Everything you need to save your tweets, followers, DMs, and media before something goes wrong.
- What's at Risk Without a Backup
- Step 1: Request the Official Data Archive
- What the Archive Contains
- Step 2: Back Up Your Followers List with Usernames
- Step 3: Back Up Bookmarks Separately
- Step 4: Secure Your Account Against Loss
- What to Do If Your Account Is Suspended
- Backup Schedule Recommendation
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What's at Risk Without a Backup
- Step 1: Request the Official Data Archive
- What the Archive Contains
- Step 2: Back Up Your Followers List with Usernames
- Step 3: Back Up Bookmarks Separately
- Step 4: Secure Your Account Against Loss
- What to Do If Your Account Is Suspended
- Backup Schedule Recommendation
- Frequently Asked Questions
Twitter accounts disappear in ways their owners don't anticipate. Account suspensions happen without warning. Hackers target accounts with significant followings. X policy changes periodically affect whole categories of users. Some people simply decide to leave and want their history before they go.
Having a backup before any of these scenarios is straightforward. Not having one means potentially losing years of content, contacts, and conversations with no recovery path.
What's at Risk Without a Backup
- Your tweet history — Years of posts, threads, and commentary. Some people have used Twitter as a public journal or professional record for a decade.
- DM conversations — Professional contacts, source relationships, collaboration records, personal connections.
- Your network — Who follows you, who you follow. After losing an account, rebuilding a network from zero is one of the hardest parts.
- Uploaded media — Photos, videos, and GIFs posted from your account.
- Bookmarks — Note: bookmarks of other people's content are NOT included in the data archive. These require a separate approach.
Step 1: Request the Official Data Archive
Navigate to the archive request page
Go to Settings › More › Your Account › Download an archive of your data. On mobile: Me › Settings › Your account › Download an archive of your data.
Verify your identity
X will ask for your password and send a verification code to your email or phone. Complete verification before the request is processed.
Wait for the email notification
X typically prepares the archive within a few hours to 24 hours. You'll receive an email when it's ready. The download link expires — download promptly when notified.
Download and unzip
The archive arrives as a ZIP file. Unzip it to a dedicated folder. Open Your archive.html in any browser for a readable interface. No internet connection required — the whole archive is self-contained.
Store in multiple locations
Keep one copy locally and one in cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive). Label the folder with the date: Twitter Archive 2026-03-15. A 10-year-old account archive can be several gigabytes if you've posted media regularly.
What the Archive Contains
| Data Type | Included? | Location in Archive |
|---|---|---|
| Your tweets | Yes — all of them | data/tweets.js |
| Direct messages | Yes | data/direct-messages.js |
| Followers list | Yes (IDs, not names) | data/follower.js |
| Following list | Yes (IDs) | data/following.js |
| Liked tweets | Yes (tweet IDs only) | data/like.js |
| Profile media | Yes | data/profile-media/ |
| Uploaded photos/videos | Yes | data/tweets_media/ |
| Bookmarks of others' tweets | No | Not included |
| Lists you created | Yes | data/lists-created.js |
| Account settings | Yes | data/account.js |
Don't forget: your bookmarks are NOT in the archive
Threads you've saved as bookmarks aren't backed up by X. Tweet Thread Saver captures them as text — separate from your account, safe even if you lose access.
Install Tweet Thread SaverStep 2: Back Up Your Followers List with Usernames
The archive includes follower and following IDs — but not usernames. If you need to reconstruct your network on another platform, usernames are what matter.
With the API now paywalled, bulk follower export with usernames is harder than it used to be. Options:
- X's own interface: Your followers list is visible in the app — tedious for large accounts, but manual export is possible for smaller ones by copying usernames to a document.
- Screenshot grid: Screenshot your followers list in the app, scroll through, and store as images. Not ideal but preserves the visual record.
- Export to alternative platform: Some social migration tools can help move your following list to platforms like Bluesky or Mastodon before losing account access.
Step 3: Back Up Bookmarks Separately
Bookmarks are the most overlooked part of the backup problem. You may have bookmarked hundreds of threads and articles from other accounts — none of that is in the official archive.
Your options:
- Tweet Thread Saver: Save the full text of any thread to your local machine. Completely independent of your X account.
- Readwise Reader: Can import Twitter bookmarks and store the content even after the tweet is deleted.
- Manual Notion/Obsidian database: Paste important thread content into your personal knowledge system.
Step 4: Secure Your Account Against Loss
Backups help after the fact. Preventing account loss in the first place is better.
- Use a password manager with a strong, unique password for your Twitter/X account
- Enable two-factor authentication via an authenticator app (not SMS — SIM swapping is a real threat)
- Add a backup email address to your account, ideally on a different provider than your main email
- Save your recovery codes from your authenticator setup — these recover access if you lose your phone
- Link your account to your phone number as a secondary recovery option
What to Do If Your Account Is Suspended
Backup Schedule Recommendation
| Account Type | Backup Frequency |
|---|---|
| Casual personal account (<1,000 followers) | Quarterly |
| Active personal account (1K–10K followers) | Monthly |
| Professional/brand account (10K+ followers) | Monthly or more frequently |
| Any account used for professional DM contacts | Monthly |
| Journalist / researcher with source relationships | Weekly or after significant exchanges |
One more piece of your Twitter backup
The data archive saves your content. Tweet Thread Saver saves the content you care about from everyone else. Together, they're a complete Twitter backup strategy.
Add to Chrome — FreeFrequently Asked Questions
How do I back up my entire Twitter account?
Request your Twitter data archive from Settings › Your Account › Download an archive of your data. The archive includes your tweets, DMs, follower/following lists, media, and account information. It's delivered as a ZIP file with a browsable HTML interface. Download it every few months to keep your backup current.
What does the Twitter data archive include?
The archive includes: all your tweets (with text, timestamps, engagement counts), direct messages, follower and following lists, liked tweets, account information, profile data, and media you uploaded. It does NOT include tweets you've bookmarked from other accounts.
How do I export my Twitter followers list?
Your followers list is included in the Twitter data archive as a JSON file. For a more readable format, third-party tools like Followerwonk or Twitter's own archive viewer show your followers list. Note that the free API tier no longer allows bulk follower export via third-party apps.
Can I recover my Twitter account after suspension?
Sometimes. For temporary suspensions, X provides an appeal process through their Help Center. Permanent suspensions are harder to reverse. Having a data archive before suspension means you keep your content even if the account is unrecoverable. If you believe the suspension was a mistake, file an appeal immediately via https://help.twitter.com/forms/general.
How often should I back up my Twitter account?
For casual users, quarterly backups are sufficient. For active users with significant follower counts, professional presence, or important DM conversations, monthly backups are better. The archive request process takes about 24 hours — schedule it as a recurring calendar task.
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