Where to find privacy and safety settings on X

Open X (formerly Twitter) and tap or click the three-line menu icon in the top left corner. Select Settings and privacy, then Privacy and safety. This is where you control who sees your posts, who can message you, and what data X collects about you. The settings are organized into sections: account, privacy, safety, and data and privacy.

If you are on a desktop browser, the menu appears in the left sidebar. On mobile, the menu slides in from the left when you tap the icon. Either way, you reach the same settings page. X updates this layout occasionally, but Settings and privacy has remained in the same location for the past two years.

Key Takeaways

  • Your account can be set to private so only approved followers see your posts, or public so anyone can see them.
  • You can block direct messages from people you do not follow, and turn off message requests entirely.
  • X collects data about your location, browsing, and device — you can turn off some collection but not all.
  • Muting and blocking are different: muting hides someone's posts from your feed, while blocking prevents them from following you or messaging you.
  • Privacy settings take effect when ready, but X may take hours to update what other people see.

Making your account private or public

In Settings and privacy > Privacy and safety, look for the section labeled Account. You will see a toggle for Private account. Turn it on to make your account private. When your account is private, anyone who wants to follow you must send a follow request, and you must approve it before they can see your posts.

A public account means anyone on X can see your posts without following you. They can also repost, like, and reply to your content. If you switch from public to private, your existing followers stay, but new people cannot see your old posts unless you approve their follow request. If you switch from private to public, all your past posts become visible to everyone when ready.

Most people use a public account if they want to build an audience or share information widely. A private account works better if you post mainly for friends and family, or if you want to control who engages with your content.

Controlling who can message you

In the Privacy and safety section, find Direct messages. You have three options: allow messages from anyone, allow messages only from people you follow, or allow messages only from people you follow who you have also approved. Choose the setting that matches how you use X.

If you allow messages from anyone, you will receive message requests from strangers. These appear in a separate folder and do not notify you unless you check. If you allow messages only from people you follow, strangers can still send you a message request, but it will not appear in your main inbox. If you restrict messages to mutual follows only, you will see fewer unsolicited messages.

You can also turn on Quality filters in the same section. This hides message requests from accounts that are new, have no profile picture, or have not been verified by X. It does not block the messages — they still exist in your message requests folder — but you will not see them unless you look.

Blocking, muting, and reporting accounts

Muting and blocking are not the same. When you mute someone, their posts stop appearing in your feed, but they can still see your public posts and follow you. When you block someone, they cannot follow you, see your posts, or message you. They also cannot see your profile unless they log out.

To mute an account, visit their profile, tap the three-dot menu, and select Mute @username. To block, tap the three-dot menu and select Block @username. You can also mute or block from the Privacy and safety settings page under Muted and blocked accounts. Both actions take effect when ready on your end, but the other person will not receive a notification.

If someone is harassing you, report the account instead of or in addition to blocking. Tap the three-dot menu on their post or profile and select Report @username. Choose the reason — harassment, hate speech, spam, or another violation — and X will review it. Reporting does not remove the account, but it alerts X's moderation team.

Managing data collection and tracking

X collects data about your location, the websites you visit, and the device you use. In Settings and privacy > Privacy and safety, scroll to Data and privacy. You will see toggles for Allow location information, Personalized ads, and Allow additional information sharing.

Turning off Allow location information prevents X from using your device's GPS or IP address to guess where you are. Turning off Personalized ads means X will show you ads based on general categories instead of your specific activity. Turning off Allow additional information sharing stops X from sharing your data with partners for research or marketing.

X will still collect some data even if you turn off all these toggles — it needs to know which posts you like and which you ignore to show you content. But these settings reduce how much X learns about you outside the app. Changes take effect within a few hours.

Adjusting who can tag you and reply to your posts

In Settings and privacy > Privacy and safety, find Conversation. You can choose who is allowed to reply to your posts: everyone, people you follow, or people you mention. If you select People you mention, only the accounts you tag in a post can reply to it. This is useful if you want to start a conversation with specific people without opening it to the whole platform.

You can also control who can tag you in photos. Under Photo tagging, choose whether to allow anyone to tag you, only people you follow, or no one. If you turn off photo tagging entirely, people can still post photos with you in them, but they cannot use X's tagging feature to link your account to the image.

Reviewing connected apps and sessions

X allows other apps and websites to connect to your account. In Settings and privacy > Privacy and safety, look for Apps and sessions. You will see a list of apps that have permission to access your X account. Review this list regularly. If you see an app you no longer use, tap it and select Revoke access.

You can also see all the devices and browsers where you are logged into X. If you see a login from a place or device you do not recognize, select Log out next to that session. This forces X to log you out on that device, and the person using it will have to enter your password again to log back in.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I make my account private, can people still find me in search?

Yes. Your profile will still appear in X search results and in Google search. People can see your name, profile picture, and bio, but they cannot see your posts unless you approve their follow request. If you want to be harder to find, you can change your username or remove identifying information from your bio.

What happens to my followers if I switch from public to private?

Your existing followers stay. They can continue to see your posts without sending a new request. Only new people have to send a follow request. If you switch back to public later, nothing changes for your current followers.

Can someone see that I blocked them?

They will not receive a notification, but they may figure it out if they try to visit your profile and cannot. X does not tell them directly. If you want to avoid conflict, muting is less obvious than blocking.

Does turning off personalized ads mean I see no ads?

No. You will still see ads on X. They will just be based on general topics instead of your specific posts, likes, and browsing history. X uses ads to make money, so you cannot turn off ads entirely unless you pay for X Premium.

How long does it take for privacy changes to show up for other people?

Changes to your own settings take effect when ready for you. Other people may take a few hours to see the change — for example, if you switch to a private account, it may take a few hours before strangers stop seeing your old posts in search results.