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How to make your Twitter account private
Twitter is a place where people exchange opinions and have good old-fashioned arguments. Usually, these conversations are meant to be public — after all, that’s what promotes conversation in the first place. But for whatever reason, some people prefer to keep their Twitter account private and off-limits, available only to invited guests. If you’re attracted by the idea of pulling up the drawbridge, here’s how to make your Twitter account private.
Read more: 10 best Twitter apps for Android
QUICK ANSWER
To make your Twitter account private on the desktop and the Twitter mobile app, go to Settings and Privacy-->Privacy and safety-->Audience and tagging. Select the box that says Protect your Tweets.
JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS
How to make your Twitter account private (desktop)
On the desktop version of Twitter, go to Settings and Privacy–>Privacy and safety–>Audience and tagging. Or click here to be taken straight there. You will now see this.
Tick the box that says Protect your Tweets. You may be asked to confirm your password for your selection to be saved. If you now look at your Twitter page, you’ll see that your tweets are now all concealed. Existing followers can still see them, though, and anyone wishing to follow you in the future must request access to your account to be able to view your tweets. These access requests will be sent to you as Twitter notifications.
How to make your Twitter account private (Android and iOS)
On the Android and Twitter apps, it’s the same process. Tap your profile picture in the top left-hand corner.
Tap your way to Settings and Privacy–>Privacy and safety–>Audience and tagging. Select the box that says Protect your Tweets.
Read more: How to see sensitive content on Twitter
FAQs
Although it seems to fly in the face of the whole point of social media, there are situations where a private account might be highly desirable. If you are applying for a job, you may want to keep your tweets inaccessible to the potential employer, especially if the tweets are politically divisive in nature or contain what Twitter labels as sensitive content. You may also already be in a job where it would be undesirable for your colleagues or clients to see your opinions or get a glimpse of you outside work.
One other situation is authoritarian countries that would not appreciate what you are saying, although usually Twitter is banned in these countries. Finally, you may just be an ordinary person who likes to have complete privacy. In that case, you can strictly control who you let into your Twitter “inner circle.”
Yes, private Twitter accounts still appear in search results. But you won’t be able to see any of the tweets in that account unless the account owner grants you access.
If you like someone else’s tweet under your private account ID, the like will show up on that tweet, but your username will not be revealed, along with your profile picture and any other identifying information.
No, when a Twitter account is made private, the only piece of information that a non-follower can see is the account bio (if there is one.)