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Are you shadowbanned? The honest Twitter check.

We run the one shadowban test that is actually testable and give you a straight verdict, including “unclear” when that is the truth. No fake certainty, no scare tactics. One free check a day, because every check is a live lookup against Twitter’s API that we pay for per call.

One free check a day No sign-up No false certainty

The account to check

Public data only
@

1 free check a day · public data · honest verdict

Three steps

A handle in, a straight answer out.

1

Enter a handle

Any public Twitter account, usually your own.

2

We run the real test

We check that the account is reachable and whether it appears in Twitter search, the one signal that can be verified.

3

Read the honest verdict

Clear, flagged, or unclear, with the reason for each check spelled out.

What a “shadowban” actually is

“Shadowban” is a loose word for several different things: not appearing in search, replies being hidden behind “show more,” or reach quietly dropping. Only the first is testable from outside the platform. The others depend on how Twitter ranks content for other people, which no external tool can see. So a checker that gives you a confident green or red light on all of them is guessing.

Why an honest “unclear” beats a fake verdict

It is tempting to hand you a dramatic “YOU ARE SHADOWBANNED” because it drives clicks. We would rather be useful. When a signal is genuinely untestable, we say so, and we explain why. If your reach really has dropped, the more productive move is to check your TweepCred and your engagement rate over time, not to chase a phantom ban.

The six things Twitter can actually limit

Twitter does not use the word “shadowban” anywhere in its own documentation. What it documents is limiting post visibility, and it lists exactly what that means. Six surfaces, in Twitter’s own words:

  • Excluding the post from search results, trends, and recommended notifications
  • Removing the post from the For you and Following timelines
  • Restricting the post’s discoverability to the author’s profile
  • Downranking the post in replies
  • Restricting Likes, replies, Reposts, Quote posts, bookmarks, share, pin to profile, or Edit post
  • Excluding the post from having ads next to it

Only the first can be checked from outside.Search either returns your posts or it does not, and anyone can verify that. The rest describe how Twitter ranks your content inside other people’s feeds and replies, which is not visible to any external tool. That is the whole reason we test one thing and say so.

  • Search ban. Excluded from search results. Testable, and it is what this tool checks.
  • Ghost ban. Discoverability restricted to your own profile. Partly visible, not reliably.
  • Reply deboosting. Downranked in replies. Not testable from outside.
  • Search suggestion ban. Not named as a separate action in Twitter’s documentation at all.
  • “The algorithm hates me.” Ranking, not enforcement. It is not a ban.

Any checker that hands you a confident yes or no on all five is guessing at four of them.

How long does a Twitter shadowban last?

Twitter has never published a duration, and anyone who gives you one is guessing.You will see “24 hours”, “three days” and “two weeks” repeated across the web with nothing behind any of them. Here is what Twitter does actually document.

  • Post-level visibility limits carry a label. Since April 2023, a post whose visibility has been limited gets a label telling the author, and the author can appeal it. The clearest case is one you do not have to guess at.
  • Read-only mode is explicitly temporary. Twitter describes limiting an account’s ability to post, repost or like as a temporary measure.
  • Search filtering is behavioural, not a sentence being served. The documented causes are things you are doing, which means the fix is to stop doing them rather than to wait out a clock.
  • Profile changes take a few days to appear in search. This is the one timing Twitter does state, and it is worth knowing before you decide a fix has failed.

One thing worth holding on to while you wait: Twitter states that if you are filtered from search, your followers still receive your posts, and a reply or mention still reaches the person you sent it to. Being missing from search is not the same as being invisible.

How to get back into Twitter search

Twitter publishes the list of behaviours that get an account filtered out of search. It is short, and it is specific:

  • Repeatedly posting duplicate or near-duplicate content, including the same links
  • Abusing trending topics or hashtags
  • Sending automated posts or replies
  • Using bots or apps to post similar messages based on keywords
  • Posting similar messages across multiple accounts
  • Aggressively following and unfollowing people

Then a separate checklist for why your posts specifically may not appear:

  • Is the account protected? Only approved followers see protected posts in search.
  • Is your email address confirmed? Twitter asks you to complete account set-up with a confirmed address.
  • Could the content read as sensitive? Safe search filters potentially sensitive posts automatically, for everyone who has it switched on.
  • Is the profile filled in? Account search prefers a complete name, username and bio, and changes take a few days to appear.

Check your third-party apps. Twitter says an account may be filtered from search if it is logged into an application that is updating many accounts with similar or duplicate content. That includes tools like ours, so it is worth being specific: review everything with access to your account and remove whatever you do not recognise or no longer use.

Sources for this section, all from Twitter’s own help centre: our range of enforcement options, about search rules and restrictions, and help with X search.

FAQ

Good to know

What is a shadowban on Twitter?
A shadowban is when Twitter quietly limits how far your posts spread without telling you, for example by keeping them out of search or pushing your replies below the fold. The most testable form is a search ban, where your tweets stop appearing in search results.
How do I check if I am shadowbanned?
Enter your handle above. We pull your recent original tweets and check whether they appear in a Twitter search. If they do, the most common search ban is ruled out. We then give an honest verdict, including 'unclear' when the test cannot run, rather than a fake yes or no.
Can you really detect a shadowban?
Only partly, and we are honest about that. The search-ban test is genuinely testable through the API. Other forms, like search-suggestion bans or reply deboosting, cannot be reliably confirmed from the outside, so we will not claim to measure them. Any tool that gives you a confident yes or no on every type is guessing.
Why is my reach down if I am not banned?
Almost always content and reputation, not a block. Twitter weighs your account's reputation (its TweepCred) and rewards replies, dwell time, and posts people actually engage with. Low reach usually means one of those is weak, which is good news, because those are the parts you can fix.
Is the shadowban checker free?
Yes. You get 1 free check a day, no login needed. The daily limit exists because each check is a live X API lookup, which is metered and shared with our product.
Does checking someone require their password or login?
No. The check uses only public data about the account, so you can check your own handle or anyone else's public account. Nothing is stored.
How do I fix a real search visibility issue?
Twitter publishes the causes: duplicate or near-duplicate posts, hashtag and trend abuse, automated posts and replies, the same message across several accounts, and aggressive following and unfollowing. Stop whichever one applies, check that your email is confirmed and your profile is complete, and review which third-party apps can post for you. Twitter does not publish how long filtering lasts, so treat it as behaviour to change rather than a clock to wait out.

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