How to Change Privacy Settings on Twitter in 5 Steps

A popular social networking site, Twitter lets you share your thoughts with fellow Tweeps. Every tweet is public by default. In other words, everyone can view what you post. Since Elon Musk acquired Twitter, he has contemplated making policy changes to help you reconsider how you interact with the platform.

If you prefer greater privacy, you can modify your Twitter settings only to let your followers see your posts. This feature is known as protected tweets. It gives you more control over your posts as you directly approve your followers. You can control the tweets that others can view. On iOS devices, you can disable sensitive content even without setting the account to private. You can also achieve this by turning off the tweets’ sensitive content alert.

Your privacy preferences significantly impact the subjects and trends in your feed and what you view on the platform. You can configure direct messages, tweets, topics, and content preferences in the privacy and safety section. Our detailed guide shows you how to change privacy settings on Twitter.

Method One: Change Twitter Privacy and Settings on a Browser

Follow the steps below to change your privacy settings on your PC.

Step 1: Sign into your Twitter Account

Step 2: Go to Settings

After logging on to your account, click the three dots (more) in the bottom left corner of your sidebar. 

Click Settings and Support to launch the drop-down menu on the secondary menu, then click on Settings and Privacy.

Step 3: Click Privacy and Safety

On the subsequent menu, click Privacy and Safety to manage the information you can see and share on Twitter.

Step 4: Click Audience and Tagging

Step 5: Click on Protect your Tweets

This is where you select who views your account information by clicking the checkbox next to Protect your Tweets. 

Step 6: Click protect to confirm your decision

Step 7: Photo Tagging Preference

Click Photo Tagging and toggle the button to the right to allow anyone to tag you in their photos. 

That’s it! You’re good to go. Now your settings are set as per your preferences.

Method Two: Change Twitter Privacy and Settings on the Mobile App

Changing your privacy settings on the mobile app slightly differs from doing it on the browser. Follow the steps below to access and change your preferences.

Step 1: Tap the Twitter App

Tap the Twitter app on your device’s app menu to launch Twitter.

Step 2: Click on Your Twitter Profile

Step 3: Select Settings and Privacy

Step 4: Go to Privacy and Safety

Step 5: Change your Settings

On Your Twitter Activity page, select Audience and tagging to proceed to the next page.

Step 6: Protect Your Tweets

Toggle the swipe button to the right to activate the Protect your Tweets feature.

The photo tagging option automatically turns off when you toggle on Protect your tweets.

Here is a brief, step-by-step video for further reference:

Other Privacy and Settings You Can Change on Twitter

There are other settings you can change on Your Twitter Activity page. These include;

Your Tweets

You can edit your tweets and mark them as sensitive in this section. It’s always a good idea to label your content as sensitive when uploading content such as violence, nudity, or other material that can be termed sensitive.

Content You See

Mute and Block 

Direct Messages

Here, you get to decide whether to allow message requests from anyone.

You can also let the people you exchange messages know when you read them. Just toggle the Send read receipts to turn on the setting.

Ads Preferences

Twitter is not averse to sharing your information and browsing activities with its commercial partners. When you visit a website with a Twitter share button or embedded tweet, it collects your details and transmits that data to assist show targeted adverts on your feed. 

To prevent Twitter from sharing your info with advertisers, from your Privacy and Safety menu, scroll down to Select Ads Preferences. A toggle option to turn off all customization and data settings is at the top.

Location Information

Suppose you want to edit location information that Twitter uses based on where you have been or your precise location; scroll down to the Location information on Your Twitter activity page. Toggle the swipe buttons to set your preferences. 

Changing your Twitter privacy settings only takes a few minutes, and you can freely engage in discussions as you explore the platform further. The good thing about Twitter is that it gives you complete control over what you can see. It also lets you decide who can read your content, which is quite cool. Just change your settings to suit your preferences and enjoy as you tweet.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©rafapress/Shutterstock.com.