How to Tweet Someone: A Guide to Twitter Mentions & Replies (2024)

Written byNicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: February 16, 2024Fact Checked

Things You Should Know

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1. 1

   Open X. If you're using a computer, sign into https://www.twitter.com in a web browser. If you're using a phone or tablet, you can tap the X app (a black icon with a white X) on the home screen or in the app drawer.^[1]

   • You will need an X account to tweet at someone. If you don't have an account, you can create one.
   • When you type a person's X username (e.g., @wikihow) anywhere in your tweet, this is called a mention. Mentioning a user in a tweet has different results depending on where you place their username.
2. 2

   Click Tweet or +. On a computer, you'll see the big blue Tweet button on the left side of the page. On a phone or tablet, the + appears at the bottom-right corner.

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3. 3

   Type the person's X username beginning with "@." For example, to tweet at wikiHow, you'd use @wikiHow. You'll get different results depending on where you place the person's username:

   • At the beginning of the tweet: To tweet a specific person, begin the tweet with their @username (before the rest of the text). Only people who follow you both will see your tweet in their feeds.^[2]
     • Example: @wikihow I loved your article about sending tweets!
     • All tweets you send will be visible on your own profile, even when you tweet people directly. If your X account is not private, anyone can see your tweets. If your account is private, only your own followers can see them.
   • Anywhere else in the tweet: If you want to get someone's attention or link to their profile in a way that all of your followers will see on their feeds, place the @username anywhere except the beginning. You can mention multiple people in a tweet.
     • Example: I just read a great @wikiHow article. You should check it out, @elonmusk!
     • No matter how you mention @usernames in tweets, the people you mention will be notified that you've mentioned them. Their usernames will also appear as clickable links in your tweet.
4. 4

   Type your tweet's content. Press the spacebar, then type the contents of your tweet. Tweets can be up to 280 characters in length, including hashtags, mentions, and links.^[3]

   • If you subscribe to X Blue, you can send longer tweets up to 4000 characters.^[4]
5. 5

   Attach media to the tweet (optional). You can include up to 4 photos, one video, or a GIF in your tweet, as well as other features:

   • Select the photo icon below the text box to insert photos or a video.
   • Choose the GIF icon to attach an animated .GIF.
   • Use the bar graph icon to add a poll.
   • Select the pushpin icon to tag your location.
   • In the X mobile app, you can also use the waveform icon to create a voice tweet.
6. 6

   Click or tap Tweet to send. Once you send the tweet, all mentioned users will be notified that they were mentioned in a tweet (as long as your tweets are visible to them).

   • To see a list of tweets that other users have mentioned you in, click or tap the bell icon (on the left side of the page on a computer, and the bottom on the mobile app), then select Mentions.

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1. 1

   Open X. If you're using a computer, sign into https://www.twitter.com in a web browser. If you're using a phone or tablet, tap the X app (a black icon with a white X) on the home screen or in the app drawer.

   • Replying to someone's tweet not only tweets your response directly to them, but it also adds your response to an ongoing conversation.
   • Your followers won't see your replies in their feeds unless they are also following the user you're replying to (or they visit the Replies section of your profile).
   • If your X account is private, the replies you send will only be visible to people who follow you.
2. 2

   Go to the tweet you want to reply to. You can scroll to it in your feed, or search for the user by typing their username into the search box.

3. 3

   Click or tap the chat bubble icon. It's below the bottom-left corner of the tweet. A pop-up containing a typing area will appear.

   • If you just want to view replies to a tweet, click or tap the tweet itself to open it.
   • You'll be able to see replies from public accounts, as well as private accounts that you follow.
4. 4

   Type your response. You'll notice that "Replying to @username" appears at the top of the typing area automatically, so you won't have to type it yourself. You can then type up to 280 characters of text.

   • If you want to mention another X user in your reply, type that person's username (starting with the "@" symbol) anywhere in the tweet. This will notify the person that you've tagged them in a tweet, and also adds a link to that person's profile in your reply.
   • Just like when creating a new tweet, you can attach media to tweet replies.
   • If you're replying to a conversation between two or more X users, you'll see both or all of their usernames next to "Replying to." Everyone in that username list will receive a notification of your response.
5. 5

   Click or tap Reply. This tweets your reply and adds your response to the thread.

   • Tweets you reply to will also appear on your own X profile.

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1. ↑ https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/mentions-and-replies
2. ↑ https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/types-of-tweets
3. ↑ https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/how-to-tweet
4. ↑ https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/how-to-tweet
5. ↑ https://help.twitter.com/en/safety-and-security/cyber-bullying-and-online-abuse

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