How to delete your Twitter account: 5 steps to deactivate and delete your Twitter account

The controversy that has plagued social media platform Twitter continues as owner Elon Musk introduces yet another feature which has frustrated users worldwide; a rate limit which caps the amount of posts people can see per day.

It’s the latest in a series of irritating, and sometimes downright bizarre, changes to the site that Musk has made in recent months. First, he announced back in April that the only way to gain a blue tick would be via paid for subscription and then, later in the same month, he confusingly changed the classic Twitter blue bird logo to the Dogecoin logo. In May, he introduced a new inactive account policy which may leave some accounts at risk of being lost. These changes have led to various people leaving the platform, including celebrities like Elton John, Whoopi Goldberg and Jim Carrey.

If you’re also becoming annoyed by the changes Musk is making to Twitter, or just want to take a break away from social media in general, it could be a good idea to deactivate your account on a short-term basis or delete it for good. But, just what does it mean to deactivate your Twitter account and how do you do it? Plus, what are the steps you need to take if you want to delete it? Here’s everything you need to know.

What does it mean to deactivate your Twitter account?

Deactivating your Twitter account means your username and public profile will not be viewable on the desktop website, or via the Twitter app for iOS or Twitter for Android. When you deactivate your Twitter account, mentions of your account’s username in other user’s Tweets will still exist, however, it will no longer link to your profile as your profile will no longer be available.

Deactivating your account is also the first step towards deleting your account. Deactivation lasts for 30 days, and then after this time period has lapsed your account will be deleted permanently.

How can I deactivate my Twitter account?

The way in which you temporarily deactivate your account will depend on how you are accessing your account.

From a desktop

• Click on the more icon, which is the three dots, and then click on settings and privacy from the drop-down menu.

• From the your account tab, click on deactivate your account.

• Read the account deactivation information, then click deactivate. 

• Enter your password when prompted and confirm that you want to proceed by clicking the deactivate account button.

From an Apple device

• Tap the navigation menu icon, which is the three horizontal lines, then tap settings and privacy.

• Tap your account, then tap deactivate your account.

• Read the account deactivation information, then tap deactivate.  

• Enter your password when prompted and tap deactivate.

• Confirm that you want to proceed by tapping yes, deactivate.

From an Android device

• In the top menu, you will either see a navigation menu icon  or your profile icon. Tap whichever icon you have, then tap settings and privacy.

• Tap account, then tap deactivate your account.

• Read the account deactivation information, then tap deactivate.

• Enter your password when prompted and tap deactivate.

• Confirm that you want to proceed by tapping yes, deactivate.

Will deactivating my Twitter account delete my subscriptions?

Deactivating your Twitter account does not automatically cancel your Twitter subscriptions,as it all depends on where you purchased them. If you have any active paid subscriptions such as Twitter Blue or Super Follows which you bought through the Twitter app, they will remain active. Subscriptions bought through the website, however, will automatically cancel after you deactivate your account.

Will I be able to access my private messages if I deactivate my Twitter account?

No, you won’t be able to use Twitter’s private messaging system once you have deactivated your account. The messages will, however, be stored and you will be able to access them again if you choose to reactivate your account. If you choose to delete your account, however, your messages will be deleted also.

How can I reactivate my Twitter account?

If you'd like to log back in to Twitter after you've deactivated your account, you can reactivate your account at any time by following these steps.

• Visit twitter.com/login via twitter.com, or open your Twitter for iOS or Android app.

• Enter your login credentials.

• Before you sign in, you’ll see a notice asking you to confirm if you want to reactivate your account.

If you choose to reactivate, you’ll be redirected to your home timeline. Please note that your tweets, followers and likes may take a while to fully restore.

How can I delete my Twitter account?

After you have followed the above steps to deactivate your Twitter account you don’t need to do anything else if you then decide you want to delete it permanently. After the 30 day deactivation period has passed and if you haven’t logged back into your account it will be deleted. It is not possible to delete your account instantly without going through the deactivation period first.

Once your account is deleted, your account won’t be able to be reactivated and you won’t have access to any of your old tweets on direct messages. You can, however, then use the same username or email address to make a new account.

Please remember that deleting your Twitter account also won’t delete your information from search engines like Google or Bing because Twitter doesn’t control those sites.