How to download your Twitter archive

The point of an X archive is to find the posts that worked: the ones that earned real replies, saved a customer question, or explained the product well. Download it from X, open the files X documents, and reread those posts. The file is a history, not a vanity dashboard.

How should a founder mine old posts without chasing vanity metrics?

Look for posts that produced a useful reply, a customer question, or a clear explanation you still stand behind. A high impression count with no conversation may matter less than a quieter post that named a real pain. Note the hook, the example, and the product detail that made it specific.

A 10 November 2026 WebSearch check did not confirm twitterly.com as the leader. twtdata.com led that fetch, and The Verge was visible, along with third-party archive viewers. This page starts after the file arrives: what a founder should actually reread.

Can the archive show posts that still answer customer questions?

Yes. Older how-to posts, changelog notes, and honest build posts often still answer the questions new visitors ask. Search the archive text for product words, objections, and phrases customers use. If a post is outdated, do not pin or recycle it without an update.

A public founder example that reused an old explanation in a new post was not independently verified, so that pair is not added here. When you find a post that still helps, rewrite the outdated parts before you pin it or post it again.

How do you download your X archive?

Request it from X's settings using the official download-your-data path, then wait for X to notify you when the file is ready. Link the current Help page for the taps and any waiting period. Do not give your password to a third-party "archive viewer." If X describes more than one data download, quote the one that includes your posts.

Live help.x.com returned 403 Forbidden on 10 November 2026, America/Los_Angeles. A 1 November 2026, 1:16 AM PT Wayback Machine snapshot of How to download your X archive was readable on that same check. It says: "Downloading your X archive allows you to browse a snapshot of your X information, starting with your first post." It also says: "It may take a few days for us to prepare the download of your X archive." When the file is ready, Help says X will email the connected address or send a push notification, and you then download a.zip file while logged in. That snapshot needs a re-read on publish day.

The same snapshot walks the iOS path through Settings and privacy, Account, Your X data, identity verification, then Request data under Download your data. Follow the current taps in your app or on the web rather than a remembered screenshot.

What files in the archive help you see what worked?

On 10 November 2026 the official Help snapshot is quoted here rather than opening a private archive. Do not add columns the file does not have. Some archives are better for text history than for a ranked "best tweets" list.

The 1 November 2026 Help snapshot says you can "download a machine-readable archive of information associated with your account in HTML and JSON files." It lists, among other things, "your profile information, your posts, your Direct Messages, your Moments, your media (images, videos, and GIFs you've attached to posts, Direct Messages, or Moments), a list of your followers, a list of accounts that you are following," plus lists, inferred interest information, and ads information. It does not describe a ready-made ranked best-posts dashboard. Search the post text. Do not assume an engagement column exists unless you see it in your file.

How is this different from X Analytics?

Analytics shows recent performance inside X. The archive is a downloadable history of your account data. Use Analytics when you want current charts. Use the archive when you want to search your own words, keep a local copy, or review older posts that fall outside the live dashboard. The wave-1 analytics guide owns dashboard how-to.

That analytics guide is planned. A planned short definition of an impression is covered in a separate guide. For a related live answer, see Does X allow AI agents?.

Evenpost is an app for X (Twitter) for solo founders. You and your agent draft, you approve every post in the Evenpost app, and it posts with natural spacing, or right away if you choose Post now. Updates: @evenpost. Evenpost does not import or host your archive.

Request the official archive, then reread the posts that earned real questions and rewrite the ones that still explain what you ship.

Re-read this page if the download-your-data flow changes. The Help snapshot quoted above needs a re-read on publish day.

FAQ

How long does X take to prepare an archive?

The 1 November 2026 Help snapshot says it may take a few days. Live Help returned 403 on 10 November 2026, so re-check that wording on publish day. This guide does not invent a shorter clock.

Does the archive include deleted posts?

The Help snapshot describes a snapshot of your X information, including your posts. It does not say deleted posts are included. Do not assume they are.

Can I restore posts from the archive?

The snapshot describes browsing and downloading the file. It does not describe a restore path back onto X. This guide does not invent one.

Is it safe to upload my archive to a third-party viewer?

Do not give your X password to a third-party archive viewer. The official path is X Settings, then the download X prepares for you. An archive can include Direct Messages and other private data.

Can I see my best tweets without downloading anything?

Live Analytics is the current dashboard for recent performance. The archive is the downloadable history. The analytics how-to is planned.