If a Twitter Account Is Suspended, Is It Deactivated?

By Ashley Poland

Other users cannot see profile information for suspended Twitter accounts.
i Bethany Clarke/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Twitter may choose to suspend any account at any time. Common reasons for suspension include spamming or abusing other Twitter users or "aggressively following" many accounts. You may also be suspended if Twitter suspects your account has been compromised. A suspended Twitter account has not been deactivated, but also is not usable.

Suspended Accounts

Your suspended account still exists on the Twitter servers -- it just is not accessible. Your tweets and profile information are hidden from view; if someone tries to visit your Twitter profile, he'll see a notice that the account has been suspended. When you log into your Twitter account you will see a notice informing you that your Twitter account has been suspended. Below this notice will be information on how to appeal your suspension.

Username and Email Address

The username and email address of a suspended Twitter account cannot be used to sign in or create a new account. If your account has been suspended, you will need to appeal the suspension to gain access to your account. You cannot delete the profile at this point. A suspended account does not time out, unlike deactivated accounts, which are purged forever after 30 days. If the suspension is never appealed, the username and email address remain unavailable for future use.

Appealing a Suspension

To appeal a suspension, you must contact Twitter using the suspension appeal form. If your Twitter account was suspended for some behavior against the terms of service, such as automated following activity, then you will need to confirm that all you have removed all automation. Appealing your suspension does not guarantee that the suspension will be overturned.

Quirks of Reinstatement

Your Twitter account will be reinstated if your appeal is accepted. Much like when an account is reactivated after a deactivation, it may take a few days for your tweets, followers, and following counts to return to normal. Your news feed and account is active even while the follower and followings settings are being reactivated.

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