- What Twitter Circle was
- What still works after the shutdown
- How to remove someone from your old Circle
- Five ways to post to a smaller audience now
- Protected posts: the closest thing to Circle
- Before you switch between public and protected
- Private Lists
- Communities
- Subscriptions
- Group chats
- Which option suits a business account
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
Twitter Circle, later X Circle, no longer works. X says it deprecated Circles as of 31 October 2023: since then you can't create new posts limited to your Circle or add anyone to it. The only thing left is removing people, which you do by unfollowing them. To share with a smaller audience now, use protected posts, a private List, a Community, Subscriptions or a group chat.
If you've searched for the Circle option in the post composer and it's gone, nothing's wrong with your app. Here's what X says happened, what that means for posts you shared before, and the closest replacements.
What Twitter Circle was
Circle let you limit a post to a smaller group of people you'd chosen, instead of all your followers. It suited updates you didn't want on your public timeline. X switched it off on 31 October 2023, and its help page now covers only what still works and how to remove people.
What still works after the shutdown
| Action | Possible now? |
|---|---|
| Create a new post limited to your Circle | No |
| Add someone to your Circle | No |
| Remove someone from your Circle | Yes, by unfollowing them |
How to remove someone from your old Circle
- Log in to x.com.
- Go to the profile of the account that's in your Circle and unfollow it.
- They're no longer in your Circle and can no longer see your past Circle posts.
- Follow them again if you want to; X says they won't be added back to your Circle.
That third step is the useful one: unfollowing is the way to take back access to anything you shared in your Circle in the past.
Five ways to post to a smaller audience now
| Option | Who sees it | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Protected posts | Only your approved followers | A private personal account |
| Private List | Only you | Following a select group without telling them |
| Communities | Members of the Community | A group around a shared interest |
| Subscriptions | Paying subscribers | Exclusive content for supporters |
| Group chat | People you approve into the chat | Small, ongoing conversations |
Protected posts: the closest thing to Circle
Protecting your posts makes your whole account private, rather than one post at a time. X says that when your posts are protected:
- New followers have to request to follow you, and you approve or deny them.
- Your posts, and links to them, are visible only to your followers.
- Followers can't repost or quote them.
- They won't appear in search engines such as Google, and only you and your followers can find them in X search.
- Replies you send to accounts that don't follow you won't be seen by them.
X also warns that followers can still screenshot your posts, and that links to media aren't protected: anyone with the link can view it. People who followed you before you protected your account keep access unless you block them. Here's how to make your X account private step by step.
Before you switch between public and protected
Think about the direction you're switching, because X treats them differently:
- Public to protected: your earlier posts stop being public on X and drop out of public X search. Only you and your followers can find them.
- Protected to public: every post you made while protected becomes public too. There's no way to keep the old ones private.
X adds one warning sign to watch for: if your posts have always been protected and they still show up in search results, change your password straight away and revoke access for any third-party apps you don't trust.
Private Lists
A List is a feed of chosen accounts. Lists are public by default, but you can switch on the Private slider when you create one so only you can see it. X says List names can't be longer than 25 characters or start with a number. A private List doesn't let you post to people, but it's a quiet way to keep up with a small group.
Communities
Communities are groups built around a topic, where members post to each other. X's Premium page lists creating a Community among the features available on every Premium tier, so you'll need a paid plan to start one, though anyone can join. My guide on how to join or leave an X Community covers the member side.
Subscriptions
If your Circle was really about giving your biggest fans something extra, Subscriptions is X's paid replacement. X says posts made for subscribers, and the replies to them, are only seen by other subscribers of that creator; non-subscribers see a preview. Creators can also hold subscriber-only Spaces and limit replies on public posts to subscribers.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Group chats
For a handful of close contacts, a group chat in X's Chat is the most private option. You can create an invite link, and people who click it are only added if an admin approves them. If everyone has registered for Chat, the conversation is encrypted.
Which option suits a business account
For a brand, protecting the whole account usually backfires: your posts drop out of search engines and nobody new can find you. Keep the main account public and use Subscriptions or a Community for the inner-circle content, and a group chat for a small group of clients or partners. That way you keep your public reach and still have somewhere quieter to talk.
My verdict
Circle isn't coming back, so stop looking for the toggle. If you want a private personal account, protect your posts. If you want to reward loyal followers or customers, Subscriptions is the closest match to how many people used Circle, and for small group conversations a Chat group with approval-only invites does the job without making your whole account private.
Private conversations are the other side of a smaller audience, and my page on XChat looks at X's messaging app.
Frequently asked questions
Is Twitter Circle still available?
No. X says it deprecated Circles as of 31 October 2023, so you can't create new Circle posts or add people to a Circle.
How do I remove someone from my Twitter Circle?
Unfollow them. X says they'll no longer be in your Circle and can no longer see your past Circle posts, even if you follow them again.
Can people still see my old Circle posts?
People still in your Circle can. Unfollow anyone you want to remove and they lose access to your past Circle posts.
What is the best Twitter Circle alternative?
Protected posts for a private account, Subscriptions for exclusive content, Communities for interest groups, or a group chat with approval-only invites for a small circle.
