Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Shield your tweets
• Method 2 of 2: Accept follow requests
• Warnings

If you haven't changed anything, your Twitter account will be public, which means that your tweets can be seen by anyone and you can be followed by anyone. If you make your account private, only users approved by you can read your tweets. This is a handy way to shield your account from, for example, your employer or other people. In this article we will tell you how.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Shield your tweets

1. Think carefully before you hide your tweets. Before you change your settings, it is good to know what it actually means. The following restrictions apply when shielding tweets:
   • Others must ask for your approval before they can follow you and you must approve every request.
   • Your tweets are only visible to users you have approved.
   • Other users cannot retweet your tweets.
   • Protected tweets are not displayed in Twitter or Google searches.
   • If you @reply someone who doesn't follow you, they won't be able to read your answer (because they don't have permission to see your tweets). For example: if you want to tweet a Dutch celebrity, they will not be able to see it because you have not allowed him / her to follow you.
   • Anything you tweeted while your account was public will now be private and only visible to approved followers.
   • You can't share permanent links to your tweets with anyone other than the followers you've approved.
2. Log in with your username and password.
3. Click on the gear icon. Click on "Settings".
4. Click on "Account & Privacy". Check the box next to "Hide my tweets".
5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Save". From now on, all your tweets are protected and will only be viewed by people you have approved.
6. Make your tweets public again. If you want to make your tweets public again, all you have to do is uncheck the box next to "Hide my tweets".
   • Any tweets you posted while your account was protected will become public as a result.
   • Check who wants to follow you before making your account public, as these people will not be automatically accepted. They will have to submit a new follow request.

Method 2 of 2: Accept follow requests

1. Go to your home page.
2. Check if you have follow requests. A large button in the left sidebar indicates if you have follow requests.
   • You will also receive an email when you receive a new follow request.
3. View the follow requests. Click the button to view the profiles of users who want to follow you. You will see the username, profile picture and a link to their Twitter profile.
4. Click on "Accept" or "Reject". Refused users will not be notified. Accepted users can now read your tweets, but they cannot retweet the tweets (because their followers are not allowed to read your tweets).

Warnings

• Public tweets you have previously posted will always remain public and findable, even if you choose to hide your tweets. Only the tweets posted after you update your settings will be protected.
• You can delete all public tweets to keep your information private.
• Twitter users who do not follow you cannot read your replies to tweets. If you want certain users to be able to read what you reply, you must invite these users to follow you.