How to delete your X account permanently

Deleting your account is a big call: tweets, followers and your username all go at once. Before you press the button, know exactly what happens — and whether there's a better option for you.

How deletion actually works

X doesn't delete immediately. You deactivate first, which starts a 30-day waiting period:

• During those 30 days the account is hidden, and logging in restores it.
• After the period ends with no login, the account is permanently deleted.

Any login during the window — even by accident, from an app still signed in on an old phone — reactivates the account and cancels the deletion.

Three things to do first

1. Download your archive. Once deletion completes you can't request it. How to download it.
2. Want to keep the username for another account? Change the username on the account you're deleting first, then take the old name on your other account, then deactivate.
3. Unlink apps that you sign into with X, so you don't lose access to them.

The steps (mobile and desktop)

1. Open Settings and privacy.
2. Go to Your account.
3. Choose Deactivate your account.
4. Read the notice, press Deactivate, and enter your password to confirm.

The path is the same in the iPhone app, the Android app and on x.com.

Menu names shift slightly between app versions, but the path stays the same.

Forgot your password?

You can't deactivate without logging in. Reset your password from the login page using the email or phone number linked to the account, then follow the steps.

The alternative: a clean account instead of no account

Many people who consider deleting actually want to erase their past. If that's you, you can delete every tweet, reply, like and repost and keep:

• your username (which you may not get back after deletion),
• the followers you built over years,
• any verification you're paying for.

See how to delete all your tweets at once.

Frequently asked questions