Twitter doesn't give you a direct "delete follower" button, but you can remove followers one at a time by blocking and then unblocking them, or by making your account private and manually approving who follows you going forward
If someone is following you on Twitter and you want them to stop, you have two main options. The fastest is to block the person, which immediately removes them from your followers and prevents them from seeing your tweets unless they unblock themselves. The second option is to make your account private, which lets you review and reject follower requests individually. Neither option deletes the person's account or notifies them publicly — they'll simply see they can no longer follow you.
The method you choose depends on whether you want to remove one specific person or take control over all future followers. Blocking is the right move if you know exactly who you want gone. Making your account private works better if you're getting followed by accounts you don't recognize or want to curate your audience more carefully.
Key Takeaways
- Blocking a follower removes them immediately and is the fastest way to get one specific person off your follower list.
- When you block someone, they can still see your public tweets if they log out, but they cannot follow you or interact with your account.
- Making your account private lets you review every follow request before accepting it, giving you control over your entire audience.
- You can unblock someone later if you change your mind, and they will be able to follow you again if your account is public.
How to block a follower and remove them
Open Twitter and go to your profile. Tap or click the three-dot menu icon next to your name at the top of the page. Scroll down to find "Followers" and tap it to see your full list of followers.
Find the person you want to remove. Tap the three-dot menu icon next to their name (on mobile) or hover over their profile card (on desktop) and select "Block @username". Twitter will ask you to confirm. Tap "Block" again. The person is now removed from your followers immediately.
If you want to undo this later, go back to your profile settings, find "Blocked accounts" in your privacy settings, find the person's name, and tap "Unblock". They will be able to follow you again if your account is public.
Making your account private to control new followers
If you're tired of managing individual followers, switching to a private account means you approve every follow request before someone can see your tweets. Go to your profile and tap the three-dot menu. Select "Settings and privacy", then "Privacy and safety". Toggle on "Protect your posts".
Once your account is private, anyone who wants to follow you will send a follow request instead. You'll see these requests in a notification. You can tap "Accept" or "Decline" on each one. People you decline cannot follow you unless you change your mind later and accept their request.
Keep in mind that making your account private means your tweets won't show up in search results or on the public timeline anymore. Only people you approve will see them. You can switch back to public at any time using the same settings menu.
The difference between blocking and making your account private
Blocking removes one person at a time and is permanent until you unblock them. They can still see your tweets if they're not logged in, and they know something is wrong because they can't interact with your account. Blocking is best when you want to remove a specific person quickly.
Making your account private is a broader change that affects everyone. It stops new followers from following you without your permission, but it doesn't remove people who already follow you. If you want to remove existing followers after going private, you still need to block them individually or use the remove option on their profile card.
You can also use the "Remove follower" option on someone's profile without blocking them. Find their name in your followers list, tap the three-dot menu next to their name, and select "Remove this follower". They won't know you removed them, and they can follow you again later if they want to.
What happens when you block someone on Twitter
When you block a follower, they are removed from your followers list immediately. They cannot see your tweets in their feed, cannot reply to or retweet your posts, and cannot send you direct messages. If they try to visit your profile, they'll see a message saying you've blocked them.
The person you blocked can still see your tweets if they log out of Twitter and search for your name, because public tweets are visible to anyone on the internet. However, they cannot interact with those tweets or follow you. If you want to hide your tweets completely from someone, you need to make your account private.
Removing followers without blocking them
Twitter has a "Remove follower" option that works differently from blocking. When you remove a follower, they are taken off your followers list, but they can still see your public tweets and follow you again if they want to. The person won't receive a notification that you removed them.
To remove a follower without blocking, go to your followers list, find the person, tap the three-dot menu next to their name, and select "Remove this follower". This is useful if you want to clean up your followers list without permanently blocking someone or making your account private.
Managing followers on mobile versus desktop
On Twitter's mobile app, go to your profile, tap "Followers", find the person, and tap the three-dot menu next to their name. You'll see options to block, remove, or mute them. On desktop, you can hover over a follower's profile card to see the same options in a dropdown menu.
The steps are the same on both platforms, but the interface is slightly different. Mobile uses tap-based menus while desktop uses hover menus. If you're managing a large number of followers, desktop can be faster because you can see more profiles at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the person know if I remove them as a follower?
If you use the "Remove follower" option, they won't get a notification. If you block them, they'll see a message on your profile saying you've blocked them. Neither action sends them a direct message or alert.
Can I remove all my followers at once?
No, Twitter doesn't have a bulk remove option. You have to remove or block followers one at a time. If you want to start fresh, making your account private and then reviewing follow requests is faster than removing hundreds of people individually.
What's the difference between muting and blocking a follower?
Muting hides someone's tweets from your feed, but they can still follow you and see your tweets. Blocking removes them from your followers and prevents them from seeing your account. Muting is useful if you don't want to see someone's content but don't want to block them.
If I make my account private, will my current followers stay?
Yes, everyone who already follows you will stay unless you remove them. Making your account private only affects new follow requests going forward. You still need to manually remove existing followers if you don't want them to see your tweets.
Can someone follow me again after I unblock them?
Yes, once you unblock someone, they can follow you again if your account is public. If your account is private, they'll have to send a follow request and you'll have to accept it.