How to Make Your Twitter Account Private/Public and What Happens

Are you tired of unwanted followers on your Twitter account? Do you want to keep your tweets private? Twitter allows you to make your account private or public based on your preferences. In this article, we will explore how you can make your Twitter account private/public on both desktop and mobile apps, and understand the implications of these changes. So, let's get started.

Make Your Twitter Account Private/Public on Desktop

  1. Open the Twitter website and click on the “More” option in the sidebar.

More option on Twitter Sidebar

  1. In the pop-up menu, click on “Settings and support” and select “Settings and privacy” to open Twitter settings.

Setting and privacy option on Twitter

  1. Select the “Privacy and safety” option in Settings, then click on the “Audience and tagging” option.

Audience and tagging option on Twitter

  1. Enable the toggle beside “Protect your Tweets” option to make your account private. Disable it to make your account public again.

Protect your tweets option on Twitter

Make Your Twitter Account Private/Public on Mobile

  1. Open the Twitter app on your iPhone or Android phone and tap on the profile pic in the top left corner. Now, select the “Settings and support” option and then select “Settings and privacy”.

Setting and privacy option on Twitter Mobile

  1. Here, select the “Privacy and safety” option and then choose the “Audience and tagging” option.

Audience and tagging option on Twitter Mobile

  1. Enable the toggle beside “Protect your Tweets” option to make your account private. Disable it to make your account public.

What Happens When You Make Your Twitter Account Private

When you make your Twitter account private, the following changes take place:

  1. Only your followers can view your tweets and retweets.
  2. Your followers cannot retweet your tweets.
  3. Users have to send you a request before they can follow you.
  4. Your tweets will only be visible in Twitter search results for your followers. They will not appear on Google Search or any other search engine.
  5. Your replies will only be seen by your followers. Even users whom you replied to cannot access your reply unless you follow them.
  6. Your profile page will show your display name, profile pic, cover pic, and bio to all users. They can also see your following and follower count, but they cannot view the following or followers list.
  7. Changing your profile to private will not impact who can DM you. You can configure DM settings separately in the Privacy and safety option.

What Happens When You Make Your Twitter Account Public

By default, Twitter accounts are public. However, if you change your private account to public, the following changes occur:

  1. All users can read your tweets and retweets made when your account was private.
  2. Anyone can follow you without sending a request.
  3. Your tweets will be visible to everyone on Twitter search and listed on search engine results.
  4. Anyone can retweet your tweets, not just your followers.
  5. Anyone can reply to your tweets, but you can restrict this using the “Who can reply” option.

Making Your Twitter Account Private/Public

With the above methods, you can easily switch your Twitter account between private and public. If you don't want to make your entire account private, you can choose to share specific tweets only with your Twitter circle and control who can reply to them. These settings allow you to set restrictions without making your account completely private.

If you're interested in making your Instagram account private, you can learn more about the process and its implications here.

Remember, the choice between a private or public account depends on your preferences and the level of privacy you desire on social media.