How to delete your Twitter/X account: step by step

We explain the difference between deactivating and deleting your Twitter/X account and the steps to follow for each action.

Despite the controversies and exoduses it has suffered since its purchase by Elon Musk, X (formerly Twitter) is one of the social networks par excellence, with almost 620 million users who use it daily. However, there will always be those who want to put an end to their experience on the platform and delete their account.

If you do decide to do this, it’s important to know that by permanently deleting your X account, you will lose access to it with your username and password. All data, including posts, followers, and following, will disappear from the platform, and your username will become available for others to use. You will also lose access to your posts and direct messages, so it’s important to back them up beforehand. And as for reposts, mentions, and replies to your posts, your public profile and activity on X will be deleted.

If your intention is to migrate to another platform, or simply unsubscribe from X but keep a copy with all the information of your activity on the platform, in this article we explain how to do it.

Difference between deactivating and deleting an account in X

It is also important to note that deactivating and deleting an X account are two different actions that have different consequences.

1. Deactivate your X account

• Deactivation is a reversible process that initiates a 30-day period so you can decide if you want to reactivate your account.
• During the deactivation period, your username and public profile will no longer be visible to other users on the platform, both on x.com and in the mobile applications.
• Your posts and other data remain stored on X’s systems for these 30 days.

2. Delete your X account

• After the 30-day deactivation period, if you are not logged into your account, Twitter will proceed to permanently delete your account.
• Once deleted, your account will no longer be available on X systems, and you will not be able to recover it or access your previous posts.
• Your username will be released and available for others to register for new X accounts.

How to delete your X account from your computer

As we explained above, in order to delete your X account, the first thing you have to do is suspend it. This is actually a process that will take no more than 5 minutes from the desktop browser:

1. The first thing to do is log in to the X account you want to delete. In the left column, you will see a menu with different options. You should look for the “More options” section, which is represented by a three-dot icon.
2. Click on “More options” and a menu with different options will open on the left side of the screen.
3. In that menu, select the “Settings and privacy” option, which will be displayed with a nut icon.
4. You will find a section called “Your Account”, you must click on it to display more options.
5. Under “Your Account”, you will see the option to “Deactivate your account” .
6. You will be presented with a final “Deactivate” option at the bottom of the screen. Clicking this will ask you for your password to confirm the action and then you will be logged out.
7. It is important not to log in or access your account again for the next 30 days. If during that time X detects no activity, the account is permanently deleted.

How to cancel your account from your mobile

From the X app on any mobile device, it is also possible to cancel your X account. These are the same steps as on the desktop, but looking for the options in the mobile design of the platform :

1. Open the X mobile app on your device and make sure you are logged in with the account you want to delete.
2. Once inside the application, click on your profile icon.
3. In the side menu, scroll down until you find the “Settings and Support” option and select it. This option is usually located near the bottom of the menu. Then, click on “Settings and Privacy.”
4. Look for the “Your Account” section, which is usually the first option that appears and will take you to a new screen with all the options related to the management of your user account.
5. Now, within your user account options, look for the “ Deactivate account” option and select it. This option is usually located at the bottom of the list and is represented by the icon of a broken heart.
6. When you click on “Deactivate account”, you will be asked to confirm the action by entering your password.
7. After confirming, you will be automatically logged out, and your account will become inactive. You cannot log in or access your account again for the next 30 days so that X can permanently delete it.