Social media platforms like Twitter are an integral part of our lives. That’s why getting locked out of Twitter can be frustrating and leave you feeling desperate to get it back.
There are various reasons for Twitter to lock an account, and they aren’t all bad. If you have been following the rules set forth by Twitter, you will usually get back into your account.
There are a few types of restrictions that can happen. You need to figure out which one is affecting your account before you can rectify the situation.
Types of account restrictions
With Twitter, there are multiple types of restrictions. These usually result in the same thing, but the type of restriction matters when trying to get back into your account.
Locked Twitter account
If Twitter detects unusual login activity, they will place a lock on your account. There are many things that can trigger this.
Too many failed login attempts, higher than normal activity levels, or too many third-party services are some of the ways that can result in Twitter logging you out of all your devices.
Once this happens, you’ll have a lock on the account.
Limited Twitter account
If you become too active on Twitter or violate certain rules, you may accidentally trigger the social media giant to limit your account.
It does this to prevent an account from spamming people on the network. A limited account will restrict your ability to like, tweet, or retweet content until your status returns to normal.
Some guidelines for you are to not follow more than 400 accounts, send more than 2,400 tweets, or write more than 1,000 DMs per day.
You also don’t want to follow (or unfollow) more than 16 accounts, send more than 100 tweets, or write more than 41 DMs in any given hour.
Suspended Twitter account
Getting suspended is the most restricting and the toughest to resolve. A suspension is essentially a ban from the service. Twitter accounts are normally suspended for blatantly breaking the rules.
Typical scenarios are sending spam, being a fake account, impersonating someone, harassing others, or consistently violating Twitter rules.
How to get resolve a locked Twitter account
Getting back into your Twitter account varies based on which restriction Twitter has placed on your account.
A suspended account can be either temporary or permanent. If it is permanent, you will have to appeal the decision to try and get it overturned.
A limited account can be resolvable in one of two ways. The limit will either be for a period of time (up to 7 days), or you can follow the same steps as a locked Twitter account.
Steps to get back into a locked Twitter account:
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Log into your account
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Look for the message letting you know to verify your account
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Select Start
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Enter your phone number or select Send email to verify your account
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Depending on your method in step 4, you will get a verification text or email
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Enter the verification code and click Submit to unlock your account
Regardless of which type of restriction was placed on your account, you will always get an email and a DM from Twitter to let you know what happened.
Remember that it’s usually reversible
Logging into your Twitter account only to find a restriction in place is not fun. You can feel helpless and become filled with anxiety.
Remember to keep calm and know that you will get your account back in most cases. Unless you actively participate in bad behavior (impersonating someone, for example), your restriction will be reversible.
If facing a suspension, then maybe you are better off without Twitter. Just make sure you understand what you did and avoid doing it on an alternative social account.
Luckily, being suspended isn’t common practice. Just follow the steps provided here, and you will be tweeting again in no time.
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