Where to find Twitter's privacy controls
Twitter's privacy settings live in one place: the Settings and Privacy menu. Open Twitter on your browser or app, click or tap the three dots (or your profile picture on mobile), then select Settings and Privacy. From there, click Privacy and Safety. This is where you control who sees your posts, who can message you, and who can find your account.
The settings you'll see depend on whether you have a public or private account. A public account means anyone can see your posts without following you. A private account means only people you approve can see what you post. Both types have additional controls beyond that basic choice, and you can change between them at any time.
Key Takeaways
- Your account can be public (anyone sees your posts) or private (only approved followers see them), and you switch between these in Settings and Privacy.
- You can block specific people, mute accounts so their posts don't show up, and control who can message you or tag you in photos.
- Twitter lets you hide your follower and following lists from public view, and you can turn off the ability for others to find your account through email or phone number.
- Some settings take effect immediately, while others (like switching to a private account) only affect new posts going forward.
Making your account private or public
To switch between a public and private account, go to Settings and Privacy, then Privacy and Safety. Look for the option labeled Protect your posts (on some versions it says Private account). Toggle this on to make your account private, or toggle it off to make it public.
When you turn on private mode, only people you approve can follow you and see your posts. Anyone who already follows you stays following you, but new followers need your permission. Posts you made while your account was public stay visible to whoever saw them before — making your account private does not hide your old posts from people who already saw them.
If you switch back to public, all your posts become visible to everyone again. This is a real change in who can see your content, so think through what you want before you toggle it.
Controlling who can message you and tag you
Twitter lets you limit direct messages without blocking anyone. In Settings and Privacy, go to Privacy and Safety and find Direct Messages. You have three choices: allow messages from anyone, allow messages only from people you follow, or allow messages only from people you follow who you've already messaged with.
You can also control who can tag you in photos or videos. In the same Privacy and Safety section, look for Photo tagging. You can allow anyone to tag you, allow only people you follow to tag you, or turn off photo tagging entirely. When someone tries to tag you and you've restricted it, the tag won't go through.
These settings do not prevent people from mentioning your username in a post — they only control whether they can formally tag you in media or send you direct messages.
Hiding your followers and following lists
By default, anyone can click on your profile and see who you follow and who follows you. To hide these lists, go to Settings and Privacy, then Privacy and Safety. Look for Discoverability and contacts and toggle off Allow others to find you by email or phone number. This prevents people from searching for you using your email address or phone number.
To hide your follower and following lists themselves, you'll need to look in the same Privacy and Safety section for options related to audience or followers. The exact wording changes depending on your device and Twitter's current layout, but the setting lets you make these lists private so only you can see them.
Keep in mind that hiding your lists does not prevent people from seeing that you follow someone — it only hides the complete list from public view. If someone visits your profile, they'll know you have followers and people you follow, but they won't see the names unless you've made those lists visible.
Blocking and muting accounts
Blocking and muting are different tools for different situations. Blocking prevents someone from seeing your posts, following you, or messaging you. They'll know they're blocked (they'll see a message if they try to visit your profile). To block someone, visit their profile, tap the three dots, and select Block.
Muting hides someone's posts from your timeline without them knowing. They can still follow you, see your posts if they visit your profile, and message you. To mute someone, visit their profile, tap the three dots, and select Mute. You can also mute specific words, phrases, or hashtags so posts containing them don't show up in your feed.
To mute words or hashtags, go to Settings and Privacy, then Privacy and Safety, and look for Muted words. Add any words or phrases you want to hide from your timeline. You can choose whether to mute them everywhere on Twitter or only in replies to your posts.
Controlling what data Twitter collects about you
Twitter tracks your activity to show you targeted ads and personalize your experience. In Settings and Privacy, go to Privacy and Safety and look for Personalization and data. Here you can toggle off Allow use of your data for personalized ads to see fewer targeted ads. You can also turn off Infer your identity based on external sources to prevent Twitter from connecting your account to information about you from other websites.
These settings do not stop Twitter from collecting data about you — they only limit how that data is used. If you want to see what data Twitter has collected, you can request a download of your information in the same Privacy and Safety section under Download your data.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I make my account private, will people still see my old posts?
Your old posts stay visible to anyone who saw them before you switched to private. Making your account private only affects new posts going forward. If you want to hide old posts, you'll need to delete them individually or delete your entire account and start over.
Can someone still find me on Twitter if I hide my follower list?
Yes. Hiding your follower and following lists only hides those specific lists from public view. People can still find you by searching your username, and they can still see your posts if your account is public. To be harder to find, you'd need to make your account private or change your username.
What happens if I block someone and then unblock them?
When you unblock someone, they can follow you again and see your posts if your account is public. However, they won't automatically re-follow you — they'll have to follow you again manually. Any direct messages you had with them before the block will still be there.
Does muting someone stop them from seeing my posts?
No. Muting only hides their posts from your timeline. They can still see your posts, follow you, and message you. If you want to prevent them from seeing your posts, you need to block them or make your account private and not approve them as a follower.
Can I change my privacy settings on the Twitter app and the website at the same time?
Yes. Your privacy settings sync across all devices and platforms. If you change a setting on your phone, it takes effect on the website and any other device you use Twitter on. Changes usually happen within a few seconds.