Twitter/X: How to Download All Your Media Before Deleting Your Account
Before deleting your Twitter/X account, download your complete media archive — because once the 30-day deactivation window closes, every photo, video, and GIF you ever posted is permanently and irreversibly gone from X's servers. The process takes less than 30 minutes to initiate but may require up to 24 hours for the archive to be ready.
Part 1. Understanding Twitter/X Account Deletion and the 30-Day Window
When you deactivate a Twitter/X account, X does not immediately delete your data. Instead, there is a 30-day grace period during which you can reactivate your account and recover full access to all content. After 30 days, deletion becomes permanent and no appeal process exists.
This 30-day window is your most important resource. Any backup method described in this guide should be completed during this period, ideally before you initiate deactivation at all.
| Action | Effect on Data | Reversible? | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deactivation | Account hidden, data retained | Yes | Up to 30 days |
| Permanent deletion | All data destroyed | No | After 30 days |
| Individual tweet deletion | Media may persist on CDN | Partially | Varies |
| DM deletion | Deleted for you only | No | Immediate |
⚠️ Warning: X's Privacy Policy states that some data may be retained in backups for legal compliance even after deletion. However, you cannot request or access this retained data — it is not a recovery path.
Part 2. Requesting Your Official Twitter/X Data Archive
The most reliable method for backing up your Twitter/X account is using the platform's built-in data export feature. This creates a downloadable ZIP file containing your tweets, media, and account metadata.
Step 1: Log in to your Twitter/X account and go to Settings → Your Account → Download an archive of your data.
Step 2: Verify your identity with your password and a two-factor authentication code if enabled.
Step 3: Click "Request archive." X will process the request and send an email notification when the file is ready — this typically takes between 1 and 24 hours depending on account size.
Step 4: Download the ZIP file from the email link or from the same Settings page. Extract the ZIP to a folder on your local drive.
💡 Tip: The archive includes a
tweets_mediafolder containing full-resolution versions of photos and videos you have posted. This folder is often the most important part of the export for media recovery purposes.
Your archive will include tweet text, timestamps, media files, follower and following lists, DMs (text only), and account settings. It does not include tweets you liked from other accounts or media from DMs.
Part 3. Third-Party Tools for Complete Media Download
The official archive covers your own posted media but has limitations — it may not include media from quoted tweets or certain embedded content. Third-party tools provide broader coverage.
Twitter Media Downloader is a Chrome extension that adds a download button to Twitter/X media pages, allowing batch download of all images and videos from a specific user's timeline. Install the extension, visit your profile, and use the bulk download feature.
gallery-dl is a command-line tool that supports Twitter/X and can download all media from a user's timeline in one command: gallery-dl --cookies cookies.txt https://twitter.com/yourusername. It requires a valid login session cookie to access protected or adult content.
��️ r/DataHoarder user: "I used gallery-dl before deleting my Twitter account and it grabbed every photo and video I had ever posted in about 20 minutes. The official archive took hours and missed some embedded media."
| Tool | Media Types | Ease of Use | Cost | Batch Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official X Archive | Tweets, photos, videos | Easy | Free | Yes |
| Twitter Media Downloader (Chrome) | Photos, videos | Easy | Free | Yes |
| gallery-dl | Photos, videos, GIFs | Technical | Free | Yes |
| Twint (Python) | Metadata + media | Technical | Free | Yes |
💡 Tip: Run both the official archive request and a gallery-dl backup simultaneously. The official archive ensures metadata integrity while gallery-dl often captures media the official export misses.
Part 4. Backing Up Twitter DM Media
Direct message media — photos and videos sent or received in DMs — is not included in the standard media archive. These files require a separate approach.
The official X archive includes DM text and metadata but not the actual image and video files attached to messages. To recover DM media, you have two options: manual download before deletion (right-click each image and save) or using a browser network inspector to capture the CDN URLs.
🗣️ r/twitter user: "I wish I had known about DM media not being in the archive. I lost years of photos sent to me in DMs when I deleted my old account. Screenshot everything you care about."
The most reliable approach for DM media is systematic manual saving: open each conversation, scroll to the top, and right-click to save each image. For video DMs, use a browser download manager to capture the video stream from the CDN URL shown in developer tools (F12 → Network tab → filter by media).
Part 5. Recovering Locally Saved Twitter/X Media with Ritridata
If you previously downloaded Twitter/X media to your computer but accidentally deleted those local files, Ritridata can scan your storage device to recover them. This approach is independent of what X's servers contain and works on the principle that deleted files leave recoverable signatures on disk.
Ritridata supports recovery of JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, MP4, and MOV files — all common formats used by Twitter/X's media pipeline.
Step 1 — Select the drive where your Twitter/X media was stored (internal HDD/SSD, external drive, or USB).
Step 2 — Run a safe scan to locate deleted file signatures without modifying the source drive.
Step 3 — Preview your recovered media and save files to a separate drive to prevent overwriting.
FAQ
Q: How long does the official Twitter/X data archive take to prepare? A: X typically prepares the archive within 1 to 24 hours for most accounts. Accounts with large amounts of media or a long post history may take longer. You will receive an email when the archive is ready to download.
Q: Does the Twitter/X archive include all media I ever posted? A: The archive includes media you posted in tweets and threads. It may not include media from all quoted tweets, media received in DMs, or media from accounts you interacted with. Third-party tools like gallery-dl can provide more complete coverage.
Q: Can I recover my Twitter account after the 30-day deactivation period? A: No. After 30 days, X permanently deletes the account and all associated data. The deletion is irreversible and X does not provide any recovery option after this deadline.
Q: Are deleted individual tweets recoverable after deletion? A: Individual tweet text may persist in archival services like the Wayback Machine or in other users' cached views. However, media files (images, videos) hosted on pbs.twimg.com or video.twimg.com are typically removed from the CDN within days of tweet deletion.
Q: What data does X retain after account deletion? A: X's Privacy Policy states that some data may be retained in backup systems for a period after deletion. However, this retained data is not accessible to users and serves only internal legal compliance purposes.
Q: Does gallery-dl require a Twitter/X Premium subscription? A: No. gallery-dl requires only valid login cookies from a standard Twitter/X account. However, access to adult content typically requires that your account settings allow such content and that you pass X's age verification.
Q: Can I back up my Twitter/X bookmarks? A: The official archive does not include bookmarks. Third-party browser extensions designed for Twitter/X bookmark export, such as "BookmarkOS," can export your bookmark list. Individual media from bookmarked tweets requires manual saving.
Q: What if I deleted local Twitter/X downloads from my hard drive by accident? A: If the files have not been overwritten, Ritridata can recover them by scanning your drive for JPEG, PNG, MP4, and other file signatures in unallocated disk sectors.