Okay, so check it, I was messing around on Twitter the other day, right? And I started thinking, “Man, I don’t really want everyone knowing who I’m following.” You know? Keep things a little more private. So, I went down a rabbit hole trying to figure out how to hide my following list on Twitter. Turns out, it’s kinda tricky, but I found a few workarounds that seem to do the job. Here’s what I did:
First things first: Accept the Hard Truth
Twitter, or X whatever you wanna call it now, doesn’t have a straightforward “hide your following” button. Bummer, I know. So, you gotta get creative. Basically, there’s no magic switch to flip and make your following list disappear from public view.
Option 1: Go Private (Lock Your Account)
This is the nuclear option, but it’s the most effective. I thought about it for a minute, and I almost went this route. Here’s the deal: if you make your account private, only your approved followers can see your tweets, your profile info (including who you follow), and your likes.
- To do this, I went to my Twitter settings (the gear icon).
- Then, I clicked on “Privacy and safety.”
- And then, I found the “Protect your Tweets” option and toggled it on.
The downside? Only people who already follow you (or request to follow you and get approved) will see anything. No more public retweets, no more accidentally going viral. It’s a big change. Ultimately, I decided against this because I kinda like the occasional random person stumbling across my witty insights (or whatever, haha).
Option 2: The Block-Unblock Dance (a bit tedious, but kinda works)
Okay, this is a little weird, but hear me out. This is the option I actually tried. The idea is to block and then immediately unblock people you don’t want seeing who you follow. This doesn’t remove them as followers, but it supposedly resets their view of your profile for a short period. They won’t see your following list right away.
- I picked a few accounts I suspected were being nosy.
- I went to their profile, clicked the three dots, and chose “Block.”
- Immediately after, I clicked the three dots again and chose “Unblock.”
I know, it sounds insane, and it’s not a permanent solution. But some people online swear it works temporarily. I can’t say for sure if it did anything, but it made me feel like I was doing something, at least. It’s like rearranging furniture to feel like you’re cleaning. Plus, it’s a LOT of work if you have a ton of followers.
Option 3: The “Mute” Strategy (Less about hiding, more about ignoring)
This doesn’t actually hide your following list, but it’s a good way to avoid certain people seeing your activity. If you mute someone, they won’t see your tweets in their timeline, even if they follow you. They can still view your profile directly (and see who you follow if your account is public), but at least they won’t get updates about it.
- Go to the person’s profile.
- Click the three dots.
- Select “Mute.”
This is more about managing your own sanity than actual privacy, but hey, it’s something.
Option 4: Be Mindful of Who You Follow (The long game)
This is the most boring but probably the most sensible advice. Before you click that “Follow” button, think about whether you really want everyone knowing you’re following that account. If it’s something you’d rather keep private, maybe don’t follow them on your main account. Maybe make a burner account just for following stuff you don’t want linked to your real name.
My Conclusion
Honestly, Twitter’s privacy options are kinda weak when it comes to hiding your following list. There’s no perfect solution. I ended up sticking with a public account and just being a little more careful about who I follow. The block-unblock thing might work for some people, but it’s too much hassle for me. And going private felt too restrictive. So, yeah, that’s my experience. Hope it helps someone!
