How to Download a Twitter Archive

Your entire history on X (formerly Twitter), from your very first post to your most recent reply, can be saved in a single file directly from the platform. Downloading your archive is a straightforward process that puts all of your data back into your hands. This guide walks you through the exact steps to request and download your X archive, explains what you'll find inside, and shares a few practical ways you can put that information to good use.

First, Why Should You Download Your X Archive?

Beyond simple curiosity or wanting a trip down memory lane, your X archive is a surprisingly valuable asset. For creators, marketers, and brands, it's a rich source of raw data waiting to be explored. Here's why it's worth the few minutes it takes to request it.

A Secure Digital Backup of Your Content

Think of your archive as a personal insurance policy for your content. Platforms change, accounts can be mistakenly suspended or compromised, and you might even decide to delete your account someday. Having a local copy means you won't lose years of thoughts, conversations, and uploaded media. It's your data, downloading the archive gives you full ownership over it, independent of the platform.

Analyze and Fine-Tune Your Content Strategy

Your archive is a goldmine for understanding what works. It contains every piece of content you've ever published, along with the engagement metrics associated with it at the time. By digging into this data, you can answer critical questions about your content strategy:

• What are my all-time most popular posts? Do they have anything in common?
• Which topics consistently generated the most replies or likes?
• What types of media (images, videos, GIFs) performed best for my account?
• Have my posting habits changed over time?

Answering these questions with hard data, rather than guesswork, can immediately inform your future content plan.

An Endless Source for Repurposing Content

Every content creator knows the pressure of always needing new ideas. Your archive is an idea factory filled with your own proven material. That brilliantly worded thread from two years ago that went viral? It could be the foundation for a new blog post. A single post that got a hundred replies filled with follow-up questions? That could become an entire video script or email newsletter. You don't always have to reinvent the wheel, your best-performing content from the past is often the perfect material to revive and repackage for new audiences.

Proof and Record-Keeping

For journalists, public figures, researchers, or anyone whose public statements matter, an archive serves as an undisputed record. It contains precise timestamps and content that can be referenced, verified, or used to track the evolution of a public conversation. It is a complete, searchable log of your activity on the platform.

How to Request and Download Your X Archive: A Step-by-Step Guide

The process of requesting your archive is a piece of cake whether you're on a desktop computer or your phone. It can take 24 hours or more for the file to be ready, but initiating the request only takes a minute.

On a Desktop Browser (Recommended)

Using a web browser on a laptop or desktop computer is the simplest method for requesting and handling the final download file.

1. Access the Main Menu: Log in to your X account on x.com. In the navigation bar on the left side of the screen, click the "More" button, which looks like three dots inside a circle.
2. Open Your Settings: From the menu that appears, click on "Settings and privacy."
3. Navigate to Your Account: In the main settings panel, select the first option, "Your account."
4. Find the Archive Option: You'll see several options related to your account information. Click on "Download an archive of your data."
5. Verify Your Identity: To protect your privacy, X requires you to verify that you are the account owner. You will be prompted to re-enter your password. You may also be asked to enter a code sent to your phone or email, especially if you have two-factor authentication enabled.
6. Request the Archive: Once you've successfully verified your identity, you'll see a blue button that says "Request archive." Click it. That's it! X is now compiling your data.

You will receive an in-app notification and an email to the address on file as soon as your archive is ready to be downloaded.

On the X Mobile App (iOS or Android)

The process is nearly identical on the mobile app, though the menus look a little different.

1. Open the Navigation Menu: On the app's main screen, tap your profile picture in the top-left corner to slide open the main navigation menu.
2. Go to Settings: At the bottom of this menu, tap "Settings &, Privacy."
3. Enter Account Settings: On the next screen, tap the top option, "Your account."
4. Find the Archive Option: Select "Download an archive of your data" from the list.
5. Verify and Request: Just like on desktop, you will be prompted to re-enter your password and potentially a verification code. After verification, tap the button to officially request your archive.

No matter which method you use, keep an eye on your email inbox (and maybe your spam folder, just in case). You'll get that download link as soon as your file is ready.

You Got the Link! Now What? Unpacking Your Archive

The email and in-app notification from X will contain a "Download" button that links you to your archive. Clicking it will download a compressed .zip file to your computer. Don't worry, you don't need any special software to open it.

On both Windows and macOS, you can simply double-click the .zip file to "unzip" or "extract" it, which will create a regular folder with all your data inside. Once you open that new folder, you'll see a few key things.

Your archive.html - The User-Friendly View

This is the best place to start. Your archive.html is a single file that you can open in any web browser like Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. It creates an offline, private, and fully searchable interface that looks a lot like an older version of the Twitter website. You can filter posts by month and year and use the search bar to find anything you've ever posted. It's a self-contained digital diary of your time on the platform.

The "data" Folder - Your Raw Information

For those who want to do more in-depth analysis, the data folder is where the magic happens. Inside, you'll find a series of files with a ".js" extension. While they might look intimidating, they are just structured text files.

• tweet.js: This is the most valuable file. It contains every post you've ever made in a structured data format. This includes the text of the post, the creation date, the unique ID, the client you used to post it (e.g., iPhone or Web App), and the number of favorites and retweets it had when the archive was generated.
• Other .js Files: You'll find separate files for other data points as well, such as your DMs (direct-message.js), posts you've liked (like.js), your profile information (account.js), and lists of accounts you’ve blocked or muted.

The "media" Folder

Your archive isn't just text. Any images, GIFs, or videos you uploaded directly to the platform will be included in the media folder, neatly organized into sub-folders by year and month. This makes it incredibly easy to find that one specific photo you posted years ago.

Putting Your Data to Work: Practical Uses for Your Archive

Once you've had a look around, you can start using your archive for more than just reminiscing. Here are a few actionable ideas to get you started.

Perform a Basic Content Audit in a Spreadsheet

This is where social media managers can really find value. The raw tweet.js file can be converted into a spreadsheet (CSV) file using a free online "JSON to CSV converter." Simply open the file, copy the contents, paste them into the converter, and download the resulting CSV file.

Once you open that file in Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel, you have all your work at your fingertips. Now, you can perform a simple analysis:

1. Sort by Engagement: Find the columns for favorite_count or retweet_count. Sort one of them from largest to smallest. Your top-performing posts of all time will immediately float to the top.
2. Look for Patterns: What do your top 20 or top 50 posts have in common? Are they links, thoughts, questions, or threads? Do they feature images? This is the fastest way to understand what content your audience truly connects with.

Check Your Brand Consistency

For brands and businesses, using the search function in the Your archive.html file is a great way to audit brand messaging. Search for keywords related to your products or values. How did you talk about your brand three years ago versus today? Does your tone of voice align with your current guidelines? Seeing the historical arc of your messaging can highlight inconsistencies or simply reveal how your brand voice has evolved for the better.

Resurrect and Repurpose Your Greatest Hits

Armed with your spreadsheet of top-performing posts, you can build a repurposing strategy. Don't let your best ideas fade away.

• Expand Top Threads: Turn a popular thread into a more detailed article for your blog or a script for a YouTube video.
• Create Visual Content: Pull out insightful single posts or replies and create quote graphics from them for Instagram or Facebook.
• Answer Questions on Video: A post that generated dozens of questions is a clear sign that people want to know more. Fire up a camera and create a short-form video answering those questions one by one.

Final Thoughts

Downloading your X archive is a simple process that gives you complete ownership of your data, offering a valuable backup and a powerful tool for analyzing your content strategy and unearthing your best ideas.

Looking back at your archive shows how much work goes into building a social presence over time. As a team that's lived the chaos of social media management firsthand, we built Postbase to make managing the road ahead simpler. While old archives are great for analysis, our platform helps you plan, schedule, and engage with content in the here-and-now, focusing on the visual calendars and reliable publishing that let you spend your time actually connecting with your audience.