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As Elon Musk ’s X sees adeclinein daily fighting users , some people are deciding to ditch the social electronic web only , whether that ’s forBluesky , Mastodon , Threads , or perhaps , well yet , nothing at all .
Since the Tesla and SpaceX CEO bought Twitter in 2022 , legion alternatives have cropped up , look for to snare people who are less than satisfied with Musk ’s management of the program . In some case , that head of no return came when X turned its iconicblue checkmarkinto a paid feature , rendering a symbol once associated with genuineness into a nonmeaningful insignia . For others , Musk’spolitical influencewithin the Trump governing body was the net straw ; or maybe that moment came even preferably , when Musk reinstated the accounts of knownwhite supremacist , or when X made users ’ public posts seeable topeople they had blocked .
Maybe this is all windfall , and you ’re just trying to cut down on your blind metre . Fair enough , and more force to you !
Regardless , if you ’re trying to make X your ex , take on .
How to download your X archive
On X , you candownload an archiveof various data associated with your account , including your Post , uploaded media , verbatim message , and your followers and fall out lists . Whether you ’re planning to delete your account or not , this form of datum can be utilitarian to have on hand .
Here ’s how to download this archive from your desktop internet browser :
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It may take a few day for the app to retrieve and educate your datum , so do n’t be alarmed if you do n’t straightaway take in a .zip file cabinet . But if you ’re planning to inactivate or delete your account , expect until you receive the data link to download your archive . X can not send this data point to an dormant bill .
What else should I do before deleting my X account?
Deleting your decade history mean that no one on the internet site will be able-bodied to see your post or your bill . However , social meshwork have no control over search engines like Google , which automatically index public berth . This have in mind that your post might still change state up in search results , even if the connection to your stake no longer exist .
If you require to be extra cautious , here are some steps you could take to minimize the chance of your posts living on :
If your position have never been public , then you do n’t have to worry about this . But even if you make a public account private for reason aside from eventual cut , it ’s still potential that what you ’ve posted before protect your account can live on in hunt results ; search engines hoard posts and may have a meanwhile in updating utter links .
How to delete your X account
Alas , it ’s time to lumber off . If deleting your bill feel a routine too permanent and intimidating , the option gives you a blessing period of 30 days , during which you’re able to change your intellect and reactivate . Once you deactivate your news report , your visibility will no longer be visible on X.
Here ’s how to inactivate your Adam account :
Of course , X does n’t want you to erase your account , which is why it does n’t rise you straight to the nuclear choice . If you agnize that reveal up with disco biscuit is a horrifying misunderstanding , X will still take you back , so long as that 30 - day windowpane has n’t go along .
Once you inactivate , if 30 sidereal day run without you logging onto X , then your account will be permanently cancel . Congratulations : You are free . Now go outside or something .
What social platform should you use instead of X?
If you ca n’t shake that insatiable desire to post , then you could break out some other apps that might scratch that itch , yetcarrylessbaggage . Here are some alternatives to X that might suit your fancy :
Bluesky
Blueskyis a microblogging internet site built atop an open source protocol . That ’s a batch of jargon , but on a airfoil stratum , this mean that the inner machination of Bluesky are more gauze-like , and third - party developers can build on top of the app .
For people who do n’t desire tumid corporations like Meta and Google to withstand the key fruit to their on-line societal life , the open source nature of Bluesky could be appealing , since user have more command than they typically do when using a fellowship ’s societal product . However , Bluesky is n’t utopian — it ’s still a technical school company that has raised$23 millionin venture Das Kapital and involve to keep its investors well-chosen . But as a public welfare corporation , Bluesky has some obligation toward doing what ’s best for the user ( at least , it should ) , and not just its funders .
As of January 2025 , Bluesky has about30 millionregistered users . Before Donald Trump was elected in November 2024 , the societal electronic connection had just13 millionusers , but many X user jumped ship due to frustrations with Musk ’s involvement in the Trump campaign . Though Bluesky was formed as a project at Twitter under former chief operating officer and co - founding father Jack Dorsey , the company no longer has ties to X , and Dorsey is no longer a fellow member of itsboard .
Mastodon
Like Bluesky , Mastodon is also an exposed source social meshing , and one with a prospicient track book , operating since 2016 . While Bluesky ’s architecture for the most part rest under the tough — you do n’t need to know what a decentralized protocol is to use the app — Mastodon ’s apparatus is a spot more tech - forward . For some multitude ( like much of the cybersecurity community , which has settled on Mastodon ) , this is a peak in party favor of Mastodon . But for the less tech - savvy , Mastodon may be confusing . The non-profit-making has lease steps to streamline the signup process , default users to the “ mastodon.social ” server alternatively of making masses figure out which waiter to join before even using the chopine .
As of January 2025 , Mastodon has around 10 million registered exploiter , with closer to 1 million active users , according toopen germ data . The internet has more than replicate since October 2022 , when Elon Musk formally take over Twitter .
Threads
Threads has a serious vantage in this space : It ’s owned by Meta , which means that you could transfer over your espouse lists from Instagram seamlessly . Of all options , Threads makes it easy to conform to the people you already want to follow ( though Bluesky and Mastodon have “ Starter Packs ” to help , as does Threads ) .
But Threads ’ biggest boon is also its fateful flaw . If people are alreadytired of Meta ’s ecosystem — which also includes Facebook and WhatsApp — then they might not jump at the chance to give Meta even more ascendence over their on-line experiences .
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg say in December 2024 that Threads has over100 million daily active usersand 300 million monthly active users , making it much more pop than its competitors . Though Threads had a big head start due to its integration with Instagram , the app continue to grow .
