Let’s be clear: unless you utilise a third-party software or visit a Twitter archive on the internet, you won’t be able to find deleted tweets from a deleted account.
That’s the way things are. To safeguard your privacy and keep Twitter’s focus on “moments” rather than functioning as a database for everything that happens in your day, the microblogging site ensures that you won’t be able to see someone else’s deleted tweet.
But what about the tweets you’ve deleted? That’s a different story.
Most Twitter users are unaware that there are a couple of ways to retrieve deleted tweets from your own account (save for the true, hardcore, coding types out there). This can be done using either the official Twitter app or a third-party software.
Of course, depending on third-party tools to recover deleted Tweets is hazardous, given the sensitive information you’ll be giving them access to. You won’t have to worry about some strange troll farm in some remote country getting your login information if you have a reputable app on your side.
Table of Contents
How to Find Deleted Tweets
We’ve gathered a list of some of the most effective ways to retrieve or read deleted tweets to save you time (and possibly phishing):
Use the Twitter Advanced Search feature:
Using the native app for all of your needs, including obtaining information, is by far the safest, as it is with most digital devices. Using the native Twitter Advanced Search, you can access or view deleted tweets from your account:
- Go to the Advanced Search page on Twitter.
- Go to the subheading “People.”
- In the “From These Accounts” area, type your username (without the @ symbol).
- Enter your search parameters for the start and end dates under “Dates.”
- When you click “Search,” Twitter will show you all of the Tweets from the time period you specified.
Alternatively, you can use the “Words” section to find your tweets’ keywords. There are three possibilities under the “Words” subheading:
This Exact Phrase (will only display tweets that have the same exact word and word placement as your search), Any of These Words (will only display tweets that have the same exact word and word location as your search) (will display tweets that have at least one of the words in your search).
Sure, there are drawbacks to this strategy, but if you’re the cautious sort who doesn’t want to reveal personal information with third-party apps, Twitter’s native Advanced Search Feature is your best bet.
Request for a Copy of Your Twitter Archive
This is a more comprehensive way to view all of your tweets from the beginning of your account. Having an updated paper copy of your social media accounts is a sensible thing to do, and it goes beyond just locating or retrieving deleted tweets (not to mention a good way to recover your account if it ever gets compromised).
To get a copy of your Twitter history, go to:
- Go to your Twitter account’s Account Settings tab.
- Navigate to “Content.”
- You’ll see a button that reads “Request Your Archive” there. Your copy will appear in minutes, hours, or even days, depending on how much data Twitter needs to collect.
- You’ll get a push message when your viewable archive is available, which will take you back to your Twitter accounts page.
- Click the “Download Archive” button from here.
Just a reminder to make sure the email associated with your Twitter account is verified and up to date before proceeding. As a backup, Twitter normally sends a downloaded file to your email address.
When you request a copy of your Twitter archive, you’ll receive a.zip file including an index.html file that you can use to view your archive in your web browser and a.csv file that you can open with your favourite spreadsheet tool.
Find Deleted Tweets Using the WayBack Machine
Granted, those two techniques may not display you all of your deleted Tweets; there’s a lot of data to assemble, and Twitter servers may not have the information you require. What if you download your archive and perform advanced search but still can’t find the tweet you’re looking for?
You might have to use a time machine to see what happens. A time machine on the internet, specifically!
The WayBack Machine, while not quite a DeLorean, is the closest thing to a working flux capacitor. The WayBack Machine, created by the charity Internet Archive, is a digital archive that scours the internet and saves screenshots of specific pages for posterity.
The WayBack Machine collects random screenshots at odd times, so it’s the closest you’ll get to seeing a deleted tweet from a deleted account. However, there are no guarantees.
To access the WayBack Machine, go to:
- Enter the entire URL of the Twitter page you wish to see into the WayBack Machine. Click “Browse History” after typing this into the search bar.
- If the WayBack Machine has previously crawled this page, it will display a screenshot of it. The information is arranged by year and day.
- Choose the deleted tweet’s year and day and look for it there.
You won’t be able to scroll through the website like you typically would because the WayBack Machine only captures screenshots. It also won’t take screenshots on a regular basis, so you won’t be able to find a deleted tweet if it was deleted before the archive could crawl the page.
See Deleted Tweets with Google Cache
If the old Twitter archive approach or the WayBack Machine method don’t work, you can use Google Cache to look for deleted tweets. It only requires two steps:
- Use Google Search to find your Twitter page. Select the down arrow next to the URL of your Twitter profile.
- To see your deleted tweets via your profile’s cached version, click “Cached.” You may also use this method to recover deleted tweets from another user.
A word on the Google Cache method: it can help you rapidly locate deleted tweets. Just make sure you haven’t emptied the cache in your browser. Finding deleted tweets is impossible otherwise.
How To View Another Person’s Deleted Tweets
Use SnapBird if you wish to see someone else’s deleted tweets. This platform allows you to go back and look at old tweets. You can find them by searching, sorting, and ordering them, as well as checking comments and retweets. It does not, however, load tweets for you, and if you want to view other users’ deleted tweets, you’ll require third-party programmes.
If you wish to use SnapBird to find someone else’s deleted tweets, follow these steps:
- Visit the official SnapBird website.
- To authenticate your Twitter account, enter your username and password. SnapBird will not post anything on your timeline without your permission.
- SnapBird will connect to the Twitter account once the account has been verified. Your deleted tweets will be visible.
SnapBird is a useful tool for recovering deleted tweets. Purchase SnapBird’s premium edition if you wish to see deleted tweets or direct messages that reference you.
Can I Still Find Deleted Tweets With Photos?
Yes, to some extent. When you upload a photo to Twitter, the social media platform automatically generates a permanent URL for the image. Even if you delete your tweet, you may still restore and see your photos this way. Just remember to preserve the URLs so you can retrieve the photographs later!
Tweet Responsibly
Some people may wish to use the findings of deleted tweets to defame others. You won’t have to worry about past tweets haunting you in the future if you tweet carefully. Unsplash photo by Ravi Sharma
One of the most common ways to discredit someone for something they said years ago is to find deleted tweets. Sure, you could use it to track down a particularly amusing tweet. But let’s be honest: in today’s environment, discovering a copy of a deleted tweet from a celebrity or politician saying some horrible things is like finding a diamond in a gold mine.
For example, Donald Trump’s deleted tweets can be both amusing and terrifying. They can be really valuable or simply inane ramblings from a dimwitted mentality.
While Trump’s stunning or inane tweets had little impact on the former president, other celebrities have lost jobs as a result of previous statements.
James Gunn, the writer and director behind “Guardians of the Galaxy V.3,” was sacked when a deleted post surfaced. According to a story, conservatives dug it up. “I adore it when small boys touch me in my goofy spot,” the message allegedly said. Shhh!”
Iggy Azalea backed out of a Pride event after LGBTQ groups pressured her over her previous statements. “This Asian lady on the plane attempted to act like she didn’t understand me, so I told her a** bi*ch u gotta know English today because that’s my seat!” one of them apparently read.
There was also Kevin Hart. After a 2011 tweet resurfaced, the comedian backed out of doing the Oscars in 2019.
What you post today could have long-term consequences tomorrow. So tweet with caution. Consider what you’re going to post before putting it out there for the rest of the world to read, interpret, and dig up when the time comes. Consider how your strong feelings on a contentious issue will effect others. Learn about Twitter first if you’re new to the platform.
If you still manage to tweet something that could come back to bother you in the future, keep in mind that Twitter has made it extremely difficult to locate deleted tweets, particularly from deactivated accounts. You won’t be able to access tweets from archived or deleted accounts even if you use Advanced Search and Archive requests to see your own deleted tweets. The WayBack Machine captures screenshots, but it’s at best haphazard and may not yield the results you want.
