4 Ways to Check if You Are Shadowbanned on Twitter (2024)

Written byNaveh Ben Dror|Edited byRain Kengly

Last Updated: February 21, 2024Fact Checked

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1. 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.

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1. 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]

   • 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]
2. 2

   Go to https://twitter.com/explore. This displays X's search page.

3. 3

   Search for from:username in the search bar. 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. 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. 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] 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."

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1. 1

   X thinks you're manipulating the platform. 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] While X ultimately blocks accounts that violate their rules, they may implement a shadowban before suspending an account.

2. 2

   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]

3. 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 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.
4. 4

   Your tweets violate X's hateful conduct policy. 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]

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1. 1

   Wait a few days. 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.

2. 2

   Remove automated services and spammy content. 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.

3. 3

   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]

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