How Long Does the Twitter Follow Limit Last? Limit Ratio and More

Co-authored by Ben Whitehair and Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: December 28, 2024 Fact Checked

Following other accounts on X (formerly known as Twitter) is a good way to build your network and get new followers, but there are limits on how many other accounts you can follow at once. In addition to daily follow limits, which reset after 24 hours, there are other kinds of follow limits that you’ll need to be aware of. In this article, we’ll talk you through the basics of X’s follow limits and how long they last, as well as how to avoid common mistakes that can put additional restrictions on your account.

1

Wait 24 hours after hitting the daily follow limit.

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The limit is 400 follows for unverified users, and 1000 if you’re verified. To prevent spammy follow behaviors, X imposes a limit on how many accounts you can follow in one day. Fortunately, that limit only lasts 24 hours. Once a day has passed, feel free to start adding more followers again.^{[1]
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- If you’ve hit the daily follow limit, you may get a message saying, “You are unable to follow more people at this time.”
- This message may also pop up for other reasons—for instance, if you’ve hit your total follow ratio limit or if you’ve gotten a follow suspension for aggressive following behavior.

2

Pause for an hour if you get limited for following too quickly.

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Following too many accounts, too fast can trigger a temporary limit. If this happens, don’t sweat it. Just wait an hour, then try again. Once the limit is lifted, make sure to take it slow so you don’t get locked out again before you’ve hit your daily follow limit.^{[2]
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- X restricts rapid following because it can be a sign that your account is being run by a bot or a spammer.

3

Build your own following to get past the follow ratio limit.

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X initially limits every account to just 5,000 follows. However, as more users begin to follow your account, you’ll get a larger follow ratio limit. Be patient, keep posting engaging content, and interact with other users to boost your following so that you can start following more accounts again.^{[3]
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- If you hit your total follow limit and you still want to follow new accounts, you can always unfollow a few accounts and replace them with new ones. However, don’t follow a bunch of accounts and immediately unfollow them, or you might get flagged for “follow churn.”
- Your follow ratio is a unique number that’s automatically determined based on the exact number of followers you have versus how many accounts you’re following. X doesn’t offer a breakdown of exactly how the ratio works, so experiment with adding new follows as your number of followers grows.

4

Follow X’s instructions if your account is locked or limited.

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X might lock your account for suspected spammy or abusive behavior. For instance, you could get locked out if you follow too many random accounts in a short period of time.^{[4]
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Research source} If this happens, look at the error message that pops up when you log in or when you try to add new followers. You may need to take a specific action to get your account unlocked or have the limits removed.
- For instance, if your following behavior causes X to suspect that you are a bot or that your account has been hijacked, you may be asked to verify your phone number or email address before you can use your account again or have the limits removed.^{[5]
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- In some cases, you may have to wait for a specific period of time (e.g., 72 hours) before the limits are removed and you can start following other accounts again.

5

Avoid aggressive follow behaviors that can get your account locked.

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Review the rules so you know what to avoid. Certain following behaviors break the rules because they are considered platform manipulation or spam.^{[6]
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Research source} For example, you are not allowed to:^{[7]
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- Engage in “follow churn,” which is a common strategy to get new followers quickly. “Follow churn” involves following as many new accounts as possible in a short time to encourage them to follow you back, then immediately unfollowing them and moving on to a new batch.
- Quickly follow large numbers of random accounts just to boost your numbers, especially if you use automation or a third-party app to do it for you.
- Copy another account’s follows, especially using a bot or a third-party app. That is, you cannot intentionally follow all the same accounts that another user does.
- Use apps or third-party services that follow other accounts for you or artificially boost your follower count.