How to Delete Inactive or Suspended Twitter Account

While Twitter is a social networking platform and is used by many for tweeting their day to day activities, sharing news articles and for many other activities, there has been an up-rise of unwanted bots, increased instances of cyber-bullying as well as fake news spreading.

Under these circumstances, you may want to delete your inactive Twitter account. Read on to find out how you can deactivate and delete your Twitter account. At the end of this guide, we have also included what you need to do in case your Twitter account is suspended and you want to delete it.

How to Delete Your Twitter Account?

Guide to Deleting Twitter Account

The good thing is that it is actually very easy to delete your Twitter account forever. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you delete the account in case you are not using it anymore.

1. Log in to Twitter from a Computer

You must access the account you wish to delete from a desktop. It is not possible to remove the account from the mobile app for Twitter which is available on Android, iOS or other mobile operating systems.

Twitter login

2. Open the Settings Option

Open the Settings Option

Visit your settings page by clicking here.

Alternatively You can access the “Settings & Privacy” option by clicking on your profile picture which is located on the top bar of the webpage in the right corner.

A drop down menu will open up where you will be able to find the menu option of “Settings”. It may also be seen as “Settings & Privacy” in the menu.

3. Request an Archive

It is good idea to back up your tweets before deleting the account. You can request twitter to archive your tweets which you can download.

Request an Archive

In your settings page, upon scrolling down to the bottom, you will find an option called ‘Request your archive’.

By clicking on this option, you can get a file that contains the entire archive of your Twitter timeline right from the very first tweet that you had posted.

Once you request the archive, you will have to wait for some time as Twitter prepares the file. A link to this file will be emailed to you as soon as it is ready.

The archive simply acts as a memoir of everything you have shared on Twitter for future reference. As such, this step is completely optional and you can skip it without any problems.

4. Deactivate the account

Just below the ‘Request your archive’ option you will notice the ‘deactivate my account’ option. Click on this option

deactivate my account

5. Agree to the Terms

As you click on that option, a new page will open up. It will give you a few pieces of information regarding the deactivation of the account.

Read the terms before you press on the deactivate button to delete Twitter account.

twitter-account-Agree-to-the-Terms

6. Confirm by Providing your Password

After clicking on the deactivate option, you will be asked to provide your password for the last time. Enter the password and press the ‘deactivate account’ button to finally get rid of the Twitter account.

twitter password for deactivate account

Important Points

Even though the process of deleting your account is extremely easy, there are still a few points that you should know before you do so.

  • It takes only a few minutes for an account to disappear from Twitter after it has been deactivated.
  • However, it is possible for some of the content that you have posted to remain viewable by the other Twitter users for a few days afterward.
  • While the account will remain deactivated, Twitter will retain the data about your account for a period of 30 days from the day you deleted it. During this period, you can log in back to your account if you want and resume your activates on the social network. However, this will stop the deactivation process. Therefore, you must not access the account before the 30 days are completed.your twitter is now deactivated
  • Twitter has stated that it cannot control the content that has been indexed by Bing or Google. Therefore, it is possible for some of the content that you have posted through the account to be searchable and viewable by these search engines.
  • One of the most important points that you must remember is about the email address and the username of the account. If you are planning on reusing either or both of them, you must make sure that you change them before deleting the account. They can be changed through the settings option. Twitter requires each account to be associated with a unique email address.

How to Delete Twitter Account When You Forgot the Password

If you have forgotten your password, you need to first reset the password. Here are the steps by which you can do so.

  • If you are logged in to the Twitter account, you should log out.
  • In the sign in page of Twitter, you will find a ‘forgot password’ option. Click on it.
  • You will be asked to enter the email address of the account or the phone number. Alternatively, you can enter your username.
  • Once you have entered the details, you will be sent a link via your email.
  • Open the email and click on the password reset link.
  • You can now choose a new password.
  • If you have chosen to enter your phone number, Twitter will send an SMS to that number. The SMS will contain a unique 6-digit code. Remember that the code is valid only for 15 minutes.
  • Enter the code in the website.
  • You will be given the option to choose a new password.

Once you have reset the password, you can follow the process given above to delete your Twitter account permanently.

How to Delete Twitter Account When It Is Suspended

If your twitter account is suspended, then you need to get the suspension revoked before you can delete it. Here are some of the ways by which this can be achieved.

Revoke Suspension on Your Own

In some cases, you may find that you are being asked to provide your email address or phone number.

You simply need to click on the prompt and follow the instructions given to get rid of the suspension.

Locked Accounts

It is possible for a Twitter account to get locked when it has been reported. In this case, you may be unable to use the account for some time.

Alternatively, you may be requested to provide certain information. Follow the instructions given and it will be unlocked.

Appeal

If you are unable to remove the suspension by the above methods, you need to file an appeal for help. This process will take time.

You can find more detail on Twitter about suspended account and how to file an appeal. Once your account is restored, you will be able to delete it using the guide above.

You can always check the official guidelines provided by Twitter to get the necessary help to delete Twitter account completely. Nonetheless, these tips ought to help.

38 thoughts on “How to Delete Inactive or Suspended Twitter Account”

  1. Hi Jane, thanks a lot for making it easy for us. Now I am able to delete my unwanted twitter account.

    Best Regards,
    A Zee

    Reply
  2. Hay, twitters?
    I like cancel twitter account forever. this way I do not have to read the word “suspended account” with my name. Good by.

    Reply
  3. I wish Twitter would respond to me why my account was suspended. I have made many friends I will miss and I feel I am being discriminated against because of my conservative values. This is not fair

    Reply
    • You wrote the truth, which is not allowed on Twitter. It’s right there in the Terms of Service. Twitter reserves the right to permanently suspend any user who presents facts that question the Liberal Party Line. Such persons will be terminated without cause.

      Reply
      • Wow, I did not know this. Thank you for pointing it out. It’s really sad that twitters terms of service can trump our constitutional rights…especially when they’re supposed to be a ‘public square’.
        Big tech has gotten way out of control and, in my opinion, If they want to act like a publisher, we should take away those one-of-a-kind section 230 protections they are so lucky to have in the first place.

        Reply
  4. Twitter shows leftist tendencies and suspends accounts without any violations on mere feelings. I was having a fair argument with someone from the liberal clan on how their leaders failed to deliver. The opponent went abusive and when I used proper ethnic humour to dismantle him, he reported me and my account was suspended for no reason. I didn’t even use any sort of abusive language and was still suspended. Twitter is bullshit and biased. So much for their big freedom talk.

    Reply
    • Twitter_Hater, I’m a Liberal and had my account suspended. Twitter bans “anyone” they deem violated their terms of agreement. Try taking personal responsibility for your actions.

      Reply
      • Wow, you must have said some really nasty stuff that couldn’t be ignored if you’re a liberal and got suspended. No doubt liberals have a much higher bar. You have to practically kill someone to get suspended.

        Reply
    • I wasn’t doing anything but reading Trump tweets, then became inactive for a while and now i’m suspended. I would deactivate but I can’t because I’m suspended and they won’t revoke it. They say I broke the rules, but won’t tell me which ones. I DID absolutely NOTHING, literally.

      Reply
      • I have been suspended apparently permanently even though I thought it was a temporary suspension over a year ago, and since then have been unable to get into my account. They won’t let me delete my account or deactivate. I feel like I am being held prisoner. I just want to get as far away from twitter as possible.

        Reply
  5. Twitter Hater; Same here. I merely embarrassed someone with the truth (I think) and I got permanently suspended. I can’t even delete my account. They are playing dangerous games with my information now.

    Reply
    • Wow. How long has it been since they suspended you? Is your account still up? (But just deactivated to you I assume, like you can’t delete/deactivate it, right?)

      Reply
  6. Twitter is weird and opaque. Plain and Simple. I had a Twitter handle for my brand. Used to post purely informational content for a certain benign community. There was absolutely no spam, no harassing or disparaging comments, no security risk and apparently no hacking of my account either. One fine morning, Twitter decided to suspend my account. I can’t imagine why somebody would report any of my tweets either unless they are a troll or cyberbully or whatever. Upon appeal, I was told I “violated Twitter rules multiple times”. I was like wait, what? Accounts that post downright unparliamentary comments are up and running like never before and here they are after my sparkling clean, decent account. This is an unwanted interruption to my workflow. Extremely disappointing! Goodbye Twitter and Good Riddance! Never again!

    Reply
    • You aren’t alone….it’s frustrating, wanting to deactivate and twit won’t let me because my account is suspended. I assume they use our data for advertising advantage…

      Reply
  7. I haven’t used my tweet since I created it. But by somehow I don’t know, my account is now being suspended. That’s not fair, not at all. I didn’t even receive the message to annouce that my account is suspended. It just…..appeared. That’s unacceptable.

    Reply
  8. Twitter Support is a joke.
    My account was permanently suspended.
    I tried already several times to contact these a-holes at Twitter, always explaining that I don’t want my account restored in order to continue tweeting but merely to delete the account and never ever have anything to do with Jack and Co.
    Every time I only received a generic message telling me, my account has been permanently suspended and it can’t be restored. This silicon valley scum holds my data hostage.

    Reply
    • I now have 2 account suspended, and no more email addresses to use. I tried to create another email address on gmail, but that got suspended within 2 minutes of creating the twitter account.
      Twitter support is SUPER frustrating. Never gave me a reason for the suspension.
      I would like to remove those accounts, but that’s not happening any time soon i see.

      Reply
    • Michael help…Catch 22…Twitter is rigged to keep the accounts #s up. How light are these guys that they must hold thousands of us. I have been suspended for three years…appealed the suspension…turned down no explanation…

      Reply
  9. The deactivate my account link is not located under the save changes button – any idea how else i can permanently deactivate/delete my account?

    Reply
  10. I was reported after many years of using Twitter for simply saying the things that happened to me. The person tried to tell me my opinion was wrong as if they grew up in the situations I did. If I don’t know about something or have never walked a mile in another persons shoes you better believe I’m not going to talk about something I know nothing about or argue with someone stating they do. I did not threaten, use hate speech or anything. I repeated what was said to me when I experienced violence. I assume this person was a troll and couldn’t handle the truth or that they were wrong.

    Reply
  11. People with Twitter grievances – which include myself – should transfer their affections to http://www.gab.ai where a person can be more direct in his/her speech without fear of Big Brother Twitter interfering…

    Reply
  12. Suspending my account when I have important information to share with my group members is totally irresponsible of twitter and it can get on the nerves. The telephone number I have always used since last year and which I still use is being rejected. Now which telephone number should I give you? a fake one? I may not know how to go about some technological issues on your platform, and maybe sometimes I may touch a wrong button and send a wrong message, but I’m law abiding

    Reply
  13. Hey

    Thank you for this amazing article! It has opened up my mind about the Delete Twitter account.

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    Reply
  14. so mu account was suspended and i appealed by truthful tweet almost 3 years ago. they will not respond to email and i have no way to delete it. any ideas?

    Reply
  15. During the trump presidency, i admit ive said some pretty rough things out of emotion. I was caught up in the whole left vs right narrative. now I see twitter is just a dragnet for peoples emotions to be displayed for the world to see and used against them when swaying public opinion or a judge! Scary Orwellian world we now live in! No more public discourse just narrative agreement or cancel culture! These media billionaires have turned us all against each other! Why? What is the gain blackmail? Can we go back to the 90s please!

    Reply
  16. hi, i think my twitter account is suspended but when i try to log into it it says errror try again later and keeps flashing at me, what should i do

    Reply
  17. How many accounts has gotten slapped with an indefinite suspension, filed an appeal, and is still waiting past a month for a response from Twitter?

    Reply
  18. Common thread: Suspended, don’t know why, can’t activate or deactivate because of suspension, messages are impossible to send to Twit, seems like all Trump supporters have been affected…..so, now what? Twit is hurting because of a mass exodus of conservatives, so now they want to control who else wants to deactivate??? Wishing that an attorney will do a class action against Twitter for trying to control our data and not relinquish it for deactivation…

    Reply

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