> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.x.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Edit Posts

> Edit Posts on X within a 30-minute window up to five times and read the edit history, edit_controls, and editable metadata returned by the v2 API.

Posts on X can be edited within 30 minutes of posting, up to 5 times. The X API provides full access to edit history and metadata.

***

## Edit rules

| Rule            | Details                                       |
| :-------------- | :-------------------------------------------- |
| **Time window** | 30 minutes from original post                 |
| **Edit limit**  | 5 edits maximum                               |
| **ID behavior** | Each edit creates a new post ID               |
| **Deletion**    | Deleting any version deletes the entire chain |

***

## What can't be edited

Some post types are not editable:

* Promoted posts (ads)
* Posts with polls
* Replies to others (non-self-thread)
* Reposts (Quote posts *can* be edited)
* Community posts
* Collaborative posts
* Scheduled posts

***

## Edit data in responses

### Default fields

All post responses include `edit_history_tweet_ids` by default:

```json theme={null}
{
  "data": {
    "id": "1234567891",
    "text": "Updated text (edited)",
    "edit_history_tweet_ids": ["1234567890", "1234567891"]
  }
}
```

* Single ID = never edited
* Multiple IDs = edit history (oldest first)

### Edit controls

Request `edit_controls` for edit status:

```bash theme={null}
curl "https://api.x.com/2/tweets/1234567891?tweet.fields=edit_controls" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
```

```json theme={null}
{
  "data": {
    "id": "1234567891",
    "text": "Updated text (edited)",
    "edit_history_tweet_ids": ["1234567890", "1234567891"],
    "edit_controls": {
      "is_edit_eligible": true,
      "editable_until": "2024-01-15T12:30:00.000Z",
      "edits_remaining": 3
    }
  }
}
```

| Field              | Description                       |
| :----------------- | :-------------------------------- |
| `is_edit_eligible` | Whether the post can be edited    |
| `editable_until`   | Timestamp when edit window closes |
| `edits_remaining`  | Number of edits left (0-5)        |

***

## Getting edit history

Use the `edit_history_tweet_ids` expansion to get full post objects for all versions:

```bash theme={null}
curl "https://api.x.com/2/tweets/1234567891?\
tweet.fields=edit_controls&\
expansions=edit_history_tweet_ids" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
```

```json theme={null}
{
  "data": {
    "id": "1234567891",
    "text": "Updated text (edited)",
    "edit_history_tweet_ids": ["1234567890", "1234567891"],
    "edit_controls": {
      "is_edit_eligible": true,
      "editable_until": "2024-01-15T12:30:00.000Z",
      "edits_remaining": 3
    }
  },
  "includes": {
    "tweets": [{
      "id": "1234567890",
      "text": "Original text (with typo)",
      "edit_history_tweet_ids": ["1234567890", "1234567891"],
      "edit_controls": {
        "is_edit_eligible": true,
        "editable_until": "2024-01-15T12:30:00.000Z",
        "edits_remaining": 3
      }
    }]
  }
}
```

***

## Which version is returned?

By default, the API returns the **most recent version** of an edited post.

To get a specific version, request it by its post ID directly:

```bash theme={null}
# Get original version
curl "https://api.x.com/2/tweets/1234567890" -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

# Get edited version  
curl "https://api.x.com/2/tweets/1234567891" -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
```

***

## Metrics for edited posts

Each version of an edited post has its own engagement metrics. The metrics are attributed to the version that was visible when the engagement occurred.

***

## Availability

Edit metadata is available:

* For all posts created since September 29, 2022
* On all v2 endpoints that return posts
* Including search, timelines, stream, and lookup

Posts created before this date do not have edit metadata.

***

## Use cases

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Track changes">
    Monitor posts for edits and log the differences:

    ```python theme={null}
    def check_for_edits(post):
        history = post.get("edit_history_tweet_ids", [])
        if len(history) > 1:
            print(f"Post {post['id']} has been edited {len(history) - 1} times")
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Show edit indicator">
    Display an "edited" badge in your UI:

    ```javascript theme={null}
    const isEdited = post.edit_history_tweet_ids?.length > 1;
    if (isEdited) {
      showEditedBadge();
    }
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Get original content">
    Retrieve the original version of an edited post:

    ```python theme={null}
    original_id = post["edit_history_tweet_ids"][0]
    original = api.get_tweet(original_id)
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Post lookup" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/x-api/posts/lookup/introduction">
    Retrieve posts with edit history.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Data dictionary" icon="book" href="/x-api/fundamentals/data-dictionary">
    Complete post object reference.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>