Demystifying X (Twitter) Limits: What You Need to Know
X, formerly Twitter, is a dynamic platform for sharing thoughts, engaging in discussions, and staying informed. However, to maintain platform stability and ensure a smooth user experience for its 368 million monthly active users, X implements various limits.
This comprehensive guide breaks down X's key limitations—character counts, daily tweet allowances, direct message restrictions, and more—equipping you with the knowledge to navigate the platform effectively. We'll explore what triggers these limits, how they impact your usage, and offer insights into staying within Twitter's guidelines, while also touching upon potential workarounds.
Character Understanding the Twitter Limit
The Twitter character limit restricts the number of symbols you can include in a tweet. Currently, you're allowed 280 characters per tweet, encompassing text, symbols, and emojis. This limit promotes concise and impactful messaging.
When composing a tweet, X displays a real-time character count. Once you reach the 280-character limit, the counter turns red, signifying that you've exceeded the limit. The post button is disabled until you edit the tweet to fit within the character constraints. Images, GIFs, videos, and polls added to your tweet don't contribute to the character count.
Twitter Blue How Subscribers Benefit
While the standard character limit remains at 280 for free users, subscribers to Twitter Blue (now X Premium) enjoy an extended character limit. Twitter Blue subscribers in the US can now post tweets up to 25,000 characters. Keep in mind that longer posts are truncated to 280 characters within the main feed, with users able to click to view the full tweet.
Tweets exceeding the basic 280-character limit cannot be saved as drafts on the web. However, this longer-form content provides Twitter Blue subscribers with enhanced opportunities for more detailed and comprehensive content.
Rate Unveiling Twitter Limits
Twitter's rate limits govern the number of actions users can perform within a specific timeframe. This includes the number of tweets you can read or post per day.
Unverified accounts are limited to reading 1,000 tweets daily, while verified X users can view up to 10,000 tweets per day. New, unverified accounts have a lower reading limit of 500 tweets per day. To potentially bypass viewing limits, you can use Twitter viewers, which let you read tweets without an account. Be cautious; these might not always be reliable or compliant with X's policies.
Bypassing Strategies for Navigating Rate Limits
One method to potentially circumvent the rate limit involves using the OldTwitter extension (available for Chrome and Microsoft Edge) to revert to an older Twitter version. However, be aware that attempting to bypass X's rate limits can lead to temporary restrictions or account limitations due to policy violations.
If you encounter a rate limit, consider the following steps: Close your browser and wait for approximately an hour. Check X's Explore page to see if others are experiencing the same issue. If the issue is widespread, it might be a temporary platform problem. Consult the support page for any recent updates or announcements. If all else fails, you may need to wait up to 24 hours before resuming normal account use.
Tweet Daily Limits
Currently, users can post up to 2,400 tweets daily, including retweets. If you hit this limit, you'll need to wait until the specified API interval passes before posting again. Similar to rate limits, the OldTwitter extension can potentially bypass the tweet limit.
Direct Message X (Twitter) DM Limits
Unverified accounts are limited to sending 500 direct messages (DMs) per day. Once this limit is reached, you cannot send further DMs until the next day. Consider subscribing to Twitter Blue (X Premium) to potentially expand your DM limit; however, the specific increased limit isn't publicly specified by X.
Follow Understanding Twitter's Ratio
Twitter’s follow ratio is an important metric; it determines the proportion of accounts a user follows to the number of followers they have. While X doesn't strictly enforce a follow ratio in the traditional sense, excessively rapid or aggressive following can trigger restrictions.
Twitter's system monitors the ratio to help identify bot behavior or spammy activity, affecting the actions your account can perform and its visibility.
“Understanding and respecting X's limits is the cornerstone of effective and sustainable Twitter engagement.
The Content Alchemist
Engage with X (Twitter)
Unlock your full potential on X with these tips.
Character Count Tool
Use our handy character count tool to craft perfect tweets!
Rate Limit Checker
Quickly check your account's status related to rate limits.
Best Practices Guide
Follow our guide for optimal Twitter engagement.
Follower and Follow Limits
Twitter has no specific guidelines for follower limits. Focus on conducting a follower audit, removing inactive, fake, and bot followers to keep your account healthy.
A single user can follow up to 5,000 accounts overall. However, you can't follow 5,000 accounts instantaneously. You can follow up to 400 accounts daily until you reach the limit. To follow more than 5,000 accounts, you must organically grow your follower count. If you follow too many accounts too quickly, you may see a message: 'You are unable to follow more people at this time.'
Unfollow ing Accounts on X
X has no strict daily limit on how many accounts you can unfollow, however actions like mass unfollowing or automated unfollowing are against their policies and could lead to temporary account restrictions. It's best practice to avoid unfollowing a large number of accounts rapidly.
Even with third-party tools, be cautious. Excessive unfollowing in a short period can trigger Twitter's security measures. Always manually unfollow accounts or ensure any automated processes are set up cautiously.
Video Length Limits on X
Free accounts are limited to videos of 2 minutes and 20 seconds maximum. X Premium subscribers can upload videos up to 2 hours long at 1080p resolution, with a file size up to 8 GB. The length can be increased to 3 hours for videos with 720p resolution. The platform will notify you if you exceed the limit or attempt to upload an unsupported format.
Age Requirements for X (Twitter)
To create a Twitter account, you must be at least 13 years old. If you created an account before meeting this age requirement but now meet the age requirement, you can regain access by removing certain data.
When restoring your account, the following will be removed: posts and likes before the age of 13, direct messages sent and received before 13, Moments, lists, and collections, and all profile details except your name and birthdate.
Frequently Asked FAQs About Twitter Limits
Is there a Twitter word limit? Twitter counts characters, not words. The tweet length for free accounts is 280 characters, including text, emojis, and symbols. For X Premium subscribers, this is 25,000 characters.
Does Twitter still have a rate limit in 2024? Yes, the Twitter rate limit exists. It's currently 10,000 posts per day for verified accounts and 1,000 for unverified accounts. New unverified accounts have a lower limit, at 500 posts. Remember, these numbers are subject to change.
How many accounts can you follow on Twitter? Every user can follow up to 5,000 accounts. After that, you need more followers to follow more people. Twitter calculates this based on the user's followers-to-following ratio. The exact number of followers needed is not specified.
How many people can I follow per day on Twitter? You can follow up to 400 accounts daily if you're not verified. If you have a verified account, you can follow up to 1,000 accounts per day.
How many people can I unfollow per day on Twitter? You can unfollow as many accounts as you want, but avoid automated or aggressive actions, which can make your account look like a bot. Be cautious, as Twitter may consider your account as a bot and temporarily block it.
How many followers can you have on Twitter? Twitter doesn't put a cap on how many followers your account can have.
What is Twitter's follower ratio, and why is it important? The follower-to-following ratio considers a user's follows and followers. For example, if someone follows 500 accounts and has 1,000 followers, their follower ratio is 2:1.
Optimize Mastering Twitter's Limits for a Better Experience
By understanding and respecting X's limits, you can optimize your usage and avoid potential account restrictions. Knowing the character limits, rate limits, and other restrictions lets you engage effectively and enjoy a smoother Twitter experience. Whether you're a casual user or a business professional, staying informed about these rules is key to successful and compliant X (Twitter) engagement.