After a mass exodus of “critical” employees at Twitter, raising fears that the site could no longer operate reliably, some users may think now is a good time to keep years of tweets and other data.
Twitter offers a method to download your data that is not difficult in theory. It depends on the operation of the service and as of Friday there were already visible cracks in the infrastructure.
But if all goes well, here’s how to download your data from Twitter, including your tweets, attached photos and videos, direct messages, likes, lists, and Moments.
On a desktop
While logged into your account, click “More” in the left column. Then select ‘Settings and support’ and then ‘Settings and privacy’.
Under ‘Your account’, select ‘Download an archive of your data’.
You must enter your Twitter password and you will then receive an email or SMS with a verification code that must also be entered. From Friday there were widespread reports of the text option didn’t work, but the email option seemed to work.
After submitting your password and verification code, hit the big blue button that says “Request Archive.”
After you’ve retrieved your data, it’s time to sit back and hope. Twitter says “it may take 24 hours or more for your data to be ready,” but that’s in the best of times. Good luck.
On iOS and Android
Tap your profile picture in the top left corner, scroll down to “Settings & Support,” then select “Settings & Privacy.” Tap “Your account,” then “Download an archive of your data.” You will be prompted to sign in to Twitter. Then follow the steps from above.
Once you have your details
When your archive is ready – if it’s done – you’ll receive a notification from Twitter so you can download a file to explore. Some may need their data for professional purposes, while others fondly recall their greatest hits and look at them about as often as their high school yearbooks.
The archive will contain an .html file that you can open in your web browser, making it easier to browse the data without any technical knowledge, according to The Verge. It includes a search box to find old tweets and filters that can help narrow the search.
