If you’releaving Twitteror just spring cleaning your account, you may want to download an archive of your tweets first. Just because you’recleaning up your social media presenceor quitting the bird app for good, that doesn’t mean you have to give up your entire Twitter history. If you want to download an archive of your tweets, Twitter will provide one, and we can show you how to request and download it.
Here’s how to download an archive of your tweets.
Difficulty
What You Need
A Twitter account
An internet connection
How to request an archive of your tweets
The following instructions apply to the desktop website version of Twitter, and so you’ll need a PC, an internet connection, and a web browser to follow the steps below.
You’ll also need to verify that your Twitter account has an email address or phone number (that you currently have access to) associated with it.
Step 1:Go toTwitter.comand log into your account if you haven’t already.
Step 2:SelectMoreand then chooseSettings and privacyfrom the menu that pops up.
Step 3:On theSettingspage, selectYour accountfrom the menu on the left. On the right side of the screen under theYour accountheader, chooseDownload an archive of your data.
Step 4:Enter your password when prompted. Then selectNext.
Step 5:You’ll then be prompted to verify your identity by having Twitter send you a verification code to the email or phone number associated with your account. To do so, selectSend code.
Then retrieve the code and enter it on theWe sent you a codescreen. Then selectNext.
Step 6:UnderTwitter data, select theRequest archivebutton.
It can take up to 24 hours or longer for your archive to be ready for download. When it’s ready you’ll get an email and a Twitter notification letting you know your archive is ready to be downloaded.
How to download your archive once it’s ready
Once it’s ready for download, Twitter will email you and send you a Twitter notification. You can access your download using either notification. Let’s take a closer look at how to download your archive once it’s ready.
Step 1:Via email notification:Open the email Twitter sent you regarding your archive. Select the blueDownloadlink to download your archive.
You need to download your archive by the deadline listed in your email notification. After the deadline passes, the download will expire.
Selecting the blueDownloadlink will open your Twitter settings in another browser tab. On this page, select the blueDownload archivebutton. Then select theDownload archivebutton again when it reappears on the next screen to start your download.
Step 2:Via Twitter notification:Go toTwitter.com, log into your account, and select theNotificationstab on the left side of the screen. Then select the notification about your Twitter archive.
Doing so will take you back to your Twitter account settings, specifically theDownload an archive of your datasection. In this section, select the blueDownload archivebutton to download your archive. Then selectDownload archiveagain.
You need to download your archive by the deadline listed in your Twitter notification. The download will expire after the deadline.
Step 3:The download may not be quick. The speed of your internet connection and how large your archive is will affect how long it takes.
Once downloaded, it’ll be a zipped folder. Extract it first, and the unzipped file should automatically open. At first you’ll see three items: Two folders labeledAssetsandDataand one HTML file calledYour Archive.
As you might guess, theYour ArchiveHTML file is the most important for viewing your tweet archive. Open this file and a web browser will automatically open to display a webpage dedicated to your tweet archive.
If you want to make sense of all of the other Twitter account data that comes with your downloaded Twitter account archive, be sure to open theDatafolder and then open theREADMEtext file, which is a full explanation of the other account data your archive includes besides tweets.
