There’s a complete archive of your tweets and likes, complete with media. If all you want is to know that you have a backup of your tweets, this is it. You can even use the search function to find a specific tweet.
This is great, but it’s not useful as a public archive. There aren’t URLs for the individual tweets—all links point back to Twitter itself—meaning someone who wanted to share a link to a specific archived tweet wouldn’t be able to.
Convert the Archive Into Something Browsable
If you have a website and can upload to it via FTP or some other means, it’s possible to convert your downloaded Twitter archive into a public archive. The website Tiny Subversions has a Make Your Own Twitter Archive tool that’s very handy for this, especially if you intend to upload your archive to a personal website.
To get started, head to the site. I recommend reading the complete instructions—the action starts at the bottom of the page. First enter the URL where your archive will ultimately be hosted—this will ensure that links work.
Tiny Subversions via Justin Pot
Next click Choose File and upload the .ZIP file you downloaded from Twitter. Note that your file will not be uploaded to any server—the conversion happens entirely on your own device. A file named archive.zip will show up in your Downloads folder. Unzip that file and upload it to your web host.
Tiny Subversions via Justin Pot
I set up my own archive just to demonstrate this. I like the idea that my tweets are still available, but on a site that I control. I also like that threads I made myself show up as threads. All of my media is there too. Having said that, it’s not perfect—conversations with other people don’t show up, and neither do moments, circles, or co-tweets.
There are a few other tools out there, if this one doesn’t work the way you like. Twitter archive parser can download the full-resolution images and videos while making both Markdown and HTML copies of all tweets, but it’s not great as a public archive because individual tweets don’t get their own page. There’s also a tool for importing your tweets to Mastodon, but it’s not exactly user friendly.
For most people, I recommend the Make Your Own Twitter Archive tool—it makes a public archive without a lot of work on your part.
