To tag someone in a tweet, type the @ symbol followed by their username anywhere in your post, then post it. On X that's called a mention: the username becomes a link to their profile and the post lands in their Notifications tab. You can also tag people in a photo by tapping Tag people after you add the image.
Simple enough. But where you put the @ changes who sees the post, and there are a few cases where the person you tagged never gets told. Here's how tagging works on X (formerly Twitter) as of October 2026, from X's Help Center.
Mentioning someone in the text of a post
- Type your message in the post compose box.
- Type @ followed by the username of the account you want to tag, for example 'I'm posting on @X!'
- Tap Post. If you're replying, the button says Reply.
Once it's posted, X turns the username into a link to that account's profile page. You can mention several people in one post, and X says all of them will see it in their Notifications tab.
The @ at the start of a post rule
This is the detail that catches people out. X says that when a post begins with a username, only people who follow both you and the account you're mentioning will see it in their Home timeline. So 'hi there @username' reaches far more of your followers than '@username hi there'.
If you want all your followers to see it, X's advice is to repost or quote post instead. It also says that even if you start a reply with '.@', only relevant people, like your followers who are in the conversation, will see the reply in their Home timeline.
| How you tag | Who sees it in their Home timeline |
|---|---|
| @username in the middle or end of a post | Anyone who follows you |
| Post that starts with @username | Only people who follow both you and that account |
| Reply to someone's post | People following both of you, or people X thinks will find it relevant |
| Quote post with a mention | Anyone who follows you |
What the person you tag gets
X says a mention goes into the tagged person's Notifications tab, which only they can see. Their Notifications timeline has a Mentions view that shows only posts mentioning their username. If they follow you, the post also appears in their Home timeline. It won't appear on their profile, since X only shows people's own posts there.
X also notes that visiting someone's profile won't show posts that mention them. To see those, you search X for their username.
When a tag won't reach the person
Tagging someone doesn't guarantee they'll see it. These are the cases X describes:
- Their quality filter is on. X says it filters lower-quality content, like duplicate or automated-looking posts, from notifications. It's on by default for new users and people who reinstall the app. It doesn't filter people they follow or have recently interacted with.
- Their advanced filters are on. People can mute notifications from accounts that are new, that they don't follow, that don't follow them, with a default profile photo, or without a confirmed email or phone, as long as they don't follow you.
- They muted a word in your post. X lets people mute notifications for particular words and phrases.
- You tagged them late in a longer post. X says if you mention someone after the first 280 characters of a longer post, they currently won't be notified.
- Your posts are protected. X says if your posts are protected, only people you've approved will ever see your mentions, so someone who doesn't follow you won't.
- They left the conversation. X lets people leave a conversation from their Mentions tab, after which nobody can mention them in it again.
Brand new account with a default profile photo? Those filters may be why your tags are going unseen. Adding a photo and confirming your email and phone helps you avoid them. If you're on the receiving end and getting too many, you can mute words and notifications.
Tagging people in a photo
Photo tags are separate from @mentions. After you add a photo to a post, tap Tag people, type a full name or username, and tap Done. Three rules from X:
- Tags can't be applied to animated GIFs.
- To remove a tag, tap it and press backspace or delete, but only before you post.
- You can't remove tags from a photo once it's posted.
Photo tags also don't use up any characters: X says photo and GIF attachments don't count towards the character limit. Where your post text is tight, tagging in the photo leaves more room for words.
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Tagging people in replies
When you reply, X doesn't automatically add everyone's usernames to the start of the reply, so you get the full character limit. Tap Replying to above the compose box to see who's included. X shows up to 50 people, and you can untick anyone except the author of the post you're replying to. To add someone, type their username into the reply, which does count towards your characters.
You can also control replies to your own post. With Only accounts you mention, only the people you tag can reply. X says that on a longer post, you have to mention those accounts in the first 280 characters for that to work.
My take on tagging
I'd put the @ mid-sentence, not at the start, unless you only want mutual followers to see it. Tag people because the post is about them or for them, not to grab attention, and if it's something private, DM them instead. A mention is public to everyone who follows you.
Related guides live in the Twitter (X) Help: 21 Guides to Features, Verification, Video Fixes and Tools.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tag someone in a tweet?
Type @ followed by their username anywhere in your post, then post it. X turns the username into a link and the post shows in their Notifications tab.
Why can't my followers see my tweet that starts with @?
X says a post beginning with a username only appears in the Home timeline of people who follow both you and the account you mentioned. Start with another word, or quote post.
Can I tag someone in a GIF on X?
No. X says tags can't be applied to animated GIFs. You can tag people in photos by tapping Tag people.
Can I remove a photo tag after posting?
No. X says you can only remove a tag before you post the photo. You can't remove tags from a photo once it's posted.
Why didn't the person I tagged get a notification?
Their quality filter or advanced filters may hide mentions from new accounts or accounts with a default profile photo, or you tagged them after the first 280 characters of a longer post.
