Discovering the Hidden Gems: Unearthing Deleted Tweets on Twitter
Have you ever wondered how to uncover the elusive world of deleted tweets on Twitter? Well, hold onto your hats, folks, because I’ve got the inside scoop just for you! In this guide, I’ll walk you through the intriguing process of viewing tweets that have been banished into the digital abyss. Get ready to unveil the secrets hidden within the depths of the Twitterverse!
If you’ve ever mistakenly deleted a tweet on Twitter, you know how frustrating it can be. Just a few wrong button presses and your data is gone forever… or is it?
You see, for Twitter, your tweets might not disappear completely, but for you, they’re gone for good. There’s no way to restore deleted tweets to your Twitter profile. However, there may still be a chance to view them if you use a program that captures snapshots of Twitter.
By the way, if you want to reduce the clutter in your Twitter account, you can also learn how to unfollow inactive accounts. But let’s get back to the topic at hand. This article explains the methods you may find online for recovering deleted Twitter tweets and reveals what’s true and what’s not, as well as why.
The Easiest Solution
Some websites claim that you can download your complete Twitter history, which is partially true. It may sound a bit creepy, but Twitter actually keeps an archive of all users’ data, allowing you to download it every 30 days.
Here’s how you can obtain your Twitter archives:
- Go to Twitter and log in to your account.
- Click on ‘More -> Settings and privacy’ in the left-side navigation list.
- Under the “Data and permissions” section, click on ‘Your Twitter data’.
- In the “Your Twitter data” section, enter your password in the prompt at the bottom. After you log in, this area will change to “Download an archive of your data”.
- Click on ‘Request archive’.
- Twitter will send you an email when your download is ready, or you can wait and refresh the page until the download link appears.
- Once your download is successful, go to the folder on your computer where you saved the data.
- Use your preferred software to extract the zip file.
- Open the ‘Index.html’ file called “Your archive.html” that’s in the root of the extracted folder. It will show you all your tweets, just as if you were viewing your Twitter account. But keep in mind, this is an offline version, so you can’t tweet from here!
The problem with the above method is that your personal Twitter archive does not include deleted tweets. We’ve confirmed this by checking a low-volume account with a few deleted tweets, including one intentionally deleted last month. Upon review, the deleted tweets were not included in the archive. So, while the Twitter archive method may seem like a good idea, it doesn’t actually recover those lost posts.
The download zip folder includes a “ReadMe” file that supports our findings with the following statement:
“tweet.js This JSON file contains all the Tweets posted and not deleted.”
Try Snap Bird
Note: Twitter has temporarily suspended Snap Bird’s access. However, you can still find it as a Chrome extension in the Chrome Web Store.
There’s a website called Snap Bird that many other websites and forum users suggest for viewing your deleted Twitter posts and retweets. However, it’s important to note that this site does NOT include deleted tweets. Instead, it loads your Twitter profile, allowing you to search and view old tweets, retweets, replies, and messages. It can come in handy if you forgot to retweet something or didn’t change a reply.
If you’re looking to find a tweet you want to share or need to edit a reply, Snap Bird is a really handy site with its own advantages, although there is one potential drawback when it comes to security. You have to authorize the app using your Twitter account, which means giving it permission to access your profile and direct messages. But if you can overlook this concern, it’s a far superior option to endless scrolling. On top of that, you do need to be logged in to Twitter, but at least the app provides clear information about its capabilities.
Discover Your Deleted Twitter Tweets with the Wayback Machine
Hey there! If you’re looking for a way to uncover your deleted Twitter tweets, let me introduce you to the Wayback Machine. Now, I won’t lie to you, it’s not a guaranteed solution, but it’s definitely worth a shot. Just be prepared to invest some time into it, as it can be a bit tricky. Oh, and one more thing, there’s a chance you might not find any results if your profile didn’t have any snapshots saved in the past. But don’t worry, it can still come in handy for finding your retweets if the people you retweeted have their snapshots available. Pretty cool, right?
Alright, let’s get started on this little treasure hunt together, shall we?
Here’s what we’re gonna do:
- First things first, open up your Twitter account in your browser. Log in and get ready to dive into the world of archived tweets.
- Now, on the left side of your screen, right-click on ‘Profile’ and choose ‘Copy’. Trust me, you’re gonna need this later.
- Time to visit the Wayback Machine. Head on over to their website and get yourself settled in.
- Remember that link you copied from your profile page? Yeah, it’s time to paste it into the search box at the top of the Wayback Machine page. Look at you, detective!
- Alright, you should see a list of results now. Go ahead and click on a URL that catches your eye based on the information provided. You never know what you might find!
- Guess what? We’ve got ourselves a fancy new calendar! From now on, you’re in control. Choose the day and time period you’re interested in and voila, you’ll be transported to a Twitter snapshot from that moment in time.
- Once your snapshot opens up in a new window, take your time to browse through all those old tweets, retweets, and replies. Who knows, you might stumble upon the very tweet you’re searching for. Oh, and just a heads up, the date and time you see on the snapshot will be from when it was taken, not the current date or time.
So there you have it, my friend! Remember, this process might not work for everyone, but it’s worth giving it a shot. And hey, even if it doesn’t help you find your deleted posts, it can still be a handy tool for exploring your non-deleted ones. Oh, and before I forget, there’s another option with the Wayback Machine that you might find useful. Just look for the add-ons icon and go from there. Happy hunting!
- First, click on the Wayback Machine icon in the browser’s add-ons section at the top.
- Next, select the Tweets icon link box to open the current Twitter public posts.
- Now, you can browse through the tweets, retweets, and replies to find the post you’re looking for.
Unfortunately, going through the list and scrolling through the posts can take a while, assuming it even works. A lot of users encounter a login prompt or a 302 error. The login option may or may not work (and it’s at your own risk if you use it). If the tweet, retweet, or reply was recent (maybe a few hours or less ago), there’s a good chance you’ll find it in the Wayback Machine under the Tweets link. The Tweets box link opens a Twitter search for the tab you currently have open, so you might find what you’re looking for there if it hasn’t fully updated yet.
The process I just described might not work for finding tweets that were recently deleted, but it’s worth trying out.
Here’s another option: Twaku
Twaku is a website that regularly takes snapshots of Twitter activity, including user profiles. With a little bit of luck, you might find your deleted tweet on this site. Just be careful, though. This website could be a bit risky. For example, if you click directly on the link icon of a tweet (it looks like a chain link), it tries to take you to a different page that isn’t related to Twitter (in our case, it’s courthereb.club).
We didn’t have any concerns because Malwarebytes blocked the links. However, if you right-click the icon, it will take you to the actual snapshot post stored on twaku.com (not Twitter). Also, be aware that there are popup ads in the bottom right corner whenever you select the same tab again. Since this site captures profile activity, there’s definitely a chance that you can retrieve your deleted tweets.