How to Make Twitter Account Private
Do you feel like someone is stalking your Twitter account?
Is that person giving random likes to private replies and old tweets?
Some Twitter users can get creepy.
And instead of blocking all the users one by one, Twitter offers another option to help you with this issue.
You can make Twitter private.
A private account has protected tweets, meaning that only your followers can see your tweets.
It’s a great way to protect yourself while using the platform.
And making your public tweets private takes about 5 minutes.
Here’s all you need to know:
- How to make Twitter account private?
- What happens when you make your Twitter account private?
- How to unprotect your tweets?
How To Make Twitter Account Private?
All Twitter accounts can make all previous tweets private tweets from their account settings.
Then, they’ll need to find the privacy and safety menu.
When you do so, only your followers will see your tweets.
By doing so, accounts that want to see your tweets will need to follow you.
But doing so may have some consequences for your growth on the platform.
Sometimes it might be even easier to remove a follower.
But if you don’t mind losing some potential followers and don’t want your tweets public, here’s how you protect your tweets.
Make Your Twitter Account Private From A Desktop Computer
The process works for any Mac or PC.
It’ll take you about five minutes. And while you are it, we recommend you check all the privacy options.
After you check everything, we¡ll be ready to start.
Next, to protect your tweets:
- Step 1: Open Twitter on your computer.
- Step 2: Click the three-dot icon on the left corner of your screen.
- Step 3: Select Settings and Privacy (small cog icon).
- Step 4: On the Settings page, click Audience and Tagging.
- Step 5: There’ll be a box next to Protect your tweets. Tap Protect Your Tweets.
- Step 6: You’ll get a warning that when you Protect Your Tweets, they’ll be visible to your current followers only.
- Step 7: Tap protect.
Next, you’ll have to tap save changes, so everything goes through.
From there, you can modify who can tag you and write a new password as well.
Make Your Account Private From The Twitter App
The following instructions work on any Android and iOS Device.
- Step 1: Open the Twitter app.
- Step 2: Tap on your profile photo (profile icon) on the top left corner of the screen.
- Step 3: Scroll down and tap Settings and Privacy.
- Step 4: Tap Privacy and Safety.
- Step 5: On Privacy and Safety, tap Audience and Tagging.
- Step 6: Select Protect Your Tweets or Protect My Tweets.
On the settings and privacy menu, you can also turn off sensitive content for your account.
What Happens When You Make Your Twitter Account Private?
Not much else happens, just what we previously described.
In short, these are all the differences you’ll see after making your Twitter private:
- Only your followers will see your tweets.
- You’ll receive a “New Follower request” notification whenever someone wants to follow you.
- You’ll need to approve all follower requests.
- People you reply to won’t see your replies unless they follow you.
- You’ll still be visible.
How Do You Review A Follow Request On A Private Twitter Account?
After protecting your tweets, you’ll need to manually approve new followers on your account.
They’ll appear on your notifications tab, but if you miss them, they’ll appear as pending Follower requests.
Here’s how to find them:
- Step 1:
- On mobile click on your profile icon.
- On PC, tap on the three dots (the more icon).
- Step 2: On both devices, you’ll see Follower requests. Click it.
- Step 3: Approve the new follower requests that you want.
Requests left pending can be approved at any time.
However, a Twitter user can revoke the request whenever they like.
And you can’t program requests to be accepted automatically.
How To Unprotect Your Tweets?
You’ll have to follow the above instructions BUT uncheck the box next to Protect Your Tweets.
Previously protected tweets will be made public, and people will be able to interact with them again.
So if you tweeted personal account information, it might be a good idea to delete some tweets.
Other Tips To Protect Your Privacy On Twitter
On the Privacy and Safety tab, you can manage:
- Your account information.
- Control who tags you.
- Ask Twitter not to track your activity on other Apple or Android apps.
- Control who can find you with the Twitter search bar
Private Twitter Account FAQ
Can You Be Anonymous On Twitter?
Yes, as long as you use an unrecognizable username, don’t have your tweets public, and keep a low profile.
It all comes down to how anonymous you want to be while using a social network.
At some point, you can be anonymous.
What Does The Lock Mean On Twitter?
It means that the account is protected. Protected accounts are private.
You can do this by searching the option “Protect My Tweets.”
But you’ll need to have your password to log in and approve the change.
Karen is a senior technical writer and copywriter here at GrowFollowing. Her area of expertize are social media apps and new media.