How to deactivate your Twitter account

There is no doubt about the benefits of Twitter. It’s an easy way to get your memes, world news and pop culture in one place.

But to be an active Twitter user, a daily deluge of toxic characters must be sifted through, including QAnon, white supremacists, bots, deepfakes, and more (though you can no longer find Donald Trump there). In addition, the tension and anxiety that the rapid pace of Twitter’s news cycle, and the tension of constantly debating responses, can be denied, denied.

Hear me out on this: you do not actually have to use Twitter. I know everyone seems to be using it, but you may be the change you want to see in the world. You can only delete your account.

Don’t worry: it doesn’t have to be permanent. If you feel empty and directionless after doing so, you can get your account back up to 30 days. But if it’s ever going to be too much again, come back to this article and follow the steps. There is a whole world beyond your timeline to explore.

Disable your Twitter account in a browser

If you are on a computer or in a mobile browser, go to Twitter.com and log in to your account. To deactivate:

• Click on the web under the left side of the screen on the “More” item. In the mobile browser, tap on your profile icon.
• Select “Settings & Privacy” and then “Your Account”

• Tap “Disable your account” at the bottom of the list

• Go to the bottom of the page to find the “Disable” link

There will be a lot of information on the page before you get to the link, some of which are quite useful. There is a complete description of what is no longer visible (your display name, @username and public profile), an assurance that you can restore your account ‘for some time’ if accidentally or incorrectly deleted, and ‘ a way to reactivate after 30 days or 12 months (useful if you are under siege and would rather take a vacation from Twitter than delete your account altogether).

There are also links if you just want to change your name, use your current name with another account or download your Twitter data. This last one is always a good idea before deleting any account; here is the link.

Deactivate your Twitter account in the Twitter app

If you use a smartphone, go to the Twitter app and make sure you are logged in.

• Tap the three-line hamburger icon in the upper left corner. A menu appears from the side. Tap “Settings and privacy” at the bottom.
• Tap “Account” at the top. Select “Disable your account” on the account settings page at the bottom

A few things to note:

• To repeat: your account will no longer disappear after this process. Twitter stores your information for 30 days before deleting it permanently. Just sign in again to recover your account.
• If you plan to create a new Twitter account with the same username and email address as the account you are deactivating, switch the current account to another username and email address before deactivating it.
• If you want to download your Twitter data, do so previously deactivate. Twitter cannot send data from inactive accounts.
• Google and other search engines cache results, which means your old profile and tweets may still occasionally appear in response to searches. However, anyone who clicks on it will get an error message.

Disabling your account can be difficult, but to the credit of Twitter, it’s much simpler than the process of deleting other services, such as Uber and Lyft.

But where will I get my news and memes now?

So Twitter is no longer in your life. Congratulations! But what would you do if you did not have an endless twaddle to flip through? Here are some other things to try with your newfound free time.

• Mastodon. Mastodon is a decentralized version of Twitter, which praised journalists as “Twitter without Nazis”. Instead of one huge mess of a website, sign up for different “cases” of Mastodon, communities with different purposes and themes. Instead of tweets, you post ‘toots’, and they have a limit of 500 characters. There is also a built-in content alert feature.
• Reddit. There are definitely some toxic places on Reddit, but unlike Twitter, you do not have to pay attention to them. You can follow subreddits and subscribe to anything that interests you, from Star Trek and Furbies. Each subreddit has a clear set of rules and is usually applied. And if you get tired of a subreddit, you can leave it without leaving the site.
• Tumblr. Tumblr is similar to Twitter in many ways, but it has some important differences. For one, the number of fans is not public, so certain members are not privileged over others in discussions or debates because of the size of their audience. Replies to other people’s posts do not appear in your feed, so you do not have to watch other users’ arguments pop up. And there is no character restriction, so you can nuance the nuances you post.
• Facebook. Yes, there are a lot of awful, horrible, no good, very bad things to Facebook. But if you miss the ability to keep up with family and friends on Twitter, you can do the same on Facebook. You will not be limited by the character limit, and you do not have to worry about someone outside your friends list seeing your content.
• Newspapers. This may shock you, but many media companies still sell physical newspapers and magazines. You can pick it up at outlets, bookstores, coffee shops and even have it delivered to your mailbox if you buy a subscription. Instead of being bombarded all day, you get your news in a digestible part every morning. The best part: you look cool and sophisticated to everyone around you.
• Just check The edge. Do not worry. We are always here for you.

Update 14 January 2021, 13:45 ET: This article was originally published on February 25, 2020 and has been updated to take into account interface changes.