Locked or restricted Twitter accounts
Help with locked or limited account
If your Twitter account is locked or limited to certain account features, it may be compromised or in violation of the Twitter Rules or Terms of Service. When this happens, the first step is to verify you are the rightful account owner. Keep reading to get help restoring account access, or check out our FAQs to learn more about locked and limited accounts.
- Log in to your account. (If you don’t have login access to your account, Contact our support team.)
- Look for the message letting you know Your account has been locked.
- Select Start.
- Enter your phone number. Please note that we will associate this phone number with your account.
- We will send you a text message, or you will receive a phone call, with a verification code. It may take a few minutes for the code to be delivered to your phone.
- Once you’ve entered the verification code, click or tap Submit to unlock your account.
If you have an email address associated with your account, we also sent instructions to that address. If you don’t see an email from us, please check your spam, junk and social folders.
- Log in to your account. (If you don’t have login access to your account, Contact our support team.)
- Look for the message letting you know to verify your account.
- Select Start.
- On the next screen, select Send email to begin the verification process.
- Check your email inbox for an email from Twitter containing a verification code. It may take a few minutes for the code to be delivered to your email inbox.
- Once you’ve entered the verification code, select Verify to unlock your account.
If you don’t see an email from us, please check your spam, junk, and social folders.
If your account is in this state, people who visit your profile may see a message letting them know the account has displayed unusual activity and asking them to confirm they still want to view it.
- Log in to your account. (If you don’t have login access to your account, Contact our support team.)
- Look for the message letting you know to please verify your account.
- Select Start.
- You will see a pinwheel or wait cursor while the captcha check completes in the background. You do not need to do anything.
- Once we’ve confirmed you are not a robot, select Continue to Twitter to unlock your account.
If you have an email address associated with your account, we also sent instructions to that address. If you don’t see an email from us, please check your spam, junk and social folders.
If your account is in this state, people who visit your profile may see a message letting them know the account has displayed unusual activity and asking them to confirm they still want to view it.
If you see a message that says your account has been locked for security purposes, this means that we have detected suspicious behavior, and it appears as though your account may have been compromised.
If you still have access to your account
When you log in or open your app, you’ll see a message with instructions on how to restore access and secure your account by changing your password. If you have an email address associated with your account, we’ll also send instructions to that address. Please check your spam, junk, and social folders if you don’t see an email from us.
If you can log in, but still need help unlocking your Twitter account, try reading our FAQs for more troubleshooting tips.
If you don’t have account access and can’t log in
Contact our support team for additional help accessing and unlocking your account.
About locked accounts
Why do you need my phone or email to unlock my account?
What should I do if I’m setting up my account and get locked out?
How do I unlock an account if I don’t have access to the phone or email associated with my account?
What happens when my account is locked for security purposes?
How do I confirm I’m the account owner
About limited accounts
Why did I receive a message that my account features are temporarily limited?
Why can I Tweet from a browser, but not my app?
Some of your account features are limited due to suspicious activity
What should I do if my account features are limited due to suspicious activity?
What does temporary limited state mean?
How do I choose to use Twitter in a limited state?
How do I use my phone number or email to verify my account and restore features?
Your account is limited because it may have violated the Twitter Rules
What happens when my account is limited because it may have violated the Twitter Rules?
What should I do if my account is limited due to a violation?
About locked accounts
Why do you need my phone or email to unlock my account?
When you sign up or try to log into Twitter we ask for additional information like an email and / or phone number that helps us identify you as the account owner.
What should I do if I’m setting up my account and get locked out?
If you’re setting up a new account and get locked out, contact our support team.
How do I unlock an account if I don’t have access to the phone or email associated with my account?
If you’ve lost access to the email or phone number associated with your account contact our support team. Sometimes the only option in this situation is to create a new account.
What happens when my account is locked for security purposes?
If your account is locked because we’ve detected suspicious automated behavior that violates the Twitter Rules, you’ll need to confirm you’re the valid account owner. When your account is in this state, people who visit your profile may see a message letting them know the account has displayed unusual activity and asking them to confirm they still want to view it.
How do I confirm I’m the account owner?
To unlock your Twitter account, we need to confirm you are the valid owner. Depending on the verification message you see, try verifying your account by phone, email or recaptcha challenge.
About limited accounts
Why did I receive a message that my account features are temporarily limited?
Conversations are core to Twitter, but if we detect behavior that may violate the Twitter Rules or inhibit other people’s ability to express themselves freely, we may temporarily limit certain account features. For example, this could mean only your followers are able see your activity on Twitter, including Tweets, likes, Retweets, etc. Limiting the reach of potentially abusive content creates a safer environment and stronger Twitter community.
When you log in and see this message, select Continue to Twitter to initiate the countdown to restore your account features. You can read more about Twitter’s abusive behavior policy, and find guidelines for our hateful conduct policy.
How are my account features limited?
If you’ve received a message that your account features are limited, this could mean that only your followers are able see your activity on Twitter, including Tweets, likes, Retweets, etc.
Why can I Tweet from a browser, but not my app?
If your account is in a limited state, you may only have access to certain features including access to Tweet from a desktop platform and not an app.
Some of your account features are limited due to suspicious activity
What should I do if my account features are limited due to suspicious activity?
If your account appears to have exhibited aggressive following or aggressive engagements (such as, like, Retweet, and Quote Tweet), which violates the Twitter Rules, you will see a message that your account’s features have been limited for a specified time, which varies based on the nature of the violation.
You will have two options to choose from:
Use Twitter in a temporary, limited state for the specified time listed.
Complete our instructions to verify your phone number or email address.
Note: If your account appears to have engaged in repeated violations of the Twitter Rules, or has aggressively engaged with other accounts, you may not be presented with the option to verify by phone. In this case, you will only be able to use Twitter in a limited state for the specified time listed.
What does temporary, limited state mean?
During a limited state, your account and Tweets may be filtered out of certain places on Twitter, including from search results and notifications.
How do I choose to use Twitter in a limited state?
When you log in and see a message that your account is temporarily limited, select Continue to Twitter to initiate the countdown to restore your account features. You can read more about Twitter’s abusive behavior policy, and find guidelines for our hateful conduct policy.
If you choose the option to use your account in a limited state, your account will remain limited for the specified time, and you won’t see the option to restore your account by verification again.
How do I use my phone number or email to verify my account and restore features?
To restore your account by verifying your phone number or email address, select Verify, and follow the instructions we provide. Verifying your phone number and email address helps reduce potentially automated or scripted activity on Twitter.
Note: If your account appears to have engaged in repeated violations of the Twitter Rules, or has aggressively engaged with other accounts, you may not be presented with the option to verify by phone. In this case, you will only be able to use Twitter in a limited state for the specified time listed.
Your account is limited because it may have violated the Twitter Rules
What happens when my account is limited because it may have violated the Twitter Rules?
If your account has been limited because it may have violated the Twitter Rules, you can still browse Twitter, but while in this state, you can only send Direct Messages to your followers. You will not be able to engage in actions such as Tweeting, Retweeting, or liking, and only your followers can see your past Tweets.
If your account is temporarily restricted, people who visit your profile may see a message letting them know the account may have violated the Twitter Rules and asking them to confirm they still want to view it.
What should I do if my account is limited due to a violation?
To restore your account, log in and look for the message letting you know We’ve temporarily limited some of your account features. Select Start and follow the instructions to complete the requested actions.
We may ask you to complete certain actions before we start the countdown on your limited state. These actions may include verifying your email address, adding a phone number to your account, or deleting Tweets that are in violation of our rules.
Note: Repeat violations of the Twitter Rules may lead to permanent suspension.
If you feel that your account has been limited in error, you can appeal by contacting our support team.
Deactivations, appeals and other locked account information
If you feel that your account has been locked in error, you can appeal by contacting our support team.
How to deactivate your locked accounts
To deactivate your locked account, please refer to our troubleshooting articles or submit a request here. Requests can also be addressed to the contacts listed under the How To Contact Us section of our Privacy Policy.
How to request a copy of your personal information
Locked accounts can submit a request to access their information here. Requests can also be addressed to the contacts listed under the How To Contact Us section of our Privacy Policy.
When you sign up or try to log into Twitter we may ask for additional information like an email and/or phone number that helps us identify you as the account owner. Keep this information updated. You’ll need it to restore access if your account becomes locked or limited.
Learn what to do if you were temporarily locked out due to too many login attempts, or how to keep your account secure.
