What is the difference between the For You and Following tab on Twitter/X?

For You is Twitter/X's algorithmic feed — it shows content based on what the algorithm predicts you'll engage with, including posts from accounts you don't follow, trending topics, and promoted content. Following shows only accounts you explicitly chose to follow, in reverse chronological order, with no algorithmic injection. Switching to Following is the most complete way to escape the Twitter/X recommendation engine.

Can I set Following as the default tab on Twitter/X?

Not natively in 2026. Twitter/X defaults to For You every time you open the app. On desktop, the last-selected tab sometimes persists within a browser session. On mobile, it resets every time you close and reopen the app. Third-party browser extensions (search 'Twitter Following tab default' in your browser's extension store) can force the redirect automatically.

Does the Following tab show retweets?

Yes. The Following tab shows tweets, retweets, and quote tweets from accounts you follow. If someone you follow retweets a post from an account you don't follow, that retweet appears. To clean this up further, use 'Turn off retweets' on specific accounts: go to their profile → ··· → 'Turn off retweets'.

Is the Following tab better than the For You tab?

It depends on why you use Twitter/X. Following is better if you: have a curated following list, want chronological context, dislike algorithmic injection of strangers' content, or find yourself outrage-scrolling in For You. For You is better if your following list is small or if you actively want to discover new content. Most people who are trying to reduce noise prefer Following.

Can I turn off retweets from specific people in my Following tab?

Yes. Go to any account's profile → ··· → 'Turn off retweets for @username'. Their original posts will still appear in your Following feed; their retweets of other accounts' content won't.

How to Use the Following Tab Instead of For You on Twitter/X (2026)

To switch away from Twitter/X's algorithmic For You feed: tap or click Following at the top of your Home screen. Your timeline immediately shows only accounts you chose to follow, in reverse chronological order — no algorithmic injection, no suggested content from strangers, no trending topics mixed in. The limitation: Twitter/X resets to For You on mobile every time you close and reopen the app. Use a browser extension to make it persistent on desktop.

Last verified: May 31, 2026 · Reading time: 4 min · Difficulty: Easy

Why the For You tab is the problem

Twitter/X’s For You algorithm has a job, and it isn’t showing you what you’d choose to see. It selects content based on what will maximize your time on the platform — which means emotional engagement, high-reaction posts, and controversy-adjacent content travel furthest.

The result of spending time in For You:

Posts from people you don’t follow mixed in with people you do
Trending political content regardless of your interests
Outrage-formatted takes that perform well algorithmically
Elon Musk’s posts, amplified well beyond organic reach
Promoted tweets interspersed throughout

None of this is accidental. This is the system working as designed.

The Following tab is the alternative that has existed on Twitter since before the algorithm was introduced. It’s still there. Most people don’t use it.

How to switch

Desktop:

Open twitter.com.
At the top of your Home feed, you’ll see two tabs: For You and Following.
Click Following.

Your feed now shows only accounts you chose to follow, in the order they posted.

Mobile app:

Open Twitter/X.
At the top of the main screen, tap Following.

The limitation on mobile: Twitter/X resets to For You every time you close and reopen the app. There is no native “set Following as default” toggle in 2026.

Making Following persistent

Desktop — use a browser extension: Search your browser’s extension store for extensions that redirect Twitter/X to the Following tab on open. “Minimal Twitter” and similar extensions often include this as a feature. Some users add a custom URL redirect rule.

Mobile — build the habit: Until Twitter adds a default tab setting, the most reliable approach is a muscle memory habit: open app → tap Following → done. Takes one second once it’s automatic.

Another option: Some users set their Twitter/X bookmark to a specific List URL rather than the Home feed. If you maintain a Twitter List of your most important follows, bookmarking that list gives you a curated, chronological feed that also persists without resetting.

Cleaning up your Following feed further

Even in Following mode, some noise remains:

Retweets from people you follow — you can turn off retweets per-account: their profile → ··· → “Turn off retweets for @username”
Quote tweets of controversial content — mute keywords to catch the worst of these
Accounts you follow but no longer want — spend 10 minutes unfollowing accounts you’ve never meaningfully interacted with

The Following tab is most powerful when your following list is curated. If you follow 3,000 accounts, Following is still noisy. If you follow 200 accounts you actually care about, Following becomes a genuinely clean feed.

If Following isn’t enough: remove the feed entirely

If even the Following feed is too much — if you find yourself compulsively scrolling even accounts you do care about — News Feed Eradicator removes the Home timeline entirely.

DMs, notifications, search, and profile pages all work. The feed disappears.

Install News Feed Eradicator — free, Chrome and Firefox.

What to do right now

Switch to Following now. Use it for one week.
While in Following mode, unfollow 20 accounts you don’t actively read. This is the most productive 15 minutes you can spend on Twitter.
Turn off retweets for the 5 accounts whose retweets you consistently don’t want to see.
If you’re still spending too much time there, install News Feed Eradicator.

How to control your Twitter/X feed — the full playbook.
How to filter Elon Musk posts on Twitter/X — the most common specific complaint about For You.
How to hide political content on Twitter/X — muted words to clean up Following too.

Tools you'll want

News Feed Eradicator

★ 4.3

Replace your social media feeds with an inspirational quote — across every major platform

free chromefirefox

Best for: People who've tried keyword filtering and the feed still pulls them in — the nuclear option for every social platform at once

Install free →

Freedom

★ 4.4

Cross-device site and app blocker with scheduled sessions and locked focus modes

freemium macwindowsios

Best for: Anyone who works across multiple devices and needs the block to follow them everywhere

Try free →

uBlock Origin

★ 4.8

The most widely-installed ad and tracker blocker — free, open source, and built for efficiency

free chromefirefoxedge

Best for: Firefox users who want the most capable tracker and ad blocker available. Chrome users should be aware of the MV2/MV3 situation and may want to consider switching to Firefox for best results.