Whether you sent a tweet with a misspelling or used the wrong hashtag, there are always times when you wish you could change what you originally typed. Fortunately, the edit button on Twitter is now available.
Unfortunately, there is no free way to edit messages on Twitter. You need to subscribe to Twitter Blue, the premium subscription that gets you a blue tick, along with other perks like bookmark folders to organize saved tweets, a top stories section, the ability to customize the color of your interface and more.
You can subscribe to Blue Twitter on the web for $8/£8 per month, or via your smartphone for $11/£11 per month. When the edit button first launched, it was only available on mobile and in a handful of countries. Now it has started rolling out globally and can be used both on web browser and in app on iOS/Android.
You may have to wait up to seven days for an account to be verified by a team member. In my case, it took a few days. Therefore, it’s not a quick fix if you just posted something.
Tweets can only be edited within 30 minutes of posting, and you can only edit them five times. Also, not all tweet types can be edited – we go into more detail below.
How to edit a tweet
- Time to complete: 5 minutes
- Tools needed: PC or smartphone, Twitter webpage or app, active and approved Twitter Blue subscription
Find the tweet you want to edit
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Click on the three dots at the top right of the tweet and select “Edit Tweet”.
Accept Twitter’s “Attention” notice
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Read Twitter’s terms on the edit feature and click “Understood” if you agree to continue
Edit your tweet
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Make the changes you want, then click the blue “Update” button when you’re satisfied
Twitter will confirm your changes
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Twitter will now show the “Your Tweet has been edited” button
We tested the process on both computer and smartphone, and the steps are the same.
Which tweets can’t be edited with Twitter’s edit button?
While standard tweets can be edited, some are exempt. They are:
- Tweets sent more than 30 minutes ago
- Retweets
- answers
- Polls
- Tweets that were sent on a different device than the one you’re editing on
Can people see if you’ve edited a tweet?
Yes. Below the tweet, you’ll see a link highlighted in blue, which says “Last modified”, then the time and date.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
If a user clicks on it, it will show the different versions of your tweet. Therefore, if you don’t want people to see your previous tweet, the best method is to simply delete it and create a new one.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Can you unsend a Tweet?
If you send a tweet and immediately change your mind, Twitter Blue also gives you 30 seconds to click the “cancel” button before it goes live.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
You can change this to 5, 10, 20, or 60 seconds in Twitter Blue’s settings, or turn it off completely.
If you’re looking for more social media tips, check out five exciting new features coming to WhatsApp in 2023.
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