How to delete your X (Twitter) account permanently
Steps last checked
How do I delete my X account?
On X, deletion starts with deactivation. Go to Settings, then Your account, then Deactivate your account, and confirm with your password. Stay logged out for 30 days and the account is permanently deleted.
There is no separate delete button on X. Deactivation is the deletion process — the account is erased automatically once 30 days pass without a login. Logging in even once resets the clock and restores the account.
Download your archive first
X archives take time to generate — often 24 hours or more, sometimes several days. Start it before deactivating.
- Settings and privacy → Your account → Download an archive of your data.
- Confirm your password, verify by SMS or email, then request the archive.
- Wait for the notification, then download the ZIP. It contains every post, DM and like as browsable HTML.
Deactivate (and thereby delete) your X account
- Open Settings and privacy → Your account.
- Tap Deactivate your account.
- Read the notice, then select Deactivate.
- Enter your password to confirm.
- Do not log in again for 30 days.
Log out of X everywhere — phone, tablet, other browsers. A background app that silently re-authenticates will cancel the deletion without you noticing, and people only discover this when the account reappears.
What happens to your handle and your posts
- Your @handle: released back to the pool after deletion and can be claimed by anyone.
- Your posts: removed from X, but replies quoting you, screenshots and third-party archives persist.
- Mentions of you in other people's posts: these stay up. They simply stop linking to a profile.
- Search engines: X does not control Google or Bing, so cached copies can outlast the account. Removing those means approaching the search engine directly.
- X Premium: cancel separately — deactivation does not stop the subscription.
X also states it may retain some information from a deactivated account for platform safety and security purposes.
You may not need to delete at all
Changing your username or email does not require deleting the account. Both are editable at any time under Account information. If you are deleting to escape a handle you have outgrown, or to cut an old email loose, change them instead and keep the account age.
Cancel X Premium before you deactivate. If you subscribed through the App Store or Google Play, cancel it there; billing continues otherwise.
Common questions
What is the difference between deactivating and deleting on X?
There is no separate delete option. Deactivation starts a 30-day countdown, and the account is permanently deleted when that ends. Logging in during those 30 days reverses it.
Can someone take my username after I delete?
Yes. X releases the handle once deletion completes, and desirable ones are usually claimed quickly. If you want to keep the name, do not delete the account.
Why did my X account come back on its own?
Something logged in during the 30-day window, which cancels deletion automatically. Usually it is a phone still signed in or a third-party app with an active token. Log out everywhere and revoke connected apps.