If you are wondering why your Twitter account is suspended, the social app will stop your account if you have gone against their rules, or they believe your profile is showing signs of being hacked.
You will not be able to tweet, retweet, or comment on a post if your profile has been suspended. Alternatively, Twitter can put your account in ‘read-only’ mode where you will only be able to scroll through your feed.
We have provided this simple guide, to help you understand why your Twitter account may be suspended or locked, and advise you on what steps you can take to get your profile back to being active.
Why is my Twitter account suspended
There are a few reasons why Twitter has suspended your account. One of the main causes is if your account has gone against their rules through the content you have tweeted.
Reason 1. Broken Twitter rules
Another Twitter user can report your account if they feel your post or profile is offensive.
Twitter have specific rules outlined to stop abuse on their platform, ranging from impersonating behaviour, to sending threatening messages.
If you do not know the Twitter rules, you can check them here.
Reason 2. Hacked account
If Twitter believes an account has been hacked or interfered with, they will suspend the profile.
The account holder will need to verify that it’s them before Twitter will give access back.
This is to prevent any hostility on the app.
Why was my Twitter account suspended for no reason?
Has your Twitter account been suspended without you doing anything?
Reason 3. Spam account
Twitter can sometimes suspend an account by mistake if they take their actions on the platform as being ‘spam’ or ‘fake’.
This is to prevent fake accounts from putting legit profiles in jeopardy. If your account has been incorrectly suspended, Twitter will take action to unsuspend your account.
How do I activate my suspended Twitter account?
You can re-activate your Twitter account if it was wrongfully suspended, or locked temporarily.
Fix 1. Follow Prompts on Twitter
If you access your account, it may be requested that you provide your email address or mobile number.
This would be to verify your account, to make sure your profile has not been hacked.
Once you give this information you will be given instructions to complete the process to unsuspend your account.
Fix 2. Appeal suspension
Twitter may have not given you prompts to unsuspend your account.
If this is the case and you believe they suspended your profile in error, you can appeal to get the suspension lifted.
(Fun Fact; The Twitter bird is called ‘Larry’)
To do this;
Step 1. Log into your account
Step 2. In a new browser window, ‘File an Appeal’
Complete the form as best as you can, while staying honest.
Note; a Twitter employee (not a ‘bot’) will be looking at your appeal.
What happens when Twitter account is locked?
If Twitter hasn’t suspended your account due to reports against your profile for bullying, or ‘spammy’ behaviour, they can ‘lock’ your account.
This is also known as the ‘Read Only’ mode.
So, what happens when Twitter locks your account?
- Twitter will automatically kick you out of the app on all devices you were logged in to
- You will not be able to tweet or retweet
- Liking other posts will be unavailable
To have your Twitter account locked is only temporary, and can last between 12 hours to 7 days depending on why your account was limited.
How do you get rid of the lock on Twitter?
There are different steps you need to take based on why your account was locked.
Reason 1. Security reasons
Reason 2. Gone against Twitter rules
If you have gone against Twitter’s ‘rules’ they will lock your account until you have validated your details to confirm you are the ‘owner’ of the profile if the actions on your account flagged up as ‘automated’
Step 1. Access your account
Step 2. Find the ‘Your Account Has Been Locked’ notification on your screen and press ‘Start’
Step 3. Input your mobile number
Step 4. Twitter will send you a message or call with a verification code
Step 5. Enter the code and click ‘Submit’
Twitter will email you if you have an email address linked to your profile.
What happens when you get limited on Twitter?
If Twitter decides to ‘limit’ your account instead of locking it, you will not be able to perform certain actions on the social networking service.
These include;
- You CAN browse Twitter
- Direct messaging will only be available to your followers
- Tweeting, retweeting, and liking posts will be disabled
- Only your followers will see your previous tweets
Twitter will create a ‘Countdown’ until you will get full access back to your Twitter account.
Before they do this, they may ask you to remove any tweets that went against their rules or verify your details.