There are nearly 400 million Twitter users worldwide, and an array of news and information from celebrities to your friends and family. If you are spending all day scrolling through Twitter or getting annoyed by other people’s comments, then it may be time for you to take a step back and leave Twitter.
If you are looking to delete your Twitter account, this article will tell you everything you need to know.
How to delete a Twitter account?
If you want to delete your Twitter account, you will first of all need to ‘deactivate’ it. When you deactivate your account, all of your data will be removed from public view on Twitter, in just a few minutes.
Once you have deactivated your Twitter account, your account will move into a deactivation window of 30 days. After 30 days, Twitter will then permanently delete your account and all of the data.
If within 30 days, you change your mind and want to keep your Twitter account, you can sign back in and reactive it. Twitter says it will take a while to restore all of your tweets and followers, but some users see these return within a few minutes.
How to delete a Twitter account on iOS/Android phones?
To delete your Twitter account on iOS/Android, you can head to the Twitter website, or open the Twitter app. Then you can follow these steps:
- If you are using the Twitter website, log onto your account, and press the ‘more’ button on the sidebar. Alternatively, if you are using the Twitter app, press your account photo, which is in the top-left corner of the screen. After this point, the stages will be the same for using the website and the app.
- In the menu, scroll down to Settings and hit the privacy option.
- Tap Your account. Then select Deactivate your account.
- You will then need to select a reactivation period, which will likely be 30 days.
- Hit Deactivate.
- Then you will be asked to enter your password, and confirm you want to deactivate the account.
Deleting the Twitter app from your iOS or Android phone is not enough to delete your Twitter account. If you want to delete your account, you will need to follow the steps outlined above. Once your deactivation period has ended, your account and all of your data will be deleted for good.
What happens when you delete a Twitter account?
After your deactivation window has passed, Twitter will delete your account. Once the account has deleted, it will no longer be available on the Twitter systems, and you will not be able to reactivate it, or have access to your old Tweets.
Once your account has been deleted, your Twitter username will become available for other Twitter users.
Deactivating vs Deleting a Twitter account
They may sound similar, but there are some important differences between deactivating and deleting a twitter account that you should be aware of.
Deactivating your Twitter account is the first step to permanently deleting your Twitter account. Once you have deactivated your Twitter account, your username and profile will not be viewable by other users – whether on the app or website.
Once you have deactivated your account, if you are within the deactivation window, you can reactivate it, and regain full access to your account, tweets and followers.
Once your account has been deleted, you are at the point of no return. You cannot reactivate your account, or gain access to your tweets and followers. Once your account has been deleted, another Twitter user can also register to use your Twitter name.
Can’t delete a Twitter account
If you are having issues deleting your Twitter account, you should firstly make sure you have followed all of the steps listed above. Simply deleting your Twitter app is not enough to delete your Twitter account.
The final step of deactivating your account requires you to confirm that you want to deactivate your account – make sure you have selected the right option.
You will need your password to your Twitter account to enable you to deactivate and delete your account. If you have forgotten your password, you can reset your password, before deactivating your account.
If you no longer have access to the email address you used to set up the account you may have issues deactivating your account, as this is needed as part of the process. If you have verified your mobile number and used this with your account, you may be able to use this instead of your email address.
If you have deactivated your account, but your account continues to be activated without your permission, it is likely that your account has been hacked or compromised.
If this happens, it is important to secure your account as soon as possible, by changing your password and reviewing your connections. Once this has been done you can deactivate your account, wait for the deactivation window to expire, and your account will be deleted.
