How to Remove Followers on Twitter (X) Without Blocking Them (2026)

Can You Remove Followers on X Without Blocking Them

Short answer: not directly. X does not give you a button that says remove this follower. I get asked this a lot, and people are often disappointed by the answer.

There are two workarounds that work. One removes a single follower using the block and unblock trick. The other clears your whole follower list by switching your account to private, then back to public.

Neither is perfect. Both have side effects I will explain below, so you can decide which fits your situation.

Method One: Block Then Unblock

This is the closest thing to removing one follower without a lasting block. When you block someone, X automatically removes them from your followers list. When you unblock them straight after, they are not re-added.

They can still follow you again if your account is public, since nothing stops them finding your profile and hitting follow once more. If that is a risk, you may need to leave the block in place instead.

1. Go to the follower's profile.
2. Tap the three dots or the menu icon.
3. Select Block.
4. Wait a moment, then go back to their profile.
5. Select Unblock.

This removes them as a follower immediately. They will not get a notification telling them they were blocked or removed.

Method Two: Make Your Account Private Temporarily

Switching your account to private, sometimes called protected, clears your current followers. Anyone who wants to follow you again after that has to send a new follow request, which you can approve or ignore.

This is a blunt tool. It removes every follower, not just one. If you have thousands of followers you want to keep, this is not the right method for you.

1. Open Settings and privacy.
2. Go to Privacy and safety.
3. Find Audience and tagging.
4. Turn on Protect your posts.
5. Wait, then turn it back off if you want to go public again.

I would only use this if you are doing a full reset, such as after a leaked account or unwanted mass following from bots.

What Happens to the Person You Remove

They are not told they have been removed as a follower. There is no notification for this on X, so most people never notice unless they check your follower count or try to message you and lose access to DMs.

If you used the block and unblock method, your previous interactions, likes, and replies from that person usually stay visible unless you deleted them separately.

If you used the private account method, people who were removed simply see your profile as private now, and they will need to request to follow you again if they want back in.

Why X Does Not Offer a Direct Remove Button

I cannot tell you the internal reasoning at X, because that is not public information. What I can say plainly is that no official remove follower feature exists at the time of writing.

Platforms that allow this kind of silent removal often get criticised for enabling harassment or confusion, so it is possible this is a deliberate choice. It is also possible it is simply not a priority feature.

Either way, do not wait for an update that adds this. Plan around the tools that exist now.

When to Use Each Method

Use block and unblock when you want to remove one specific person quietly and you are not worried about them following you again later.

Use the private account reset when you want a clean slate, such as after your account was compromised, or you suspect a wave of fake accounts followed you and you want them gone in one move.

If you need to remove dozens of specific accounts without touching the rest, you will need to block and unblock each one individually. There is no bulk tool for this.

Things to Check Before You Start

Think about whether the follower has interacted with your posts in ways you want kept, such as useful replies or shares. Removing them does not usually delete that history, but it is worth checking first.

If you run a business account, consider whether removing followers affects any analytics or reporting you rely on. A sudden drop in followers can look odd in monthly reports if you have not noted why.

Finally, decide whether you need them gone, or whether muting them quietly solves the real problem without changing your follower count at all.

My Plain Advice

If one person is bothering you, block and unblock does the job without a permanent block showing on your end. If you want a full reset, go private for a short time, then switch back.

There is no secret settings menu with a hidden remove follower option. I would rather tell you that clearly now than have you hunting through settings for something that is not there.

Pick the method that matches the size of the problem, make the change, and move on.

Frequently asked questions

Can you remove followers on Twitter without blocking them permanently?

Yes. Block the account, then unblock it straight after. This removes them as a follower without leaving a lasting block, though they can follow you again if your account is public.

Does making your account private remove all your followers?

Yes, switching to a private account clears your current follower list. Anyone who wants to follow you again must send a new request, which you can approve or decline.

Will someone know if I removed them as a follower?

No, X does not send a notification when someone is removed as a follower using either method. They may only notice if they check your follower count or lose access to messaging you.

Is there a way to remove multiple followers at once?

No, X does not offer a bulk removal tool for specific followers. You would need to block and unblock each one individually, or reset everyone at once using the private account method.

More X and Twitter fixes: the X help guide.