These days, more and more users are turning to private social media settings to take back control of their online presence. Whether you're applying for a job, avoiding unwanted attention, or just want a more personal online space, setting your Twitter account to private is a quick and effective way to limit who can see your tweets. Here’s how you can do it in just a few steps—on both the desktop and the Twitter mobile app.👇 You can also explore this process in our free [interactive tutorial].
How to Make Your Twitter Account Private on Desktop
- Click More in the left-hand menu.
- Select Settings and privacy.
- Click on Privacy and safety.
- Choose Audience and tagging.
- Check the box that says Protect your Tweets.
How to Make Your Twitter Account Private on Mobile (iOS or Android)
- Tap your profile icon in the top-left corner to open the side menu.
- Go to Settings and privacy.
- Tap Privacy and safety.
- Select Audience and tagging.
- Toggle on Protect your Tweets.
FAQ: Twitter Privacy Settings
Q: What happens when I make my Twitter account private?
A: Only your current followers can see your tweets. New followers will need approval, and your tweets won’t show up in search or public threads.
Q: Can people still mention me or reply to my tweets?
A: Yes, but only followers you’ve approved can interact with your tweets directly.
Q: Can I undo this setting later?
A: Absolutely. Just go back to the same setting and uncheck Protect your Tweets to make your account public again.
Q: Can I make my past tweets private too?
A: Yes—all your tweets, past and future, will be protected once you enable this setting. But if someone has already taken a screenshot or shared them, those won't be affected.
Q: Should I delete my old tweets before going private?
A: It's not required, but if you’re concerned about older content, you can manually delete tweets or use a bulk tweet deletion tool before switching to private.
Q: Can I make my Twitter content visible only to myself, hiding it from followers?
A: Twitter doesn’t support making tweets visible only to you. To keep content fully private, you must delete your tweets and avoid posting new ones, or use a separate private account for personal posts.