X (Twitter) rate limits + restrictions
Quick-reference card for X rate limits. Posts/day, DMs/day, follows/day, API limits. What triggers temporary restrictions + how to avoid.
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X applies rate limits + behavioral throttles aggressively. Hitting them gets you temporarily restricted (24h-7day mute). This cheatsheet is the reference for what's safe vs. what triggers action.
Posting limits
| Tweets per day | 2,400 (very high — practical limit is much lower) |
| Tweets per hour | ~300 (practical limit ~50-100) |
| Tweet-deletes per day | ~1,000 (very high) |
| Same content posted twice | Blocked — must vary text |
DM limits
| DMs per day (unverified) | 500 |
| DMs per day (X Premium) | 1,000 |
| Practical safe DM volume | 20-30/day for outreach campaigns |
| Volume that triggers spam flag | 100+ identical/similar DMs in a day |
Follow / unfollow limits
| Follows per day | 400 |
| Unfollows per day | 400 (counts together) |
| Aggressive follow/unfollow | Triggers temporary suspension |
| Mass-follow scripts | Account permanent ban risk |
Like / RT / reply limits
| Likes per day | 1,000 |
| RTs per day | 300 |
| Replies per day | 1,000 |
| Practical safe replies | 100-150/day for active engagement |
What triggers temporary restrictions
| Rapid follow/unfollow | 24-72 hour follow ban |
| Mass DM spam pattern | DM-send disabled 24-48h |
| Repeated reported tweets | Account locked pending review |
| Multiple violations same week | Permanent suspension risk |
API rate limits (for tool users)
| Free tier (read) | 1,500 tweets / month |
| Basic tier ($200/mo) | 10K tweets / month |
| Pro tier ($5K/mo) | 1M tweets / month |
| Per-user post limit | 300 / hour (most tiers) |
Common questions
Will using a scheduling tool trigger rate limits?+
Generally no — scheduling tools (AutoTweet, Buffer, Hypefury) post via the official API at human-rate cadence. You're well under any meaningful limit at 5-7 posts/day. Rate limits matter for mass DM senders or aggressive follow campaigns, not for normal scheduled posting.
What if I get a 'You're temporarily restricted from posting' message?+
Usually 24-hour cooldown. Don't try to bypass with another account — X cross-references devices/IPs. Slow down posting volume, avoid the behavior that triggered (usually rapid posting, mass DMs, or aggressive follows), and resume normal cadence after the restriction lifts.