Short answer
To find old posts on X, search from:username since:YYYY-MM-DD until:YYYY-MM-DD and open the Latest tab. since: includes the start date and until: excludes the end date, so to cover March 1 to 7 use since:2020-03-01 until:2020-03-08.
Key takeaways
- Narrow windows (a day or a week) work better than a whole year.
- Add a word you remember to cut the results down further.
- Deleted posts are gone from search; archived copies may exist on the Wayback Machine.
- Your own full history is in the archive file X lets you download.
How do I search X by date?
Add since: and until: to any search, then open the Latest tab.
since:2021-01-01 until:2021-02-01 covers all of January 2021. The start date is included, the end date is not. Add words, an account or both:
from:nasa since:2012-08-05 until:2012-08-08shows what @nasa posted around the Curiosity rover landing."snow day" since:2024-01-15 until:2024-01-17 lang:ento:yourhandle since:2019-06-01 until:2019-07-01lists replies people sent you that month.
The search builder has date pickers and handles the one-day offset for you: pick the last day you want and it writes the right until: date.
How do I find what an account said years ago?
Combine from: with a date window, and tighten the window until the results load cleanly.
Searching a whole year for a busy account can return a partial list. A week at a time is reliable. If you remember a word or two, add them; that matters more than the exact date. To skip replies, add -filter:replies. To see only the posts that got attention, add min_faves:10 and switch to Top.
The profile lookup also links to Wayback Machine captures of the profile page, which can show how an account looked in a given year.
How do I find my own oldest posts?
Search your own handle with an early until: date, or download your archive.
Search from:yourhandle until: plus a date shortly after you joined, on Latest, and scroll to the bottom. For a complete record, request your archive from Settings and privacy, then Your account, then Download an archive of your data. X sends a link when it's ready. The archive includes every post, with dates, in a file you can open in a browser.
What can't date search find?
Deleted posts, posts from protected accounts you don't follow and posts from suspended accounts.
If something was deleted, look for traces elsewhere: replies and quote posts that mention it, screenshots in news coverage, and saved copies on the Wayback Machine. Be careful with screenshots. They are easy to fake, so treat one as a lead rather than proof unless you can confirm it another way.
Questions people ask
How far back does X search go?
X search covers posts back to the start of the service in 2006, as long as they haven't been deleted and the account isn't protected or suspended. Very old posts sometimes need a narrow date range to surface.
How do I find my first tweet?
Search from:yourhandle until: plus a date a few weeks after you joined, on the Latest tab. Or download your X archive, which lists every post you've made.
Can I find deleted tweets?
Not through X. A deleted post is removed from search. If someone saved the page, a copy might exist on the Wayback Machine, and quote posts or screenshots by others may still mention it.
Why does a date search miss a post I know exists?
Dates are UTC, so a post made late in the evening in the Americas is filed under the next day. Widen the window by a day on each side.