How Long Does a Twitter Suspension Last? What to Do When You Get Suspended from Twitter

Co-authored by Ben Whitehair and Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: January 21, 2022 References

So, you’ve signed onto Twitter as usual, only to find a great big “Suspended” notification staring you in the face. You may be wondering how long you’ll be stuck in Twitter limbo—and if there’s anything you can do to fix it. While getting locked out of your account can be a rude shock, don’t worry. Most suspensions are temporary, and you can usually fix them by taking a few simple actions, like verifying your identity or deleting a tweet that broke the rules. Read on to learn how long most Twitter suspensions last, and how to get access to your account back faster.

1

End some suspensions instantly by verifying your identity.

Twitter might ask for verification if they suspect hacking. This can also happen in cases where your account has been flagged for spam, or if Twitter thinks your account is being run by a bot instead of a real person. If this happens, you’ll see a prompt to provide your phone number or confirm your email address when you log in. Follow the prompts to verify who you are.^{[1]
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- When you log in, you’ll see a message saying that your account has been locked for security reasons. Click “Start” to begin the verification process and unlock your account.^{[2]
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- After you enter your phone number, you’ll get a text or a phone call a few minutes later with a verification code. Enter the code on the Twitter app or website in the account verification window to unlock your account.
- You should be able to start using Twitter again right away once you verify your info. If not, no sweat—you can always contact the Twitter support team for help.^{[3]
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2

Make requested changes to end a suspension faster.

Twitter might temporarily lock your account if you break the rules. In these cases, Twitter may prompt you to take certain actions in order to get full access to your account again. When you log in on the Twitter website or app, look for a notification saying, “We’ve temporarily limited some of your account features.” The message may also list the reasons your account was locked and give instructions about how to unlock it. Click “Start” on the notification and follow the prompts. For instance, you might need to:^{[4]
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- Provide your phone number or verify your email address.
- Delete or edit the rule-breaking tweet that caused Twitter to lock your account.
- In some cases, you’ll only be given the option to wait a certain amount of time until your account is restored.

3

Read-only suspensions may last from 12 hours to 7 days.

Twitter uses read-only mode to put users in “time-out”. For instance, this might happen if you’ve gotten into a heated argument with another user and things get out of hand. If this happens, you’ll still be allowed to log in and browse Twitter, but you won’t be able to post, reply, or like anything until the read-only period ends.^{[5]
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- If Twitter has put you in read-only mode, there’s not much you can do except wait it out. However, you can always contact Twitter support to get answers or make a case for lifting the restriction early: https://help.twitter.com/en/forms.
- Many users who have experienced this kind of suspension report that it usually lasts around 48 hours. However, the length of time varies based on the reason for the suspension.

4

Twitter may suspend your account permanently for severe violations.

This might happen if you repeatedly break the rules. Breaking certain rules for the first time can also result in an immediate, permanent suspension—for example, this could happen if you post threatening or illegal content.^{[6]
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- If this happens, you’ll see a notice that your account is suspended next time you log into Twitter, along with an explanation of why the suspension happened.^{[8]
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- Other users will also see a notice that your account is suspended if they try to view your tweets.

5

Send an appeal if you think the suspension was a mistake.

You may be able to convince Twitter support to lift the suspension. To appeal your suspension, log in with the username and password for your suspended account. You may see an option to contact the support team and appeal their decision. If not, you can also visit the Twitter contact page and submit an appeal using this form: https://help.twitter.com/forms/general?subtopic=suspended.
- Describe the issue in as much detail as possible, and explain why you think the suspension was a mistake.
- All appeals are reviewed by Twitter’s support staff, so it might take a few days to several weeks for you to get an answer.^{[9]
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  Research source} Try to be patient—this could take a while if they’re especially busy.
- You’ll need to provide your name and an email address where the Twitter support team can contact you about their decision. You can also provide a phone number if you like, but this is optional.

6

Check Twitter’s rules page to avoid being suspended again.

Some of the rules are more obvious than others. If you’re not sure what you’re allowed to post on Twitter, check out the list of rules here: https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/twitter-rules. Be careful to follow Twitter’s rules and community guidelines to keep your account from getting locked or even permanently suspended in the future. For example, in addition to the obvious rules (like not posting anything threatening, illegal, or abusive), Twitter also requires that you:^{[10]
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- Not disclose other people’s private information without permission.
- Be honest about who you are; don’t pretend to be someone else in order to intentionally deceive other users.
- Avoid posting misinformation or media that has been manipulated in a misleading way.
- Respect the intellectual property of others. Don’t repost copyrighted or trademarked material without permission.