To find someone on Twitter (X), type their name or username into the search box, which is at the top of x.com or behind the Explore tab in the app, then filter the results to People. If you know their email or phone number, you can also sync your contacts, and X will show you which of them are on X.
If that doesn't turn them up, it's usually not you. X gives people settings that stop them being found by email or phone, and a few other reasons someone won't show. Here's every route X offers, as of October 2026, and what each one depends on.
The four ways X lets you look someone up
| Method | What you need | What it depends on |
|---|---|---|
| Search by name or username | Their name or @username | Safe search may hide some accounts from results |
| Go straight to their profile | Their exact username | The account existing and not blocking you |
| Sync your contacts | Their email or phone in your address book | Them allowing people to find them by email or phone |
| Who to follow suggestions | Nothing, X picks for you | Your contacts, activity, location and other signals |
Searching for a person by name
- On x.com, use the search box at the top of your Home timeline. In the X app for iOS or Android, tap the Explore tab to get the search box.
- Type the person's name or username and tap Search.
- Tap People at the top of the results to see accounts only.
- In the iOS app, tap the filter icon to switch between All people and People you follow, and between Everywhere and Near you.
The People filter matters more than it sounds. X's results mix posts, photos and accounts by default, so a common name gets buried under posts that mention it. Filtering to People, then Near you, is the fastest way to narrow a common name.
Going straight to a profile by username
If you know someone's exact username, skip search. X's own tip is to type it into your browser as x.com/ followed by the username. If the profile loads, that's them. If nothing loads, the account may not exist under that name any more.
If you need a user's numeric ID rather than their profile, that's a different job: here's how to find an X user ID from a username.
Finding people from your phone contacts
X lets you upload your address book so it can show you which of your contacts are already on X. In the app:
- Tap your profile icon, then Settings and privacy.
- Open Discoverability and contacts.
- Turn on Sync address book contacts.
- X shows the accounts of contacts who are already on X.
Know what you're agreeing to. X says syncing uploads your device's contacts on an ongoing basis, and it may use them to personalise content and suggestions for you and for other people. Turning sync off on one device only stops that device. X keeps the contacts you've already uploaded unless you choose Remove all contacts, and even then it says suggestions based on them may linger for a while.
On a Professional Account, X puts the same feature under Professional Tools, Professional Home, then Make more connections.
Why someone you know won't show up on X
This is the bit nobody tells you. Contact syncing only finds people who have allowed others to find them by their email address or phone number. Every X account has two settings, Let others find you by your email and Let others find you by your phone. If the person has switched those off, your uploaded contacts won't lead to them, however many times you sync.
- Discoverability is off. They've chosen not to be found by email or phone. Search by name or username instead.
- Safe search is filtering them. X says safe search removes potentially sensitive content and accounts you've muted or blocked from your results. You can change it on x.com, and the setting then applies on the web and in both apps.
- They've blocked you. X says if you tap Follow on their profile and get an error message, the account has blocked you from following them.
- They use a different number. X allows several accounts on one phone number, each with its own discoverability setting, so you may find one of their accounts but not another.
If you suspect a block, here's how to tell if someone blocked you.
Letting X suggest people for you
When you log in to x.com, X shows Who to follow suggestions next to your Home timeline, in Notifications, on profiles and in search results. It also sends suggestions by email. X says suggestions can be based on your uploaded contacts, people who have your email or phone in theirs, your city or country, your activity on X, and, if your settings allow, visits to other websites that show X content. Some suggestions are Promoted Accounts.
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It works both ways. If someone has your email or phone number in their contacts and has synced them, X may suggest you to them, unless you've turned your discoverability settings off.
Once you've found them
Tap Follow on their profile, or tap the icon at the top of one of their posts and choose Follow. If they're standing next to you, X also lets you scan their profile QR code. Two reasons the follow might not work, from X: their posts are protected, so they have to approve your request first, or you've hit X's daily follow limit, which it uses to cut spam.
My advice
I'd search by name first, filter to People and then Near you if the name is common. If that fails and you've got their phone number, sync your contacts once, and then remove them afterwards if you don't want X keeping your address book. And if someone clearly doesn't want to be found, I'd respect that.
This guide is part of my Twitter (X) Help: 21 Guides to Features, Verification, Video Fixes and Tools.
Frequently asked questions
How do I search for a person on Twitter?
Type their name or username into the search box at the top of x.com, or under the Explore tab in the app, then tap People to filter the results to accounts.
Can I find someone on X by their phone number?
Only through contact syncing, and only if they allow it. X says synced contacts show people who have let others find them by their email address or phone number.
Why can't I find someone on X?
They may have turned off being found by email or phone, safe search may be hiding them, they may have blocked you, or the username may have changed.
Does X tell someone I searched for them?
X's search and people-finding articles don't describe any notification when you search for someone.
How do I stop X using my contacts?
Turn off Sync address book contacts in Discoverability and contacts. X says to also tap Remove all contacts, or it keeps the contacts you already uploaded.
