Am I Shadowbanned on X?

Your posts used to get 2,000 views. This week they get 80. Here is how to find out what actually happened.

You are probably not shadowbanned

Most people asking the question are deboosted on a few posts, or posting into a naturally low-reach pattern. Both are faster to fix.

X calls it visibility filtering

The platform rarely deletes. It downranks, quietly, using the filtering library documented in its own open-sourced algorithm.

Test 1: the search ban check

Open an incognito window, stay logged out, and search from:@yourhandle. If nothing appears, your posts are filtered out of search.

Test 2: the reply deboost check

Find a reply you left on a big account, logged out. If it sits behind Show more replies, your replies are effectively invisible.

Test 3: the reach pattern check

Compare this week to two months ago. If old and new posts are equally low, nothing is suppressed. Your posting habits are the problem.

Links are the quiet killer

X downranks posts that send people off-platform. If reach fell the week you started dropping links, that is your answer.

Follow churn is trigger number one

Mass following to farm follow-backs gets flagged within 24 to 48 hours, even done by hand if the volume is high enough.

Most filters lift in 72 hours

Stop the triggers, keep posting normally instead of going dark, then re-run the three tests on day three.

Run the full diagnostic

The three tests, the four types of suppression, the copy-paste checklist and the 72-hour recovery plan.

Read the full guide