How to Block on X (Twitter)

Controlling what you see and who can interact with you is essential for a healthy online experience, and the block feature on X (formerly Twitter) is your most direct tool for the job. Blocking an account is a simple way to create a boundary, remove unwanted content from your timeline, and stop harassment in its tracks. This guide will walk you through exactly how to block someone on X, what happens when you do, and how this feature compares to muting.

Why Block Someone on X?

Before getting into the "how," it helps to understand the "why." You are in complete control of your timeline and your online space. Blocking isn't about being mean, it's about curating your experience and protecting your peace. People block accounts for many reasons, including:

• Stopping Harassment and Trolling: This is the most common reason. If an account is sending you abusive, threatening, or just plain nasty replies, blocking is the fastest way to shut it down.
• Removing Spam: Get rid of bot accounts or users endlessly promoting a product, service, or crypto scam. If their content is irrelevant and clogs your feed, a block makes them disappear.
• Curating Your Timeline: You might not want to see content from certain individuals, brands, or ideologies. Blocking a user guarantees their tweets and retweets won’t appear in your timeline again.
• Preventing Unwanted Contact: Maybe it's an ex-colleague, an old acquaintance, or someone you'd simply rather not have interacting with your posts. Blocking creates a clean digital separation.

Think of it as putting up a digital "do not disturb" sign. You decide who gets to knock on your door, and the block button is your tool for saying "no thanks" to unwanted visitors.

How to Block an Account on X (Step-by-Step)

X makes it easy to block an account from a few different places on the platform. The steps are nearly identical whether you're using X on a desktop browser or the mobile app for iOS or Android.

Method 1: Blocking from a User's Profile Page

This is the most direct method if you already have the specific account in mind.

1. Navigate to the profile page of the account you want to block.
2. Locate the three-dots menu icon (●●●) next to their "Follow" button.
3. Click or tap on the three-dots icon to open a drop-down menu.
4. Select "Block @username" from the list of options.
5. A confirmation pop-up will appear. Click or tap "Block" to confirm your decision. The account is now blocked.

That's it. You'll see the "Follow" button change to a red "Blocked" button on their profile, giving you a clear visual confirmation.

Method 2: Blocking from a Tweet

Often, the decision to block someone happens in the moment, right after they’ve posted something you'd rather not see. Blocking directly from a tweet is the quickest way to act.

1. Find a tweet from the account you want to block in your timeline, in your notifications, or in a search result.
2. Click or tap the three-dots menu icon (●●●) at the top-right corner of the tweet itself.
3. A menu of options will appear. Select "Block @username."
4. Just like the first method, you'll be asked to confirm. Click "Block," and you're done.

This method is exceptionally useful for quickly dealing with trolls in your mentions or spam accounts that show up in your feed.

What Happens When You Block an Account?

Blocking an account creates a strong but silent boundary between you and them. Understanding the effects helps you use the feature with confidence.

• They Can't Follow You (and You Can't Follow Them): Any existing follow relationship is immediately broken, and neither of you can follow the other in the future unless the block is removed.
• Their Tweets Disappear: You will no longer see their tweets, retweets, or quote tweets in your timeline. Their account is effectively invisible to you on the platform.
• They Cannot See Your Tweets: When they are logged in, a blocked user can't view your profile page. They will receive a message indicating that they've been blocked and cannot see your tweets. Note: Your public tweets are still visible to them if they log out or use an incognito browser window, as your profile remains public to the rest of the world.
• No Direct Messages (DMs): You cannot send DMs to each other. Your previous DM history will remain, but you won't be able to add to it.
• They Can't Tag You in Photos: The blocked account loses the ability to tag your username in any photos they post.
• They Can't Add You to Lists: Just as it sounds, a blocked user can't add your account to any of their X Lists.
• Zero Notifications: Here's the best part: the person you block does not receive a notification that you've blocked them. They will only find out if they try to visit your profile or interact with you directly.

Are there any exceptions?

Yes, there's one small one. If an account you don't block mentions someone you have blocked in a reply or conversation, you may see that mention. X will show you the tweet, but the blocked user’s content remains hidden. The platform is designed to show you relevant conversations, but it maintains the boundary you set.

Blocking vs. Muting: Which One Should You Use?

Blocking is a wall, but muting is like turning down the volume. Both are useful, but they serve different purposes. Choosing the right one depends on your goal.

When to Mute an Account

Muting is a softer tool. When you mute an account:

• You will no longer see their tweets or retweets in your timeline.
• You will still see their replies to you in your Notifications tab (unless you enable the "from people you don't follow" filter).
• They can still see your tweets, follow you, and interact with your content.
• The muted account has no way of knowing you have muted them.

Use Mute when:

• You need a temporary break from an overly talkative account but don't want to burn a bridge.
• A friend or colleague is live-tweeting an event you aren't interested in.
• You want to follow someone for networking reasons but find their content uninteresting.

Think of Mute as the "polite unfollow." You can also mute specific keywords, phrases, hashtags, and usernames to filter out topics from your timeline and notifications without blocking entire accounts.

When to Block an Account

Blocking is a hard boundary. As we covered, it severs the connection between your accounts.

Use Block when:

• You are experiencing spam, trolling, or harassment.
• An account posts abusive or unwanted content.
• You want to prevent someone from viewing your profile or interacting with you in any way.

Think of Block as a "hard no." It's for creating a definitive separation for security, mental health, or personal preference. There's no ambiguity, you simply don't want that person or their content in your digital space.

Summary Table:

ActionEffect on They See Your TweetsEffect on You See Their TweetsDo They Know?Can They Follow You?MuteYesNoNoYesBlockNo (when logged in)NoOnly if they try to visit your profileNo

How to See Your Blocked Accounts List (And Unblock Someone)

You may occasionally want to review the accounts you've blocked or even reverse your decision. X keeps a neat list of all blocked accounts for you.

Finding Your Block List on Desktop & Mobile:

1. Go to your Settings and privacy. On desktop, this is under the "More" option in the left-hand navigation menu. On mobile, tap your profile picture.
2. Select Privacy and safety.
3. Click on Mute and block.
4. Select Blocked accounts.

You'll now see a complete list of every account you've ever blocked.

How to Unblock an Account

Once you are on the "Blocked accounts" page, unblocking someone is a single click away:

1. Find the account you wish to unblock in the list.
2. Next to their name, you'll see a red button that says "Blocked."
3. Click or tap this button. It will change back to the standard "Follow" button.

The account is now unblocked. You can visit their profile and follow them again if you wish, and they can do the same for you.

Final Thoughts

The block function on X is more than just a feature, it's a fundamental tool for creating a safer and more enjoyable experience online. By understanding how to block, when to block versus mute, and how to manage your list, you take full control of your digital environment. It empowers you to silence the noise and focus on the connections and content that matter to you.

While blocking is a great way to handle negative interactions on your own, managing all the positive ones - the comments, DMs, and mentions - can quickly become a job in itself, especially if you manage multiple accounts. To help with that, we built a unified social inbox right into Postbase. It brings all your cross-platform conversations into one clean dashboard, making community management feel orderly instead of overwhelming, and lets you focus your energy on engaging with your audience.