How to Hide Who You’re Following on Twitter: A Step-by-Step Guide

Twitter is a platform where people share their thoughts, ideas, and follow other accounts that interest them. However, some users may want to keep their following list private for various reasons, whether it’s to maintain privacy or simply avoid being scrutinized by others. Unfortunately, Twitter doesn't offer a direct option to completely hide your following list, but there are a few workarounds that can help you achieve more privacy. In this blog, we’ll show you how to hide who you're following on Twitter, including adjusting your privacy settings and exploring alternative methods.

Why You Might Want to Hide Your Following List

There are many reasons you may want to hide your following list on Twitter:

• Privacy Concerns: You may not want others to know who you’re following, especially if you're following accounts for research, inspiration, or personal reasons.

• Protecting Personal Interests: You may follow niche or controversial accounts and prefer not to have that information publicly available.

• Avoiding Judgment: Some people feel uncomfortable being judged based on their following choices, and hiding the list can prevent unwanted opinions.

While Twitter doesn’t allow you to hide your following list directly, there are steps you can take to limit its visibility.

1. Switch Your Account to Private (Protect Your Tweets)

One of the most effective ways to hide who you're following is to make your Twitter account private. This ensures that only your followers can see your tweets and who you follow.

How to Set Your Account to Private:

1. Open Twitter and log into your account.

2. Click on your profile picture in the top left corner to access the settings menu.

3. Go to “Settings and privacy.”

4. Click on “Privacy and safety.”

5. Under the "Audience and tagging" section, toggle the switch for “Protect your Tweets” to the “On” position.

By doing this, only people you approve to follow you can see your posts, likes, and who you're following.

What Happens When You Make Your Account Private:

• Your following list becomes visible only to people who are approved to follow you.

• Non-followers will not be able to see your tweets, following, or followers.

2. Use a Separate Account for Sensitive Following Lists

Another way to maintain privacy is to create a second Twitter account to follow accounts you don’t want others to see. This can be particularly useful if you want to follow niche or personal accounts but don’t want your main followers to know about them.

How to Create a Separate Twitter Account:

1. Sign out of your current Twitter account or use the Twitter app’s “Switch Accounts” feature.

2. Create a new account by selecting “Sign up” and following the prompts.

3. Once you’ve set up your new account, you can follow the accounts you wish to keep private.

This strategy allows you to separate your personal, private interests from your public ones, and it also allows you to keep different follower lists for each account.

3. Use Lists to Curate What You See Without Following Accounts Publicly

Twitter allows you to create “Lists,” which are a private way to organize accounts into categories without following them publicly. Lists don’t show up on your following list, so this is a great workaround for those who want to keep track of specific accounts but don’t want them to be visible to others.

How to Create and Use Twitter Lists:

1. Go to the Twitter profile page of the account you want to add to a list.

2. Click on the three dots (more options) next to the Follow button.

3. Select “Add or remove from Lists.”

4. Either select an existing list or create a new list by clicking on “Create a new list.”

5. Choose whether you want the list to be public or private. A private list will only be visible to you.

By using private lists, you can follow accounts and organize them without others knowing who you’re following.

4. Remove Followers (If You Want to Limit Visibility)

If your goal is to reduce your followers to only those who need to see your following list and tweets, you might consider removing followers who don’t need access to that information. This step is a bit drastic, but it ensures that only a select group of people can view your activities.

How to Remove Followers:

1. Go to your profile and click on “Followers.”

2. Find the follower you wish to remove, and click the three dots next to their name.

3. Select “Remove this follower.”

This will remove them from your followers list, and they will no longer see your tweets, including who you follow.

5. Be Mindful of Who You Follow

If you're concerned about privacy and don’t want to rely on workarounds, it’s always a good idea to be cautious about who you follow in the first place. Avoid following accounts that you don’t want others to see or use the list feature to organize your private following choices.

Limitations of These Methods

While these methods can help you protect your privacy to some extent, there are a few limitations:

• Public Followers: If you have a public account, even if your account is private, people who follow you can still see who you follow.

• Notifications: Twitter notifies users when they are added to lists or removed as followers. If privacy is a primary concern, this might cause discomfort for some.

Conclusion

Although Twitter does not allow you to hide your following list entirely, there are multiple ways to gain more control over who sees your followers. By making your account private, using separate accounts for sensitive follows, organizing accounts into private lists, and being strategic about who you follow, you can protect your privacy without compromising your Twitter experience.

If you’re looking for a more customized Twitter experience, these steps can help you take control of your data and ensure that only those you choose can see your following list.