We all know microblogging social media site Twitter does not allow its users to edit their Tweets. Once you have posted your tweet, you cannot edit any typo or other silly or grave errors.
The only thing you can do in such circumstances is deleted your Tweet.
If you are wondering what happens to the Tweets when you delete them, you do not have to wonder anymore. We are here to answer this question for you.
When you delete a tweet, it will disappear from your account, timeline, followers’ timelines, and searches on the Twitter website and app. However, you may still find it in the Twitter archive and on search engines, sites, and applications that have cached or cross-posted your tweet.
In this article, we will explore everything related to deleting a Tweet. We will discuss how to delete a tweet and what happens to it once you have deleted it. So, let’s dive in!
The Tweeting Game
If you live under rocks and do not know what a tweet is (no shade to anyone), then let me quickly tell you what it is.
Tweets are short posts that users broadcast on the social media site Twitter. These posts can contain any text, photo, video, and links.
These are short, like a “tweet of a bird,” yet impactful messages capable enough to spread information fast.
When Jack Dorsey launched Twitter in 2006, the model of Twitter was very much reminiscent of SMS. The idea was a platform where people could keep tabs on each other by sharing short statuses.
Twitter has grown by leaps and bounds but still keeps its Tweets short, which has become the unique selling point of the platform now.
If you have been on Twitter longer, you would have noticed that one cannot edit their tweet. Unlike Facebook, where you can edit your post whenever you find any typo or error, Twitter does not give this luxury to its users.
So, should you freak out when you find any error or mistake in your tweet?
No, you do not have to get paranoid, you cannot fix the error by editing the tweet, but you can fix it by deleting it.
How To Delete a Tweet?
Deleting a Tweet is a bit different depending on your device. We’ll discuss different devices below.
On the Twitter Dekstop Version
Follow these steps to delete a Tweet on the Twitter desktop version:
- Navigate to Twitter on your favorite browser.
- Click on the “Profile” option in the left navigation.
- Locate the Tweet you wish to delete.
- Click on the three dots in the top right corner of the Tweet.
- Click on the “Delete” option.
- Press “Delete” in the dialogue box to confirm.
You will get a notice in a dialogue box confirming the tweet’s deletion.
On the Twitter Mobile App
To delete a Tweet on the Twitter mobile app, follow these steps:
- Launch the Twitter app on your mobile device.
- Tap on your profile picture in the top left corner.
- Select “Profile.”
- Scroll to the Tweet you wish to delete.
- Tap on the three dots next to the Tweet.
- Tap on the “Delete Tweet” option.
- Confirm by tapping “Delete.”
Once you have deleted your tweet, let’s figure out what happens to it.
What Happens to Your Deleted Tweet?
First, it will disappear from your profile and timeline, which is the obvious and most visible action. Your followers nor anyone else can view the deleted tweet on their timeline or elsewhere.
Similarly, the deleted tweet will not appear in any Twitter website or application searches.
When you delete a tweet in a thread, the rest of the tweets in the thread will stay, but the Tweet you deleted will disappear (even if it is the first tweet).
The problem is this is not the end here! Even if your tweet disappears from your eyes, it still has not gone for good.
You are not done and dusted here!
Twitter saves all your data in its archives. So, when you delete a tweet, it lingers somewhere on Twitter until Twitter takes its full time to delete it from everywhere.
Everything Goes to Twitter Archive
The Twitter archive holds all the information about everything you did on Twitter. Twitter buries your Twitter footprint here from the first day you signed on Twitter.
You can look up your Twitter archive to see all your history/Twitter journey.
The Twitter archive holds all your information on your tweets and retweets from way, way, way back. Even it has all your deleted tweets.
You can also check your deleted tweet in the Twitter archive. To view it, you have to request Twitter.
How To Request Twitter Archive?
To request the Twitter archive on your PC, follow these steps:
- Navigate to Twitter on your favorite web browser.
- Click on “More” in the left navigation.
- Select “Settings and privacy.”
- Click on the “Download an archive of your data” option.
- A new pop-up will open where you have to enter your password.
- Then verify your id via email or message.
- Click on the “Request archive” button under “Download an archive of your data.”
Twitter will prompt you that it will let you know when archive data is ready to view.
You can perform this action the same way on Twitter App. The only difference is that instead of the “More” option, you will navigate the “Settings and privacy” option in the navigation menu under your profile icon.
After approval of your request, you will get an email from Twitter with a .zip file with all your data, including the deleted tweets.
Your Deleted Tweets May Linger Somewhere on the Internet
If you have deleted any tweet, it may still be cached away and be visible in search results like Google or others.
Search engines have indexed your tweet, so until the site indexes and updates again with your new profile; your tweet will still appear in the searches.
Retweets of Deleted Tweets Will Also Get Deleted
When you delete a tweet, it will also delete the retweets, Period!
Now, there are two exceptions. Once a person has retweeted your tweet with some text/comment, their quote will stay, while your tweet portion will show “Unavailable.”
Similarly, replies on the retweet will also stay.
What Happens to Your Tweets Cross Posted on the Third-party Website?
If your tweet has been cached or cross-posted on other websites or applications, then deleting your tweet will not affect them in third-party sources.
Similarly, if any monitory company has your tweets, likes, or following data to sell to the advertiser, then deleting your tweets will not affect it.
The Final Words
So, in this blog post, we learned what happens to your tweet once you decide to delete it.
We know when you delete a tweet, it will disappear from your account, a timeline of your followers, and searches on the Twitter website and app.
You can still locate deleted tweets in the Twitter archive, search engines, and third-party websites and applications.
