Twitter—or X, if we're being technical about the rebrand—has a memory like an elephant. That's usually the problem. Whether you're job hunting and realized your 2014 era was a bit much, or you just want a clean slate after a bad breakup, figuring out how to remove tweets from twitter is surprisingly annoying. It’s not as simple as hitting a "delete all" button.
Actually, there is no "delete all" button.
Elon Musk has changed a lot of things about the platform since the acquisition, but the API restrictions are the biggest hurdle now. Back in the day, you could just hook up a free app and wipe 50,000 tweets in ten minutes. Now? Those apps are mostly broken or hidden behind a $15/month subscription because the data access costs them a fortune.
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The Manual Slog vs. The API Wall
If you only have a handful of posts to get rid of, just do it manually. It’s tedious but safe. You go to your profile, click the three dots, and hit delete. Done.
But what if you have 14,000 tweets?
Most people don't realize that Twitter limits what you can see on your timeline. You can usually only scroll back through your last 3,200 tweets. Anything older than that is "invisible" to the standard interface, even though it still exists in the search index and the archives. To remove tweets from twitter when they are that old, you actually have to request your Twitter Archive (a .zip file) and upload it to a third-party tool. It’s a multi-day process because X takes about 24 to 48 hours just to generate that file for you.
Honestly, it's a bit of a security risk. You're handing your entire digital history over to a random website. You’ve got to be careful.
Why the 3,200 Limit Exists
It's a legacy technical constraint. The way the database is indexed means the "Home" and "Profile" timelines are optimized for recent content. If you want to reach back to 2011, you're asking the system to do a lot of heavy lifting. This is why services like TweetEraser or Redact.dev are so popular—they specialize in bypasses.
But here is the kicker:
Ever since the API pricing changed in 2023, many "free" tools died. If a site tells you it can delete unlimited tweets for free right now, be skeptical. They are likely either using "browser automation" (which can get your account suspended) or they're just flat-out lying to get your login credentials.
Tools That Actually Still Work in 2026
If you're serious about a purge, you're probably going to have to pay. It sucks, but that's the reality of the "X" era.
TweetDelete is the one most people gravitate toward. It’s been around forever. You can set up "auto-delete" tasks that wipe tweets older than three months, which is great for people who want to keep a low profile without thinking about it.
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Then there's Redact. This one is a bit different because it’s a desktop app. Instead of a website having your password, the app runs on your computer and "mimics" you deleting things. It’s much more private. It works across Discord, Reddit, and Facebook too, which is handy if you’re doing a full digital footprint scrub.
- Request your archive. Go to Settings -> Your Account -> Download an archive of your data.
- Wait. It usually takes a day or two. X will email you.
- Upload to your chosen tool. This is the only way to delete past that 3,200 limit.
- Run the script. Most tools let you filter by keyword. Maybe you just want to delete every time you mentioned an ex-boyfriend? You can do that.
The "Deactivate" Myth
A lot of people think that deactivating their account is the best way to remove tweets from twitter permanently.
It's a gamble.
When you deactivate, your data stays on the servers for 30 days. If you don't log back in, the account is supposed to be deleted. However, search engines like Google often have your tweets "cached." Even if the tweet is gone from the platform, it might still show up in a Google search result for weeks or months.
Also, let’s be real: X's engineering team has been stripped down. There have been numerous reports of "ghost tweets" reappearing months after they were supposedly deleted. If you want a tweet gone, delete the tweet itself before you kill the account.
Dealing with the Search Index
Deleting a tweet is only half the battle. If you were "Twitter famous" for a day or said something that went viral, the Wayback Machine or Google Cache might have saved it.
To truly disappear, you have to:
- Delete the tweet on X.
- Request a cache removal from Google’s Search Console (if you can find the specific URL).
- Set your account to "Private" for a few weeks.
This forces Google's "crawlers" to realize they no longer have access to the content. Eventually, they’ll drop the link from the search results because it leads to a 404 error page.
The Nuclear Option: Using Scripts
For the tech-savvy, there are Python scripts on GitHub that use "Selenium" to log into your account and manually click "delete" on every post. This is free. It’s also risky. X has bot-detection software that might think you’re a spammer because you’re performing actions too fast.
If you go this route, "throttle" the script. Tell it to wait 5-10 seconds between deletions. It’ll take all night, but your account won't get flagged.
What About Media?
Deleting a tweet usually deletes the attached photo, but there have been bugs where the image URL stays live on Twitter’s "https://www.google.com/search?q=pbs.twimg.com" servers even after the post is gone. If you have a sensitive photo out there, you might need to contact X support directly—though, good luck getting a human response these days.
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Privacy Settings You Should Check Right Now
While you're cleaning things up, look at your "Discoverability" settings. Even if you remove tweets from twitter, people can still find you by your phone number or email address. Turn those off.
Also, check your "Tagging" permissions. You don't want to delete your whole history just to have a friend tag you in a compromising photo from last weekend. Set it so only people you follow can tag you.
Actionable Next Steps
To effectively scrub your presence, start with these specific moves:
- Download your Data Archive immediately. Do not pass go. You can't do a deep clean without the .js file X provides you. It’s the "map" the deletion tools use to find your oldest posts.
- Audit your "Likes." People forget that the "Likes" tab is public. Deleting your tweets doesn't hide the fact that you liked 500 controversial posts in 2019. Most tools like TweetDelete also have an option to bulk-unlike posts. Use it.
- Revoke App Permissions. Once you are done using a third-party tool to remove tweets from twitter, go to your security settings and "Revoke Access" for that tool. There is no reason for a third-party site to have permanent access to your account once the job is done.
- Monitor Search Results. Set a Google Alert for your username. If old content pops up, use the "Refresh Outdated Content" tool in Google Search to force a re-crawl of the dead link.