Twitter is one of the most influential social media platforms with over 200 million daily active users. People around the world use Twitter as a source of entertainment and love to share their thoughts.
That being said, you must have found yourself in a situation where you tweeted something, but later had to delete it because you changed your mind. But if you think that deleted tweets will stay deleted, you are wrong!
Does anyone know how to find a deleted tweet from another account? Someone I follow tweeted something last night and then deleted it while I was reading it.
— ChicagoScott (@Chi_TownScott) June 25, 2023
So, if you are interested in how to view deleted tweets, reading this text will provide you with all the methods you need to know.
But why would anyone want to see their old tweets that no longer exist on the platform?
Why is there a need to view deleted tweets?
Just as you can search for old tweets, you can also find deleted ones. However, you may need to view deleted tweets for the following reasons:
- There is some relevant information in the deleted tweet that you would like to retrieve later.
- If you want to prove something and the deleted tweet has some facts or figures to support your statement.
- You’re researching a particular topic, and some of the tweets you’ve recently deleted are based on the same topic.
Moreover, there may be several personal reasons why you want to see a deleted tweet. And there may be professional reasons, such as your job requiring you to find out deleted tweets for marketing or branding purposes.
How to see deleted tweets?
Whether it’s who blocked you on Twitter or how to find deleted tweets, you can try different methods. Such methods can work even if you have little information about the deleted tweet.
However, you can go through these five methods below to see the tweets that have been deleted:
Note: You can try these methods on desktop, Android phone or iPhone as the steps would be somewhat same.
Through advanced Twitter search
Advanced Twitter Search is a simple yet effective tool that can help you find a deleted tweet. All you have to do is enter specific words, phrases or any information you know about the tweet. Then follow these steps:
- Launch and sign in to the Twitter app on your phone.
- Go to Advanced Twitter Search or visit https://twitter.com/search-advanced.
- The first option you’ll have is to fill in the Words section with all the words the tweet can contain.
- Scroll down and go to the Accounts section. Enter the username in the “From these accounts” section. For example, if you want to see your deleted tweet, you need to enter your Twitter username.
- If you scroll down a little further, you’ll find Dates. Here you can enter the date frame you think you tweeted.
- Once you have filled in all the required information, tap the Search option at the top.
The process will filter tweets that may contain the information you need. And you might find the deleted or archived tweets you’re looking for. However, if this method does not work, you can continue reading other methods.
Request an archive
Checking your Twitter archive for deleted tweets is one of the most effective measures you can also consider. You just need to request archive data from Twitter by following these steps:
- Open the Twitter app and tap the profile icon in the upper left corner.
- In the list of options, tap Settings & privacy.
- Tap on Your Account, which will be the first option in the list.
- Then tap on Download your data archive.
- You will need to enter the requested information to verify your identity.
- Once you’ve done that, you can move on to the next step, where you just need to tap Request Archive.
Once you do this, Twitter will send you a zip file of the removed tweet archive within 24 hours. Later you can extract the file and check if it contains your deleted tweet or not.
Check the Google cache version
Google and other search engines allow you to access old information on any web page. All you have to do is open the cached version of the website and access the data. So, you can also use this method to find recently deleted tweet. Follow these steps:
- Type “Twitter + account name” in the Google search bar. See the image below for an example.
- Then click or tap the three-dot menu you see next to the website link.
- Then select Cached from the menu that appears on the right.
Once you do this, you can access a previously saved version of your Twitter account, where you can find the deleted tweet.
Use the Wayback Machine
If you’ve tried the methods above and still can’t figure out how to view deleted tweets, you need to try the Wayback Machine. It is an Internet archive that contains archives of more than 800 billion archived versions of websites that also include social media platforms.
So even if you’ve changed your Twitter handle, you can still find your long-deleted tweets here. Just follow these steps:
- Open the Wayback Machine website.
- Enter the URL of the Twitter page you want to see tweets from and click VIEW MORE.
Note: The Wayback Machine only archives the content of public accounts. So if your account is set to private, this method won’t work.
- You can also select the date and time from which you want to see the tweet.
After a while, the Wayback Machine will give you screenshots of all tweets within the time period you selected.
Through third-party applications and websites
You can use third-party applications to recover deleted tweets. For example, Twipu is one of the effective websites that can help you find deleted or archived tweets. However, you can look for other options online.
Therefore, these five methods can prove useful in case you need to find a deleted tweet from your account. But can you see deleted tweets from other accounts? Let’s catch this.
Is it possible to see the deleted tweets of others?
Twitter has a strict policy regarding users’ personal content and will not allow other users to see their deleted tweets. So only the user who has the direct link to the tweet can see it after it is deleted.
However, as mentioned earlier, the Wayback Machine websites and other platforms can help you find other people’s deleted tweets. So you can say it is possible. All you need is the username of the Twitter account, and the time period they tweeted, and you can easily access their deleted tweets.
Moreover, social media platforms also have a URL for the photos you post on them, so you can also find tweets that only contain images.
There are even examples of celebrities who have lost their jobs because of their “controversial” old tweets.
Fun fact Celebrities under fire for their old tweets
In 2015, rapper Iggy Azalea was pulled from her headlining set at the Pittsburgh Pride Parade. The reason was the continuous protests of LGBT groups due to her homophobic and racist tweets in 2011.Source: Guard Source: The Verge Source: The New York Times Source: BBC |
Bottom line – don’t tweet absentmindedly
Since Twitter is already a popular platform, tweeting something absentmindedly or carelessly can get you into trouble. The previous statement becomes even more serious if you are a celebrity or an influencer and people like to follow you.
Yes, you can certainly delete tweets you regret sharing. But with options like the Wayback Machine and other platforms, getting back deleted or archived tweets is child’s play. So it’s better to be careful and responsible while tweeting something for your own good!
FAQ
How do you see comments on deleted tweets?
Answer: It is not possible to see comments on a deleted tweet because the platform also disposes of them with the tweet.
Can I see deleted messages on Twitter?
Answer: Yes, you may be able to view deleted messages on Twitter if you submit an archived request.
Is it possible to see deleted tweets on Snapbird and Twipu?
Answer: Yes, you may be able to see deleted tweets on Twipu, but unfortunately, Snapbird is not operational.
Sources
SEARCH – BASIC GUIDE – Internet Archive
How to use advanced search – Twitter Help Center
Read More Author: Janvi Panthri Senior Writer, Editor
Categories: How to
Source: HIS Education