# I deleted my X account and only have the archive

> If your account is deleted, the archive ZIP is your copy and links to x.com may no longer work. TweetArchive rebuilds everything from the ZIP alone — timeline, threads, DMs, and media from tweets_media — and exports an offline HTML copy you can keep on a drive and open years from now without any account.

## Step by step

1. **Make a backup of the ZIP.** Copy it to a second drive or cloud folder before anything else.
2. **Open it in TweetArchive.** No login to X is needed or used.
3. **Review.** Browse posts, threads, DMs, and photos with their post dates.
4. **Export the offline HTML copy.** Include media. The result opens from a folder, offline.

Open the tool: https://tweetarchive.fyi/#app (runs in your browser; the ZIP is not uploaded; free preview, $19 one-time for everything).

## Honest limitations

- There is no official public specification of the archive format that we could read; TweetArchive follows what several independent parsers document and discovers file names instead of assuming one layout.
- Some archives omit @usernames for DM partners; those people appear as a numeric user ID.
- TweetArchive is not affiliated with X Corp. and does not log in to X for you.
- “Original link” buttons point to x.com and may not work for deleted accounts or posts.

## FAQ

### Can TweetArchive restore my account?

No. It only reads the archive file you already have.

### Will images show if the account is gone?

Yes, if they are inside the archive’s media folder. Images that were never included in the ZIP cannot be recovered.

### Does it contact X?

No. It does not call X or try to load anything from x.com.

### Can I keep the result forever?

The offline export is plain HTML, JavaScript, and media files you own.

## Related

- [How to download your official X archive](https://tweetarchive.fyi/download-x-archive.md)
- [Privacy](https://tweetarchive.fyi/privacy/)

## Sources

- [The Verge: How to download an archive of your Twitter data (updated Nov 14, 2022)](https://www.theverge.com/23453703/twitter-archive-download-how-to-tweets)
- [Ars Technica: How to download a backup copy of your Twitter data (Oct 28, 2022)](https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/10/how-to-download-a-backup-copy-of-your-twitter-data-or-deactivate-your-account/)
- [twitter-archive-parser by Tim Hutton (GitHub)](https://github.com/timhutton/twitter-archive-parser)
- [alkihis/twitter-archive-reader: file structures](https://github.com/alkihis/twitter-archive-reader)

TweetArchive is an independent tool made by Cedano Labs LLC. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by X Corp. “X” and “Twitter” are trademarks of X Corp., used here only to describe the archive format the tool reads. TweetArchive is not a forensic lab or a legal service, and its exports are not certified evidence.