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

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

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  1. Trying a shadowban tool is a great way to get a quick "yes" or "no" answer about whether you're being shadowbanned by X.
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Section 2 of 4:

Look for Signs of a Shadowban

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  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]
  2. Go to https://twitter.com/explore . This displays X's search page.
  3. 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. 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. 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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Section 3 of 4:

Why was I shadowbanned?

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  1. 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. 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. 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. 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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Section 4 of 4:

What should I do if I'm shadowbanned?

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  1. 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. 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. 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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Community Q&A

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  • 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.
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    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
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      References

      1. ↑ https://help.x.com/en/using-x/revoke-x-access-on-ios-app
      2. ↑ https://help.x.com/en/safety-and-security/public-and-protected-posts
      3. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Twitter/comments/p1ggm4/rtwitter_attempts_to_solve_twitters_shadowban/
      4. ↑ https://blog.x.com/en_us/topics/company/2020/bot-or-not
      5. ↑ https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2018/Setting-the-record-straight-on-shadow-banning
      6. ↑ https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/twitter-search-policies
      7. ↑ https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/hateful-conduct-policy
      8. ↑ https://help.twitter.com/en/forms

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Try a shadowban checking tool like Hisubway.online or Shadowban.io.
      2. Log out of Twitter and search for your own tweets on the Explore page.
      3. Find out if your tweet replies show up for non-followers.

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