How to Move from Twitter to Mastodon

Thinking about moving from Twitter to Mastodon? You're not alone. This guide breaks down exactly how to make the switch, from the first step of picking a server to the nuanced art of finding your people and rebuilding your community on a platform that puts users first.

Understanding the Fediverse: Why Mastodon Isn't Just a Twitter Clone

Before you jump in, it's helpful to understand why Mastodon feels so different from Twitter (now X). Unlike Twitter, which is a single, centralized platform owned by one company, Mastodon is part of the "Fediverse" - a decentralized network of thousands of independently owned and operated servers that can all talk to each other. Think of it like email. You can have a Gmail account, a friend can have an Outlook account, and you can still send messages to each other seamlessly. In Mastodon, each server (often called an "instance") is like a different email provider. You choose ONE to sign up on, but you can communicate with people on thousands of other servers.

This decentralized approach brings a few key changes you'll appreciate:

• No Single Algorithm: Your timeline is your own. It's chronological, showing you posts from people you follow, in the order they were posted. No "For You" page, no ads disrupting your feed, and no mystery algorithm deciding what you should see.
• Community Moderation: Each server has its own rules and moderation team. This allows communities to create safer, more tailored spaces. If you join a server focused on creative writing, you can expect moderation that supports a respectful environment for artists.
• Longer Posts and Better Features: Forget the 280-character limit. Mastodon posts can often be 500 characters or more, and the platform has built-in features like content warnings (CWs) and robust tools for adding image descriptions (alt text), which are core parts of its culture.

The biggest mindset shift is realizing you're joining a community first, not just a platform.

Step 1: Choosing a Mastodon Server (Your "Instance")

The first and most important decision you'll make is choosing a server. This will be your home base and will determine your username format (e.g., @yourname@mastodon.social). While you can interact with people across the entire Fediverse from any server, the server you choose will influence your "Local" timeline - a feed of public posts from everyone else on your instance. This makes it a great way to discover new people with shared interests.

How to Pick the Right Server for You

Don't let this step paralyze you, you can always move to a different server later without losing your followers. Here's a simple breakdown of how to choose:

1. Go General for Simplicity

If you're just dipping your toes in and want to get started quickly, joining a large, general-purpose server is a brilliant idea. They are well-maintained and open to everyone, regardless of interests.

• mastodon.social: The original flagship instance run by the Mastodon development team.
• mas.to: Another very large, stable and friendly server for general use.

2. Go Niche for Community Vibes

The real power of Mastodon lies in its topic-focused servers. Joining one based on your profession, hobby, or location is the fastest way to find your people.

• For Journalists & Academics: newsie.social, mastodon.online
• For Creatives & Artists: masto.art, mastodon.design
• For Tech Professionals: masto.host, fosstodon.org
• For Various Hobbies: You can find servers dedicated to everything from gardening and tabletop games to specific book genres.

Where to Find Servers:

The official joinmastodon.org website has a filterable directory where you can search by topic, language, and size. Spend a few minutes looking around, read the "About" pages of a few servers, and pick one that resonates. You've got this.

Step 2: Migrating Your Network from Twitter to Mastodon

Once you've created your Mastodon account, the next goal is to reconnect with your network. While you can't automatically transfer your followers, there are excellent tools to find your Twitter connections on Mastodon and quickly rebuild your feed.

Before You Go: Announce Your Move on Twitter

Your followers can't find you if they don't know where to look. Add your full Mastodon handle (e.g., @yourname@server.name) to your Twitter bio. Then, pin a tweet at the top of your profile announcing your move and sharing your new handle. This gives people a clear signpost directing them to your new profile.

Finding Your Twitter Followers on Mastodon (There's a Tool for That)

This is where the magic happens. A number of third-party tools can scan the bios of everyone you follow on Twitter to find their Mastodon handles. Fedifinder and Twitodon are two popular and reliable options. The process is straightforward:

1. Visit the tool's website (e.g., Fedifinder).
2. Grant it a one-time, read-only permission to access your Twitter account.
3. The tool will scan the accounts you follow on Twitter, looking for Mastodon-formatted handles in their bios or profile-pinned tweets.
4. After the scan is complete, it will give you the option to download a CSV file of all the Mastodon users it found.

This process is safe, simple, and takes just a few minutes. It's the single most effective way to repopulate your social graph.

Importing Your Follows into Mastodon

With your CSV file in hand, you can now bulk-follow everyone you just found. Here's how:

1. Log into your Mastodon account on a desktop browser.
2. Go to Preferences >, Import and Export >, Data Import.
3. Under "Import," choose "Following List" from the dropdown menu.
4. Upload the CSV file you downloaded from your finder tool.
5. Choose the "Merge" option to add these accounts to people you're already following.

Mastodon will process the file in the background and begin following everyone on the list. Within an hour, your home feed will start to feel familiar and full of voices you recognize.

Step 3: Building Your Presence and Engaging Like a Pro

Moving to Mastodon is more than just a technical migration, it's a cultural one. Unlike the chaotic, algorithm-driven environment of Twitter, engagement here is more deliberate and community-oriented. Here are the unwritten rules for thriving.

Your First Post: The #Introduction Drip

Once you've settled in, your first post should be a proper introduction. This is a cherished tradition on Mastodon. Write a post introducing yourself, what you do, and what your interests are. Be authentic and a little detailed. Critically, tag it with #Introduction (or #Introductions). People actively browse this hashtag to find and follow new users, making it the fastest way to gain your first organic followers.

Mastering Mastodon Etiquette

To really connect, familiarize yourself with a few key community norms:

• Use Content Warnings (CWs). Mastodon's "CW" feature hides the body of your post behind a clickable text field. It's used for general courtesy on topics like politics, spoilers, vents, or other potentially sensitive subjects. Think of it less as a trigger warning and more as a way to let people choose what they want to engage with in their feed.
• Add Alt Text to Images. The Mastodon community is deeply committed to accessibility. The platform makes it incredibly easy to add descriptive alt text to images, and people really appreciate it. Taking a moment to do this shows you care about all members of the community, especially those who use screen readers.
• Hashtags are for Discovery. With no algorithm to surface content, hashtags are your primary tool for helping people find your posts. Use them liberally, but sensibly. Also, use CamelCase for multi-word hashtags (e.g., #SocialMediaMarketing) to make them more readable for screen readers.
• Boost, Don't Quote Tweet. There is no quote-tweet functionality on Mastodon by design. This is to discourage dunking and divisive replies. Instead, you "boost" (the equivalent of a retweet) a post to share it. If you want to add your own thoughts, you can simply reply to the post. It creates a friendlier, more conversational atmosphere.

A New Content Strategy for a New Platform

For brands, marketers, and creators, the approach that worked on Twitter needs a slight adjustment. Mastodon isn't a broadcast platform where you shout into the void, it's a collection of communities where discussion is valued. Overt advertisements are often ignored, while genuine participation is rewarded.

Focus on sharing value that aligns with your server's community. If you're a developer on a tech-focused server, share an insightful article, ask for feedback on a project, or offer help. Engage in existing conversations on your server's Local timeline. The goal is to be a valued member of the community first. Then, when you do share your work or your services, it's received by an audience that already knows who you are and respects your contributions.

Final Thoughts

Making the move from Twitter to Mastodon is less a technical challenge and more an embrace of a different culture. By carefully selecting a server, using tools to find your network, and participating in the platform's community-focused customs, you can build a more rewarding and positive social media presence.

Once you're active on Mastodon alongside your other profiles on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and more, staying consistent can start to feel chaotic again. This is precisely why we built our platform, Postbase, to bring everything back into one simple, modern command center. We designed a clean, visual calendar and a scheduling tool that were made for today's media reality - including short-form video - so you can plan, post, and engage across every platform from one place, without the frustration of using tools built for a different era of social media.