Twitter Rate Limit Exceeded – What It Means and How to Fix It (2026 Update)

If you’ve ever seen the message “Rate limit exceeded” or “You are rate limited” while using Twitter (now X), you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common, and confusing, errors users encounter.

This notification means you’ve temporarily reached the maximum number of actions (like viewing tweets, sending DMs, or following accounts) allowed in a short time. But why does it happen? How long does it last? And most importantly, how can you fix it fast?

In this complete guide, we’ll explain everything about Twitter rate limits, how they work, and how to avoid getting blocked again.

What Does “Rate Limit Exceeded” Mean on Twitter (X)?

“Rate limiting” is Twitter’s way of controlling how often users can perform certain actions. It prevents spam and protects servers from overload.

When you see “Rate limit exceeded,” it means you’ve made too many requests, like scrolling, liking, or refreshing, in a short time frame. The system temporarily blocks further activity until your limit resets.

In other words, X is asking you to slow down.

This limit is applied differently for various actions:

• Viewing tweets and timelines
• Sending or deleting tweets
• Following or unfollowing accounts
• Sending DMs
• Using third-party apps or automation tools

X’s developer guidance emphasizes that many caps are tied to rolling 15-minute windows (on top of daily/monthly caps for some API tiers). If you exceed a window, waiting a minute or two after the window passes is recommended before retrying.

Why Does X Enforce Rate Limits?

Rate limits serve multiple purposes beyond just slowing you down. Here’s why they exist:

• To prevent spam: Bots and automation tools send thousands of requests per minute.
• To stop abuse: Bulk follow/unfollow patterns are often linked to fake growth tactics.
• To protect the system: Millions of users hitting “refresh” at once can crash servers.
• To encourage healthy engagement: It ensures real interactions, not automated traffic.

Sometimes, bot followers or suspicious tools connected to your profile can trigger limits faster. Cleaning up your profile by removing bot followers helps maintain account health.

In July 2023, X introduced temporary view caps (initially 600/day for unverified users, later raised to 1,000; 10,000 for verified) to curb scraping and manipulation; these were later relaxed but illustrate how viewing limits can change during policy shifts.

How Twitter Rate Limits Work (Technical Explanation)

Twitter’s backend uses “API endpoints”, every action you perform (refreshing, liking, following) counts as a request. When you exceed the allowed number of requests per 15-minute window, your session gets rate limited.

While exact limits aren’t public, here’s a general idea (based on X Developer Documentation):

Action	Free Account Limit	Premium Account Limit	Reset Time
Viewing tweets	600-1,000/day	6,000-10,000/day	24 hours (rolling)
Sending tweets	2,400/day	6,000/day	24 hours
DMs	500/day	1,000/day	24 hours
Follows	400/day	1,000/day	24 hours
Profile edits	4/hour	10/hour	1 hour
API requests	1,500/15 min	3,000/15 min	15 minutes

X’s current developer tiers also publish monthly app/user caps (e.g., Basic plan read/post quotas). If your connected tool/app hits its monthly allowance, you’ll see errors even if your personal usage seems normal.

Verified and premium users get higher limits.

If you use third-party tools that automate posting, mass following, or scraping, they count toward your API quota.

Historical Context: How Rate Limits Changed After Musk’s Takeover

In mid-2023, Elon Musk implemented stricter view limits to fight “data scraping and system manipulation.” Free accounts were capped at 600 posts per day, later increased after backlash.

By 2024–2025, limits became dynamic, based on account trust, verification, and behavior. Premium users can view and post more frequently than free users.

Compared to other top social media platforms, X now uses one of the most complex anti-scraping systems.

X Premium and Rate Limit Benefits in 2026

X now offers three premium subscription tiers with progressively higher rate limits, providing solutions for users frequently hitting restrictions.

Premium Tier Structure:

• Basic Plan: $3/month or $32/year – Moderate limit increases
• Premium Plan: $8/month or $84/year – Significant limit increases
• Premium+ Plan: $16/month or $168/year – Maximum allowances

Premium Limit Benefits include posting up to 6,000 tweets daily (vs. 600 for free accounts), higher DM limits beyond the standard 500/day, expanded view limits during high-traffic periods, and priority ranking in replies and search.

Premium subscribers experience fewer “rate limit exceeded” errors even during periods of high platform activity. The investment makes sense for power users, businesses, or creators who rely on consistent X engagement. If you’re managing multiple Twitter accounts or building your brand presence, Premium tiers reduce friction.

If you frequently use X for SEO purposes or professional networking, understanding these evolving limits helps maintain consistent presence without interruptions.

Common Reasons You See ‘Rate Limit Exceeded’

1. Scrolling too fast: Viewing hundreds of tweets within minutes.
2. Excessive liking or unliking: Rapidly liking 100+ tweets triggers spam filters. The same applies to bulk unliking old tweets. If you want to hide your likes from public view, that’s a profile setting change, but deleting thousands of past likes should be done gradually over days, not hours.
3. Using bots or automation: Tools that like, retweet, or follow accounts automatically.
4. Following/unfollowing in bulk: Exceeding follow limits.
5. Excessive tweet editing: If you can edit tweets after posting (Premium feature), repeatedly editing the same tweet counts as API activity. Making 10+ edits to a single tweet within minutes can trigger rate limits. Edit thoughtfully rather than making continuous small changes.
6. Too many DMs: Sending repetitive messages.
7. Refreshing constantly: Especially during outages or trending events.
8. Linked inactive accounts: Sometimes inactive accounts connected to your main profile create background requests.
9. Incomplete or suspicious profiles: X monitors new accounts more strictly. Accounts with generic bios, no profile photos, or minimal activity face lower rate limits initially. Crafting an engaging Twitter bio that clearly defines your purpose helps establish credibility and may reduce initial restrictions as the platform recognizes you as a legitimate user.

New from competitor round-up: Some tools note that mass deletion or bulk actions (e.g., clearing thousands of old tweets quickly) can momentarily trip protections; spacing out bulk tasks helps.

How Long Does Twitter Rate Limit Last?

Most temporary limits reset within 15 minutes to 1 hour.

However, if the system detects repeated or automated abuse, it can extend up to 24 hours or even trigger a temporary suspension.

During this period, you can’t view new tweets or interact much, even notifications may stop updating.

Developer note: For API windows, waiting for the 15-minute window to expire (then retrying) is the appropriate fix. Apps should pause requests until the window resets.

How to Fix “Rate Limit Exceeded” on X

1. Wait for the Reset

Most limits clear automatically once the timer resets. Avoid spamming the app during this time.

2. Log Out and Back In

This refreshes your session and can sometimes reset the rate counter early.

3. Close & Reopen the App

If you’re stuck on the same error, regularly clearing your Twitter cache often helps. Cached data sometimes contains corrupted session information that triggers false rate limit errors. On mobile, force-close the app and clear cache through your device settings. On desktop, clear browser cache or restart your browser completely.

4. Check for Related Technical Issues

Sometimes what appears as a rate limit error may actually stem from other technical problems. If you’re also experiencing video playback issues, connection problems, or app crashes alongside rate limit messages, the root cause might be server-side issues rather than your usage patterns. Clear your app cache and check X’s status page for ongoing outages.

5. Disable Automation or Bots

If you use any automation tool for follows, tweets, or unfollows, disable it. Accounts linked to mass actions are prime targets for rate limits.

6. Avoid Fake Growth Methods

Buying followers or using engagement bots can raise red flags. Learn why this practice hurts your profile long-term in our guide on buying Twitter followers safely.

7. Adjust Content Settings

Your content settings can affect how X’s systems interact with your account. If you’ve enabled strict filters or have many restrictions active, you might encounter more API calls as the system processes each tweet through multiple filters. Review your settings and adjust content warnings if appropriate for your usage pattern.

8. Review Third-Party Apps

Go to Settings → Security → Connected Apps and revoke any tool you don’t trust.

9. Limit Username Changes

Frequent profile updates can also trigger restrictions, especially handle changes. See how often it’s safe to update your Twitter username.

Stagger bulk deletions (tweets/likes) over hours instead of minutes.

If you rely on third-party tools, upgrade app/API tier or reduce query frequency to avoid app-level caps (some services suggest Premium plans offer higher ceilings).

10. Try Browser Extensions or Alternative Browsers

Some users report success using specific browser tools to reduce rate limit encounters:

Old Twitter Layout Extension: This Chrome/Firefox extension reverts X to its older interface, which some users find triggers limits less frequently. The older UI may reduce background API requests that contribute to rate caps.

OperaGX Browser: During the 2023 rate limit crisis, OperaGX developers created a patch that helps users navigate restrictions more smoothly. The browser includes built-in resource management that can reduce unnecessary requests.

While these aren’t official solutions, they represent community-driven workarounds. However, rely primarily on official methods rather than third-party tools that could violate X’s terms of service.

Can You Bypass the Twitter Rate Limit?

No official way exists to bypass it, and trying to do so can get your account suspended.

However, you can reduce your chances of hitting the limit by:

• Scheduling posts throughout the day instead of rapid bursts
• Avoiding constant scrolling
• Disconnecting unused automation tools
• Using official Twitter clients instead of third-party APIs

Users often share tips and live updates about X’s latest policies on social media discussion forums, where you can stay informed about rate-limit resets and changes.

Some guides recommend secondary accounts for heavy research or monitoring, but keep them separate and avoid simultaneous bulk actions across profiles to prevent app-level caps.

Preventive Best Practices

Here’s how to keep your account healthy and avoid limits in the future:

• Avoid bulk follows, unfollows, or DMs.
• Don’t rely on automated engagement bots.
• Use X’s native tools (TweetDeck, Ads Manager).
• Post gradually, not in bursts.
• Clean inactive or fake accounts regularly.
• Diversify activity, tweet, reply, like, not just scroll.
• Manage media uploads strategically: Uploading dozens of images or videos in rapid succession can trigger limits. Consider deleting old media you no longer need to keep your account lean, and space out media uploads rather than batch-uploading 20+ files at once.
• Use topic following instead of mass account follows: Rather than following 100+ accounts quickly, try following topics to discover relevant content without triggering follow limits. Topic following provides curated content without the API overhead of individual account follows.

For developers/teams: Implement client-side backoff and queueing so your tools pause when they hit 15-minute ceilings; retry after the window.

Consider algorithm reset if patterns persist: If you continue hitting rate limits despite following best practices, your account may have historical flags or algorithmic patterns working against you. Learn how to reset your Twitter algorithm to refresh your account’s standing and potentially reduce restriction frequency.

2026 Rate Limit Changes and Policy Updates

X continues adjusting rate limits based on platform needs and anti-scraping initiatives. Recent changes affect how users experience restrictions.

January 2026 Updates:

• Community Notes contributors now face limits on notes per account to prevent spam
• Embedded X timelines on external websites encounter more frequent rate limit errors
• Group chat limits adjusted (X Chat now supports group conversations with separate rate rules)
• AI-powered features accessing your data count toward monthly API quotas

Viewing Limits Remain Dynamic: Unlike fixed caps from 2023, current viewing limits adjust based on account history, verification status, and behavior patterns. Clean accounts with no spam flags enjoy higher effective limits than flagged accounts.

API Developer Changes: X’s developer tiers now publish clearer monthly caps. Basic tier apps receive specific read/write quotas. When third-party apps hit their monthly allowance, all users of that app see errors regardless of personal usage.

If you frequently use X for SEO purposes or professional networking, understanding these evolving limits helps maintain consistent presence without interruptions.

What Happens If You Keep Hitting Rate Limits?

Repeated rate limit violations can lead to:

• Temporary suspensions
• Reduced visibility (your tweets might not appear in timelines)
• Shadowbans for API abuse
• Permanent account bans for persistent automation violations

If your account is flagged multiple times, moderation systems may treat it as spam-related, especially if paired with bot activity or fake followers.

Monitor your activity patterns: To identify what triggers your rate limits, review your Twitter history periodically. Look for patterns in when limits occur, time of day, specific actions, or after using certain third-party tools. Understanding your usage patterns helps you adjust behavior before hitting restrictions.

Rate Limits and Inactive Accounts

An interesting pattern many users overlook: inactive or duplicate accounts can trigger unnecessary API requests. These “ghost sessions” log into your main profile without you realizing it.

Keeping your profile clean from inactive logins helps minimize background rate-limit triggers.

Understanding “You Have Exceeded a Secondary Rate Limit”

Beyond standard rate limits, X enforces secondary rate limits that catch coordinated or suspicious behavior patterns even when you haven’t hit official API caps.

Secondary limits trigger when:

• You’re running multiple X clients simultaneously (browser + phone app + third-party tool)
• Actions appear coordinated or automated even if performed manually
• Request patterns look bursty (100 actions in 2 minutes, then nothing for an hour)
• Multiple accounts from the same IP address show similar activity patterns

Fixes for Secondary Limits:

1. Slow your activity cadence – space actions 30-60 seconds apart
2. Add randomized delays between similar actions (don’t like 50 tweets in a row without pausing)
3. Use only one client at a time – close mobile app when using desktop
4. Avoid switching between public and private account settings rapidly
5. Wait 2-4 hours before resuming activity after hitting secondary limits

Secondary limits reset separately from standard limits and may require longer cooldown periods. X’s AI detects patterns that suggest automation even from manual actions performed too uniformly.

FAQs

Final Thoughts

While the “Rate limit exceeded” message can feel like a punishment, it’s Twitter’s (X’s) way of keeping the platform stable and fair. The best fix is patience, and prevention.

By avoiding automation tools, limiting bulk actions, and keeping your account free of bots or inactive followers, you’ll rarely see the message again.

Remember, smart, consistent activity beats mass engagement every time.