You can delete retweets and likes in one cleanup session, but they remain two different X actions. The safest method is to back up your data, clean your repost history, review the result, and then remove likes as a separate pass.
Manual: Open individual posts, undo each repost, then unlike each liked post. Circleboom: Circleboom lets you filter and delete retweets and likes on X in two controlled workflows through official X Enterprise APIs.
→ Delete retweets and likes
The crucial distinction is not speed. It is keeping two irreversible queues separate enough to review.
The short answer: one project, two deletion queues
X treats a repost as something published to your profile and a like as an engagement action. Its native interface lets you undo either item individually. X's official instructions say an undone repost leaves your timeline but does not delete the original post, while an unliked post simply loses your like.
That difference explains why there is no single universal “erase both” button. A tool can coordinate the project, yet each record type still needs its own selection and confirmation.
Circleboom's Delete All Tweets workflow handles posts, reposts, and replies. Its Delete All Likes workflow handles the separate engagement record. If your immediate priority is the timeline, you can delete your reposts in bulk without mixing them with original posts.
Treat the cleanup as one decision with two receipts.
For a direct start, begin your retweet-and-like cleanup only after deciding what must survive. That early definition prevents “all” from becoming a careless default.
Why the order matters
Start with retweets because they are visible as timeline content and can affect how a visitor reads your profile. A repost distributes another account's post to your followers. X's official repost guidance also notes that undoing it does not remove the original source.
Likes form a different layer. They can reflect old interests, support, research, humor, or associations. X describes a like as appreciation for a post and lets the account owner undo it from the heart icon in its official likes instructions.
Retweets first gives you a clean checkpoint. You can inspect the public timeline before touching the broader engagement history. If something looks wrong, you know which pass caused it.
The opposite order is not technically invalid. It is simply harder to audit when your goal is a visible profile reset.
An earlier Circleboom explanation of tweets to unlike and delete is useful context for this split. Publishing records and appreciation records demand different controls even when the user thinks of both as “old activity.”
What “at once” should mean
In this context, “at once” means one planned maintenance window, not one merged destructive command. You prepare once, establish the same preservation rules, and complete both queues in sequence.
That distinction creates three practical advantages:
- Clear scope: reposts and likes receive their own counts.
- Safer review: you can stop between the two operations.
- Better diagnosis: any leftover item belongs to a known queue.
This is also the answer to people who find that they cannot delete some retweets or likes. A missing source post, cached view, protected content, account state, or processing delay may affect what appears. A second queue does not prove the first one failed.
One session is convenient. One undifferentiated deletion is not.
Before you delete retweets and likes
Deletion and unliking change your live X account. There is no automatic restore button that recreates the public state later. Save the records first, especially if the account belongs to a company, client, creator brand, or long-running community.
Request your X archive and verify that it opens before using it. For deep history, Circleboom uses the tweet.js file for tweet activity and the like.js file for likes. Upload the files from the X account connected to the Circleboom subscription, not a different account's archive and not the whole ZIP.
Set preservation rules before looking at individual records. Typical exceptions include:
- milestone announcements and launch history;
- partner, customer, or employer endorsements;
- evergreen resources that still receive visits;
- evidence needed for support or compliance; and
- posts whose removal would break important context.
Circleboom's Protect List can hold specific items outside a broader deletion. The Approve & Delete panel provides a final count before confirmation.
If your cleanup follows a rebrand, the account may need more than deletion. The practical examples for deleting retweets and tweets in a click can help define which public signals no longer match the new identity.
A safe two-part workflow
Part 1: remove retweets from the publishing record
Use the tweet archive when you need history beyond the recent API-accessible window. Circleboom's archive flow loads tweet.js, shows the available records, and lets you choose ReTweets while leaving Tweets and Replies unchecked.
Filters can narrow the queue by date, keyword, username or hashtag, language, engagement count, and media status. If your aim is a complete retweet reset, keep ReTweets selected and protect any exception before approval.
→ Run the first half of “delete retweets and likes”
Review the final number. Then confirm the deletion and keep the browser open while processing completes. Large histories take time because actions must respect X's operational limits.
The full-history route is different from a recent-only cleanup. The discussion of old leftover retweets and likes explains why a quick surface pass can miss records beyond the limited recent window.
Pause and inspect the timeline
Do not move straight to likes because a progress indicator finished. Open the X profile in a fresh view and sample several dates. Cached timelines or third-party cross-posts may still display an undone repost temporarily, a behavior X mentions in its repost help.
Also remember the ownership boundary: undoing your repost removes your distribution action. It does not erase the original author's post, screenshots, quotes, or other people's reposts.
If the retweet queue looks correct, record the completion time and count. That small note is valuable when a team member later asks what changed.
Your checkpoint turns a bulk action into an auditable process.
Part 2: clear the like history
Move to Delete All Likes and upload like.js for full-history access. The like queue can use the same filter logic, but the preservation decisions may differ.
A liked customer testimonial might deserve protection even when the repost of an old campaign does not. Likewise, a like used as a bookmark may need to be saved elsewhere before removal.
Filter by date or keyword when total erasure is unnecessary. Then inspect the Protect List and approval count before starting. Removed likes are permanent as account actions, although the local archive remains your private record of what existed beforehand.
Video demonstration: clearing the likes half of the account record
Deep cleanup versus recent cleanup
The archive route is best when your account has years of activity, when you cannot trust the visible recent window to represent the full record, or when a rebrand needs a defensible cutoff.
A recent cleanup can be enough when you know the issue began last month or during one campaign. That approach needs less preparation, but it should not be described as a complete account-history reset.
Use this decision rule:
- Choose the archive route when completeness matters more than setup time.
- Choose recent-item controls when the scope is known and small.
- Choose filters when only a period, subject, or media type is risky.
The distinction also applies to any old-tweet deletion method. The real question is not how many clicks you save. It is whether the input contains the history you intend to evaluate.
Filters are a safety system, not decoration
Filters reduce the blast radius. Date ranges separate an obsolete campaign from current work. Keyword and hashtag filters isolate a discontinued product. Media filters find promotional assets. Engagement thresholds can help preserve high-value material.
Each filter also creates a possible blind spot. A renamed brand may require several keywords. An old slogan may appear in an image rather than text. Language metadata may be undefined for media-only posts.
For that reason, begin broad enough to discover the inventory, then narrow for action. Never assume a filter means what you hope it means without checking the selected items and final count.
The same archive file can support separate filtered runs. Circleboom excludes already removed items when the file is uploaded again, which makes staged cleanup practical.
How to choose a cutoff you can defend
A date cutoff should connect to a real change in the account. Useful boundaries include the day a company renamed itself, the end of a campaign, the start of new ownership, or the point when a personal profile became professional.
Avoid choosing a round year only because it is easy to type. Review samples on both sides of the boundary first. If the same obsolete message continues after the chosen date, the filter does not match the actual problem.
Keyword cleanup needs the same discipline. Build a small vocabulary of the former brand name, slogan, product spelling, account handle, and campaign hashtag. Run each term as a review pass before deletion because one phrase can appear in unrelated, valuable context.
For likes, decide whether the cutoff applies to when you liked the post or to the subject of the post. A topic-based reset can cross many years, while a transfer-of-ownership reset usually has a clear date.
The best cutoff is explainable to someone who did not perform the cleanup.
That standard helps a solo user avoid regret and gives teams a defensible record. It also reveals when no bulk boundary is reliable enough. In that case, use narrower batches and inspect the selected records between runs.
What remains after the cleanup
Your own repost action disappears, but the source content belongs to its author. Your like is removed, but copies, screenshots, quoted discussions, search caches, and third-party references may persist.
This limitation matters for privacy expectations. Account cleanup reduces the live signals under your control. It cannot rewrite every copy of past public activity across the internet.
If search engines or apps still show old material, allow for refresh time before concluding that the action returned. Confirm against the live X profile and the relevant item, not one stale cached screen.
Afterward, build a simpler rule for future activity. Save research in bookmarks or a separate knowledge system instead of using likes as permanent storage. Repost only material you would still want associated with the profile after its immediate news value expires.
What to do next
If you need a total reset, back up both files, define exceptions, delete the retweet queue, pause for verification, and then clear the like queue. If only one period is the problem, keep the same order but use narrow filters.
The objective is not an empty account at any cost. It is a public record that matches the account you intend to operate now.
→ Complete your two-part cleanup with Circleboom
Questions people ask before clearing X activity
Can I delete retweets and likes with one button on X?
No. X provides individual undo actions, and reposts and likes remain different record types. A coordinated cleanup can happen in one session, but each queue needs its own review and confirmation.
Does deleting a retweet remove the original post?
No. It removes your repost from your profile timeline. The original post remains under its author's control, as X's repost documentation explains.
Why do I need both tweet.js and like.js?
The files represent different parts of your X archive. tweet.js supplies the publishing record, including retweets, while like.js supplies your liked-post history.
Can I keep selected retweets or likes?
Yes. Use filters to narrow the action and add specific records to the Protect List before confirming. Review the approval count after every filter change.
Is it safe to delete everything?
It is technically possible, but safety depends on preparation. Verify the archive, preserve important evidence or references, confirm the connected account, and accept that the account actions are irreversible.
