This article was co-authored by Ben Whitehair
and by wikiHow staff writer, Megaera Lorenz, PhD
. Ben Whitehair is a Social Media Expert and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of TSMA Consulting. With over a decade of experience in the social media space, he specializes in leveraging social media for business and building relationships. He also focuses on social media’s impact on the entertainment industry. Ben graduated summa cum laude from The University of Colorado at Boulder with BAs in Theatre and Political Science as well as a Leadership Certificate. In addition to his work as CIO, Ben is a certified business and mindset coach and National Board Member of SAG-AFTRA. He is also a successful entrepreneur as the Co-Founder of Working.Actor, the premier business academy and coaching community for actors.
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So, you’ve signed onto X (formerly Twitter) as usual, only to find a great big “Suspended” notification staring you in the face. You may be wondering how long you’ll be stuck in X limbo—and if there’s anything you can do to fix it. While getting locked out of your account can be a rude shock, don’t worry. Most suspensions are temporary, and you can usually fix them by taking a few simple actions, like verifying your identity or deleting a tweet that broke the rules. Read on to learn how long most X suspensions last, and how to get access to your account back faster.
Steps
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X might ask for verification if they suspect hacking. This can also happen in cases where your account has been flagged for spam, or if X thinks your account is being run by a bot instead of a real person. If this happens, you’ll see a prompt to provide your phone number or confirm your email address when you log in. Follow the prompts to verify who you are. [1] X Research source
- When you log in, you’ll see a message saying that your account has been locked for security reasons. Click “Start” to begin the verification process and unlock your account. [2] X Research source
- After you enter your phone number, you’ll get a text or a phone call a few minutes later with a verification code. Enter the code on the X platform app or website in the account verification window to unlock your account.
- You should be able to start using X again right away once you verify your info. If not, no sweat—you can always contact the X support team for help. [3] X Research source
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X might temporarily lock your account if you break the rules. In these cases, X may prompt you to take certain actions in order to get full access to your account again. When you log in on the X website or app, look for a notification saying, “We’ve temporarily limited some of your account features.” The message may also list the reasons your account was locked and give instructions about how to unlock it. Click “Start” on the notification and follow the prompts. For instance, you might need to: [4] X Research source
- Provide your phone number or verify your email address.
- Delete or edit the rule-breaking tweet that caused X to lock your account.
- In some cases, you’ll only be given the option to wait a certain amount of time until your account is restored.
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X uses read-only mode to put users in “time-out”. For instance, this might happen if you’ve gotten into a heated argument with another user and things get out of hand. If this happens, you’ll still be allowed to log in and browse X, but you won’t be able to post, reply, or like anything until the read-only period ends. [5] X Research source
- If X has put you in read-only mode, there’s not much you can do except wait it out. However, you can always contact X support to get answers or make a case for lifting the restriction early: https://help.twitter.com/en/forms .
- Many users who have experienced this kind of suspension report that it usually lasts around 48 hours. However, the length of time varies based on the reason for the suspension.
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This might happen if you repeatedly break the rules. Breaking certain rules for the first time can also result in an immediate, permanent suspension—for example, this could happen if you post threatening or illegal content. [6] X Research source In these cases, your account won’t come back unless you can convince the X moderation team that they made a mistake. [7] X Research source
- If this happens, you’ll see a notice that your account is suspended next time you log into X, along with an explanation of why the suspension happened. [8] X Research source
- Other users will also see a notice that your account is suspended if they try to view your tweets.
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You may be able to convince X support to lift the suspension. To appeal your suspension, log in with the username and password for your suspended account. You may see an option to contact the support team and appeal their decision. If not, you can also visit the X contact page and submit an appeal using this form: https://help.twitter.com/forms/general?subtopic=suspended .
- Describe the issue in as much detail as possible, and explain why you think the suspension was a mistake.
- All appeals are reviewed by X’s support staff, so it might take a few days to several weeks for you to get an answer. [9] X Research source Try to be patient—this could take a while if they’re especially busy.
- You’ll need to provide your name and an email address where the X support team can contact you about their decision. You can also provide a phone number if you like, but this is optional.
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Some of the rules are more obvious than others. If you’re not sure what you’re allowed to post on X, check out the list of rules here: https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/x-rules . Be careful to follow X’s rules and community guidelines to keep your account from getting locked or even permanently suspended in the future. For example, in addition to the obvious rules (like not posting anything threatening, illegal, or abusive), X also requires that you: [10] X Research source
- Not disclose other people’s private information without permission.
- Be honest about who you are; don’t pretend to be someone else in order to intentionally deceive other users.
- Avoid posting misinformation or media that has been manipulated in a misleading way.
- Respect the intellectual property of others. Don’t repost copyrighted or trademarked material without permission.
Expert Q&A
Tips
- As of January 2022, X support is reporting delays in responding to account suspension appeals. [11] X Research source If your account has to be reviewed by a member of the support team, you may need to wait a few weeks, or even a month or more, to find out if your account can be restored.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://help.twitter.com/en/managing-your-account/suspended-x-accounts
- ↑ https://help.twitter.com/en/managing-your-account/locked-and-limited-accounts
- ↑ https://help.twitter.com/en/forms
- ↑ https://help.twitter.com/en/managing-your-account/locked-and-limited-accounts
- ↑ https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/enforcement-options
- ↑ https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/enforcement-philosophy
- ↑ https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/enforcement-options
- ↑ https://help.twitter.com/en/managing-your-account/suspended-x-accounts
- ↑ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/09/what-i-learned-twitter-purgatory/616144/