Am I Shadowbanned on Twitter? Here's How to Check

Download Article

A complete guide to know if your X account has been shadowbanned

Co-authored by Naveh Ben Dror and Rain Kengly

Last Updated: November 24, 2024 Fact Checked

Download Article

Try a Shadowban Checking Tool

|

Look for Signs of a Shadowban

|

Why was I shadowbanned?

|

What should I do if I'm shadowbanned?

|

Expert Interview

|

Q&A

|

Warnings

Are you worried that you're shadowbanned on X (formerly known as Twitter)? When X downranks, hides, or blocks your content from search, you'll usually notice a dramatic decrease in engagement. If you think you've been shadowbanned by the platform X, this wikiHow article will teach you what to look for and simple tests to try. We'll also help you restore your account back to normal.

Things You Should Know

If you're shadowbanned on X, your account and posts may be hidden from other users.
To check if you're shadowbanned, use a web-based tool to detect the presence of specific bangs or deboosting methods.
Contact X support at @Support, or wait 24-72 hours to see if things change. Avoid spammy content and automated services.

Section 1 of 4:

Try a Shadowban Checking Tool

Download Article

There are three well-known web-based tools you can use to find out whether your content is limited by X. Trying a shadowban tool is a great way to get a quick "yes" or "no" answer about whether you're being shadowbanned by X.
- https://hisubway.online/shadowban checks for search and search suggestion bans, ghost bans, and reply deboosting.
- https://shadowban.yuzurisa.com/ can detect the presence of search and search suggestion bans, ghost bans, and reply deboosting.

Section 2 of 4:

Look for Signs of a Shadowban

Download Article

1
Log out of X and sign into another account. A hard shadowban occurs when X prevents your tweets from appearing in search. To find out if your tweets are blocked, you must be signed out of your account.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- Since you can't view Twitter without an account currently, you'll need to log into an alternate account. You can also ask a friend to follow these steps.
- You'll only be able to check for shadowbans if your tweets are public.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
Go to https://twitter.com/explore. This displays X's search page.
Replace username with your exact username on X (e.g., from:wikiHow). If you can't see your Tweets on the results (and your tweets are not protected), you're likely experiencing a hard shadowban by X.
4
Find out if your replies to other peoples' tweets are visible to non-followers. X may hide your replies to other peoples' tweets from anyone who isn't already following you. To find out, leave a comment on a public tweet, and then log into another account to see if your reply is visible.
- X might resort to this type of shadowban even if you're able to find your tweets in search.
5
Look for signs of a soft shadowban. Because X is so secretive about its shadowban algorithm, the users of /r/Twitter on Reddit have been doing a lot of research on how their practices work.^{[3]
X
Research source} The users of the forum have discovered a "soft" shadowban, which means some or all of your replies to other peoples' tweets are buried under a "Show more replies?" or "Show additional replies, including those that may contain offensive content" link.
- This phenomenon is also known as "deboosting" or "downtiering."

Section 3 of 4:

Why was I shadowbanned?

Download Article

X has strict rules about platform manipulation, including bulk or aggressive tweeting and following, purchasing or soliciting fake engagements, and artificial amplification of conversations.^{[4]
X
Research source} While X ultimately blocks accounts that violate their rules, they may implement a shadowban before suspending an account.
You've been blocked by a lot of users. If X detects that your account is something that others don't want to see, they will deprioritize your content. While they won't call this "shadowbanning" outright, it does limit your content's visibility.^{[5]
X
Research source}
3
X believes your content jeopardizes its search quality. Even if you don't do something bad enough to warrant being banned by X, the content you share may go against X's general search rules.^{[6]
X
Research source} X will hide your tweets from search (and avoid recommending them to others) if you do any of the following:
- Repeatedly post the same links or tweets.
- Use trending topics or hashtags to share irrelevant content.
- Use automated bots to send tweets or post similar messages based on keywords.
- Post the same content from multiple accounts.
- Mass following and unfollowing of users.
X may not always ban you if you use hateful or violent language on the platform—sometimes they'll just downrank or exclude your tweets from searches and recommendations.^{[7]
X
Research source}

Section 4 of 4:

What should I do if I'm shadowbanned?

Download Article

If you aren't deliberately manipulating the platform or spreading misinformation, take a 24-72 hour X break and see if things change. The symptoms of a shadow ban should only last a few days if you're not doing anything that violates X's policies.
If you've posted spammy content, used third-party services that track or add followers on your behalf, or run any sort of automated bot on your account, deactivate and delete all of this content as soon as possible.
Report the situation to X. If a few days pass and your content is still not visible to other X users, send a tweet to @Support (formerly @TwitterSupport) to let them know what's going on. X's support team will (hopefully) give you more insight into why your tweets are hidden or deprioritized.^{[8]
X
Research source}

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

What are the loud 'popping' sounds I hear when I type text retweeting certain accounts?

R2_d2000

Top Answerer

That's the sound that your keyboard makes when you touch the keys. The reason why you only hear it sometimes is probably because the sound won't play if your phone is muted.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 19 Helpful 15
Question

How about if I can only see older tweets, not the most recent one?

R2_d2000

Top Answerer

It's possible that your more recent tweets could be shadow-banned, but not your older ones.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 10 Helpful 20
Question

Do you type in the first part of your user name or the @username? When I put in the first part of my username, nothing is found but when I put in the username after the @, I can see my posts.

R2_d2000

Top Answerer

You have to put in your whole username. If you only put in part of your username, your results will not come up.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 1 Helpful 10

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Tips

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Warnings

Do not share spam links or violating or abusive content on X. Read the X rules to ensure you're following all guidelines.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0