To use X (formerly Twitter), sign up with an email address or phone number, choose a username, follow some accounts and Topics, then write posts of up to 280 characters with photos, a GIF or a video. From there you reply, repost, quote, search and organise accounts into Lists, switching between a For you timeline of recommendations and a Following timeline of only the accounts you follow.
One thing X's own Help pages don't agree on is how long a longer post can be. The How to Post page says subscribers can write up to 4,000 characters, while the Types of Posts and X Premium pages both say up to 25,000. All of them agree a normal post is 280. X Help says longer posts come with X Premium and the Plus, Premium, Super and Ultra plans on The X Subscription. My advice: trust the counter in the composer, not any number you read online, including mine.
The second surprise is the @ sign. X Help says that if a post starts with a username, only people who follow both you and that account see it in their Home timeline. Put a word before the @ and all your followers can see it. If you're wondering why everyone still says Twitter, here's what Twitter is called now and why.
Set up your account
- Sign up with an email address or phone number. You can also sign up with a Google or Apple account. An email address is verified by a confirmation email and isn't shown publicly. A phone number is verified with an SMS code, or a voice call if you ask for one.
- Pick a username, also called a handle. X Help says it must be fewer than 15 characters and can't contain "admin" or "X". You can change it later in settings as long as the new one isn't taken.
- Edit your profile. Add a header photo (X recommends 1500x500 pixels) and a profile photo (400x400), plus a name, bio, location, birth date and website. Photos can be JPG, GIF or PNG, but animated GIFs aren't supported for these images.
- Follow accounts and Topics so your timeline has something in it. You can follow from a post or from someone's profile, and unfollow at any time.
Writing your first post and thread
A post can hold text, photos, GIFs, videos and links. X Help allows up to 4 media items in one post, for example 2 photos, 1 GIF and 1 video. Write your message and select Post. The circle icon by the composer tracks your progress around its edge, and when you reach 280 characters it switches to filling in.
When one post isn't enough, use a thread. In the app, tap the compose icon, write your first post, then tap the highlighted plus icon to add the next one and select Post all when you're done. A thread of 2 or 3 posts usually appears joined by a line, and longer threads collapse behind a Show this thread prompt.
Post types and who sees each one
This is based on X Help's Types of Posts and Mentions and Replies pages.
| Type | What you post | Who sees it in their Home timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Post | A message with text, photos, a GIF and/or video | Anyone following you |
| Longer post | A post past 280 characters, for subscribers | Anyone following you |
| Mention | A post with someone's @username in it | Your followers, plus the person mentioned in their Notifications tab |
| Reply | A response to someone's post | People who follow both of you, plus the person you replied to in Notifications |
| Repost | Someone's post (or your own older one) shared to your followers | All your followers |
| Quote post | Someone's post shared with your own comment added | All your followers |
Two details from X Help. A reply never shows on the other person's profile, only on the profile of whoever sent it. And in a longer post, people mentioned after the first 280 characters currently aren't notified. For the full steps on sharing, see how to repost on X.
For you or Following: picking your timeline
| Timeline | What it shows |
|---|---|
| For you | Posts from accounts and Topics you follow, plus posts X recommends based on a variety of signals |
| Following | Posts from only the accounts you follow |
Swipe or click between the two tabs. You may still see promoted posts in either, and X Help says replies in a conversation aren't always in time order, because X ranks the ones it thinks add most to the conversation.
Search, Lists and Bookmarks
- Search: type keywords or hashtags into the search box, then filter by Top, Latest, People, Photos, Videos, News or Broadcasts. You can also narrow results to people you follow or to posts near you. Safe search hides potentially sensitive content and accounts you've muted or blocked.
- Lists: group accounts by topic and read them as their own timeline. List names can't be longer than 25 characters or start with a number, and Lists are public unless you switch them to Private. You can follow a List without following everyone in it. Oddly, X Help says the only way to remove yourself from someone else's List is to block its creator.
- Bookmarks: save a post to read later from the Bookmark or share icon, then find it under Bookmarks in your menu.
If Lists sound useful, this guide to Twitter Lists covers setting them up.
Mute, block or protect your posts
X gives you three different levels of control, and they're easy to confuse.
- Mute removes an account's posts from your timeline without unfollowing or blocking. The account isn't told, and it can still follow you and send you Direct Messages.
- Block stops an account following you, messaging you or engaging with your posts. They aren't notified, but X Help says they'll see they've been blocked if they visit your profile. If your posts are public, they can still read them.
- Protected posts make everything you post visible only to followers you approve. X Help says protected posts don't appear in search engines like Google, and your followers can't repost them.
Deleting a post
You can delete any of your own posts at any time, but not other people's. X Help says there's no bulk delete, so it's one at a time. Deleting removes the post from your profile, your followers' timelines, X search and reposts of it. It won't remove quote posts where someone added their own comment, copies people pasted into their own posts, or copies cached on other websites.
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What X Premium adds
X Premium is now part of The X Subscription, and it's optional. X Help lists three tiers, Basic, Premium and Premium+. Every tier includes editing a post within 1 hour, longer posts and longer video uploads. The checkmark, reduced ads and creator earnings tools start at the Premium tier. Here's my rundown of the X subscription plans if you're weighing it up.
My verdict for new X users
X is simple to start and easy to get wrong in small ways. I'd set up a clear profile, follow a handful of accounts and Topics, and spend a few days on the Following tab before you trust For you. Never open a post with someone's @ if you want all your followers to see it. And mute before you block, because it's quieter and the other person never knows.
Frequently asked questions
How do I sign up for X?
Sign up with an email address or phone number, or with a Google or Apple account. X verifies your email by a confirmation message or your phone by an SMS code, then you pick a username and set up your profile.
Is X the same as Twitter?
Yes. X (formerly Twitter) is the same service under a new name, and X Help covers the same basics: posting, following, replying, reposting and search.
How many characters can I post on X?
A normal post is 280 characters. X Help says subscribers can write longer posts, but its pages differ on the maximum, 4,000 on one page and 25,000 on others, so trust the counter in your composer.
What is the difference between For you and Following?
For you shows posts from accounts and Topics you follow plus recommendations. Following shows posts from only the accounts you follow.
How do I repost or quote a post?
Tap the Repost icon on the post. Choose Repost to share it unchanged with your followers, or Repost as Quote to add your own comment and media first.
How do I mute or block someone on X?
Tap the more icon on one of their posts or on their profile and choose Mute or Block. Muted accounts aren't told. Blocked accounts aren't notified but can see they're blocked if they visit your profile.
How do I delete a post?
Go to your profile, find the post, tap the icon at the top of it, choose Delete post and confirm. You can only delete your own posts, one at a time, because X doesn't offer bulk delete.
