> Source: https://www.trackmedia.app/blog/how-to-use-twitter · Last updated: 2026-10-22 # How to use Twitter (X): a beginner's guide To use Twitter, now called X, create an account, follow people, then tap the post icon to write up to 280 characters. This guide covers each step. *Guides · Published 2026-10-22* To use Twitter, which is now called X, you create an account, follow a few accounts, and tap the post compose icon to write a post of up to 280 characters. Everything else (replies, reposts, threads, timelines) builds on those three actions. This guide follows X's [How to Post](https://help.x.com/en/using-x/how-to-post), [New user FAQ](https://help.x.com/en/resources/new-user-faq), [About replies and mentions](https://help.x.com/en/using-x/mentions-and-replies), [How to create a thread](https://help.x.com/en/using-x/create-a-thread) and [For you timeline](https://help.x.com/en/using-x/x-timeline) pages, read on October 22, 2026. It also shows how to plan your posts so you do not have to be on the app all day. ## What is Twitter now, and what do I call things? Twitter is now X, and the vocabulary changed with it. X's New user FAQ describes it as a service where people exchange quick, frequent messages, and it calls a message a **post**. What you used to call a tweet is a post, and a retweet is a **Repost**. If you searched for "how to use tweet" or "how can I use Twitter," you want the same thing. The app, the website (x.com) and the steps below all use the X words. ![Table of the old Twitter words and the X words, with the action for each: tweet is now post, retweet is now Repost, reply, follow, and timeline tabs For you and Following.](https://www.trackmedia.app/assets/img/blog/how-to-use-twitter-fig1.svg) *The old Twitter words, the words X uses today, and what each one does. Wording from X's New user FAQ and timeline pages.* ## How to start using Twitter (X) step by step You need an internet connection and either a phone or a browser. X's New user FAQ says that is all you need to use it. 1. **Sign up.** Download the X app for iOS or Android, or go to x.com in a browser, and choose to sign up. X's help page for the iOS app says the sign-up asks for details such as your name and email address, and that X emails you instructions to verify the address. 2. **Follow a few accounts.** When you create an account, X says you can search for people by name or username, import friends from other networks, or invite friends by email. To follow someone, open their profile and click or tap **Follow**. 3. **Read your timeline.** The posts from accounts you follow show up on your Home timeline. 4. **Write your first post.** See the next section. Following works one way. X's FAQ says following someone means you chose to subscribe to their updates, and every time they post, it appears in your Home timeline. They do not have to follow you back. ## How to post on X X's How to Post page shows the same flow on iOS, Android and desktop: 1. **Select the post compose icon.** 2. **Compose your message**, up to 280 characters. 3. **Select Post.** You can add media. The page says a post can include up to 4 types of photos, a GIF, or a video, and up to 4 total media items (for example 2 photos, 1 GIF and 1 video). A post can also hold links and text. Posting from a keyboard is faster on a computer. X lists **n** for a new post and **cmd-enter** or **ctrl-enter** to send it on x.com. If you want to know exactly how links, emoji and other languages count against 280, see our guide to the [Twitter character limit](https://www.trackmedia.app/blog/twitter-character-limit). ### Longer posts X's How to Post page says longer posts are a feature of X Premium and the paid plans on The X Subscription, and that you write them the same way. Once you pass 280 characters, the counter around the circle icon switches from tracking your progress to filling the circle, and the page gives a ceiling of 4,000 characters. Without a subscription, your limit stays at 280. ## How do replies, mentions and reposts work? A **reply** is a response to another person's post. Find the post, click or tap the reply icon, type your message in the box and click or tap **Reply**. Your reply is public: X's FAQ says anyone can view it if your posts are public. A **mention** is any post that contains another person's username. Type the @ symbol before the username and the person sees your post in their Notifications tab. X's help pages add that an account mentioned in the first 280 characters of a longer post is notified. A **Repost** forwards someone's post to your followers. We cover the steps, the Quote option and how to undo one in our guide on [how to repost on X](https://www.trackmedia.app/blog/how-to-repost-on-x). A reply is not the same as a Direct Message. X says a Direct Message is private and only the sender and the intended recipients can see it, and you can start a conversation with anyone who follows you. ## How to write a thread on X A thread is a series of connected posts from one person. It is the right tool when one idea needs more than one post. X's How to create a thread page gives these steps for iOS and Android: 1. **Tap the compose icon** to draft a new post. 2. **Tap the highlighted plus icon** to add another post. The icon highlights once you have entered text. 3. **Repeat** for each post in the thread. If you go over the limit, the text over the limit is highlighted so you can fix it. 4. **Tap Post all** when the thread is finished. After posting, the page says you can add more from the thread detail page with **Add another post**, a prompt only the author sees. A thread can be saved as a draft too. Readers see short threads and long threads differently. X says a thread of 2 or 3 posts from someone you follow generally appears on your timeline connected by a line, while a thread with 4 or more posts is cut off with a **Show this thread** option. ## What are the For you and Following timelines? X's timeline page says your **For you** timeline shows posts from accounts and Topics you follow plus recommended posts, which means you will sometimes see posts from accounts you do not follow. Your **Following** timeline shows posts only from accounts you follow. Click or swipe between the two tabs. When you close X on either tab, you return to whichever one you had open last. The page also says Bookmarks lets you save posts for later: on iOS you tap the Bookmark icon in the post details, and on web and Android you tap the share icon and choose **Add post to Bookmarks**. ## What do beginners most often get wrong? Most early problems come from five things that X's own pages explain: - **You cannot edit a post unless you subscribe.** The New user FAQ says editing is a Premium feature. Without it you can only delete the post and write it again. Read it twice before you press Post. - **Posts are public by default.** If you want to approve who follows you, protect your posts. The FAQ says protected posts stay out of search. - **Replies from people you do not follow go to Notifications.** If someone replies to you and you do not follow them, X says the reply appears in your Notifications tab, not your Home timeline. - **You can hide replies.** From a reply to one of your posts, tap the icon and choose **hide reply**. The author of the reply is not notified. - **Follow limits exist.** The FAQ says X has follow and update limits for stability and abuse control, so following hundreds of accounts in a minute is not a good plan. Your profile page shows up to 3,200 of your most recent posts, and the FAQ says you can download your X Archive to see everything back to your first post. ## A simple routine for your first month Posting works better as a habit than as bursts. A routine that fits in a few minutes a day: 1. **Follow 20 to 30 accounts** in the one topic you want to write about, and read the Following tab before you post. 2. **Reply before you post.** A good reply under a bigger account is the quickest way for new people to see your name. 3. **Post on a rhythm** you can keep. Our guide to the [best time to post on X](https://www.trackmedia.app/blog/best-time-to-post-on-x) explains how to pick times from your own results instead of a generic chart. 4. **Turn one idea into a thread** once a week. 5. **Check what worked** and repeat it. ## How to use Twitter (X) with TrackMedia TrackMedia is built for the part of using X that is the same every day: getting posts out on time and seeing what they did. You write once in the composer, and TrackMedia publishes to X along with the 20 other networks it supports (Bluesky, LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Mastodon and more) on every plan, including the free one. - **Write and schedule.** Draft a post, pick a time or a queue slot, and TrackMedia sends it. Threads go out as a chain of replies. The composer shows a character counter for each network you pick, so a post written for X also fits the other networks. - **Keep a calendar and queues.** Fill queue slots from a content collection so a steady rhythm does not depend on you opening the app. Our guide to [scheduling and editing posts on X](https://www.trackmedia.app/blog/how-to-schedule-and-edit-posts-on-x) goes through it. - **Track the links.** Links in your posts get UTM tags and real-time click tracking, so you see clicks, visitors and referrers per post. Analytics also cover X posts you did not publish with TrackMedia. - **See your own best times.** The Best times view reads your own posts instead of using an average. The free plan includes 15 posts a month and one account per network, with no card needed. If you manage more than one account, see [X (Twitter) management tools](https://www.trackmedia.app/blog/x-twitter-management-tools), and for the rules around automation, [how to auto-post tweets](https://www.trackmedia.app/blog/how-to-auto-post-tweets). Ready to try it? [Start free with TrackMedia](https://go.trackmedia.app/signup) and schedule your first X post. ## Questions people also ask ### How can I use Twitter? Create an account on x.com or in the X app, follow some accounts, and select the post compose icon to write a message of up to 280 characters and select Post. Replies, reposts and threads work from the same screens. ### How do I use a tweet? X now calls tweets posts. To use one, either write your own with the post compose icon, or react to someone else's with the reply icon, a Repost, or by bookmarking it from the share menu. ### How do we use Twitter? People use X to follow accounts, read the For you or Following timeline, post short messages with photos, GIFs, videos and links, and talk to each other through replies, mentions and Direct Messages. Brands and creators also use it to send traffic to a website. ### Is Twitter free to use? Yes for the basics. Per X's help pages, writing a regular post of up to 280 characters needs no subscription. Longer posts and editing a post are tied to X Premium. ### Can I use Twitter without a phone? Yes. X's FAQ says you need an internet connection or a mobile phone, and x.com works in a browser on a computer. ## How we checked this We opened each page below in a browser on October 22, 2026 and copied the labels. X changes its pages, so check the live page if a label looks different on your screen. X's help pages for the iOS and Android apps use the same names for the main actions. - [How to Post](https://help.x.com/en/using-x/how-to-post) (X Help Center): the compose steps, media allowance, longer posts, keyboard shortcuts. - [New user FAQ](https://help.x.com/en/resources/new-user-faq) (X Help Center): what a post is, following, replies, Direct Messages, editing, the 3,200-post profile view. - [About replies and mentions](https://help.x.com/en/using-x/mentions-and-replies) (X Help Center): reply and mention steps, hiding replies. - [How to create a thread on X](https://help.x.com/en/using-x/create-a-thread) (X Help Center): thread steps and how threads appear. - [About your For you timeline](https://help.x.com/en/using-x/x-timeline) (X Help Center): For you versus Following, Bookmarks.