear. Select the ‘Setting and Privacy’ option.
- Choose ‘Account’.
- Select ‘Deactivate your account’.
- Confirm that you want to deactivate.
How to Deactivate Your Twitter Account on the Mobile App
- Tap on the three horizontal lines.
- Choose ‘Settings and Privacy’ from the menu.
- Select ‘Account’. You will see the option to deactivate at the bottom.
- Confirm that you want to deactivate.
What Happens After Deactivation
When you deactivate your account, your username, display name and public profile photo will not be visible on Twitter but it may be visible on search engines such as Google and Bing.
You have up to 30 days to reactive your account. After 30 days have passed, your account will be permanently deleted and you will not be able to reactivate it.
You have the option to download all your data before deactivating. You can do this under the ‘Account’ tab.
It is recommended by Twitter that you make your email and username reusable before deactivating. Make sure the email you registered with on Twitter is still accessible to you. You can check this under the ‘Profile Settings’ section.
How to Delete Your Twitter Account
If you want to permanently delete your Twitter account, you must first deactivate it by following the above-mentioned steps. You cannot delete your account without deactivating it first.
Once your account has been deactivated for more than 30 days, Twitter will delete it permanently.
Troubleshooting
If you are facing some difficulties while deleting or deactivating your account, here are some possible solutions.
Forgotten Password
You are asked to confirm your password before deactivating your account. If you have forgotten your password, you must first reset it before deactivating your account. With your new password, you can confirm the process of deactivation.
Email Address No Longer Accessible
Before deactivating your account, you need to confirm your email address. If you no longer have access to this email address, you cannot deactivate your account. Twitter cannot help you if you do not contact them with the email you set up your account with.
Some people set up their accounts with a verified mobile phone number. If you do not have access to your email address but still have access to the phone number, you can use this method to deactivate your account.
Compromised Account
If your account keeps getting reactivated even after you repeatedly deactivate it, it is likely that your account has been compromised. This may be due to third-party applications you signed up on with your Twitter account.
In such cases, you must take appropriate steps to secure your account. You can revoke their access to your Twitter account. It is also a good idea to change your password in this case.
You can deactivate your account after you have set up a new password and reviewed your account connections.
Difference between Deleting and Deactivating Your Account
Deactivating your Twitter account is different from deleting it. As soon as you deactivate your account, your data will be removed from Twitter but it will still be stored on the server for 30 days. Within these 30 days, no other user can have the same username as yours.
Your account will permanently be deleted after 30 days have passed and you did not reactivate it. Your username will be available to other Twitter users. You will not be able to reactivate your account or access your data after these 30 days.
How to Reactivate Your Twitter Account
If you want to reactivate your account, you can simply do it by logging in with your old username or email address and password.
It is possible that you might be facing trouble while reactivating your account. Here are some reasons why you may be facing this trouble.
Forgotten Login Details
If you have forgotten your password, you won’t be able to reactivate your account. You must contact Twitter’s support team in this scenario. They will help you reactivate your account.
Once your account has been reactivated, you can change your password by requesting a password reset email. To do this, you must contact Twitter with the email you registered your account with.
Incorrect Number of Tweets/Followers/Following
It is possible that the number of your tweets, following and followers is different than when you deactivated it. This takes some time to restore after reactivation. You must wait for 24 hours for your data to be restored properly.
If 48 hours have passed and your data still hasn’t been restored, you must contact Twitter’s support team for assistance.
More Than 30 Days Have Passed
If more than 30 days have passed and you want to reactivate your account, it is impossible to do so. However, you can sign up for a new account with the same email address and password. It may be possible that your new username is no longer available though.
Your Account Was Hacked
If your account was hacked and then deactivated maliciously, you must contact Twitter’s support team at the earliest. Twitter also has a help page for guidance in such cases.
Account Reactivation Is Disabled
In some cases, users get a message that says account reactivation is disabled. This is only temporary and you can try again later to reactivate your account. If you are closer to 30 days after deactivation, you can contact Twitter’s support agent to help you. They will restore your account instantly.
The Final Tweet
Twitter is a fun place to be at. You can access all the latest news of the world as it is happening. It is a great way to see what your favorite influencers and celebrities are up to. You can spend hours and hours scrolling through your feed and not get bored.
However, if you want to take a break from social media, you can follow these steps to deactivate your Twitter account or delete it permanently.
Lorenzo has been using the internet for as long as he can remember. He was there for the early days of message boards, he watched social media take over, and he’s excited to see what comes next.
