Twitter Rate Limit Exceeded? Here’s How to Fix It ASAP
Remember that feeling when you’re in the middle of a Twitter doom-scroll session and suddenly—bam—you’re cut off? That annoying “rate limit exceeded” message pops up, and your Twitter session comes to a screeching halt.
I first ran into this back in July 2023 when Musk dropped those crazy new limits on all of us. One minute I was catching up on my feed, and the next I was staring at an error message telling me I’d somehow used up my “tweet allowance” for the day.
The whole thing felt ridiculous. Twitter—a platform designed for endless scrolling—was now telling me I’d seen too many tweets? Make it make sense.
If you’re nodding along because you’ve hit this wall too, you’re not alone. Plenty of us have been left scratching our heads over this strange Twitter hurdle.
I’ve spent way too much time figuring out what triggers these limits and testing different workarounds. In this article, I’ll share what I’ve learned about why Twitter’s rate limits exist, how long they last, and the tricks I’ve found to get around them.
What Does “Rate Limit Exceeded” Mean on Twitter?
Simply put, Twitter’s “rate limit exceeded” error is the platform’s way of saying “whoa there, slow down!” It appears when you’ve hit Twitter’s cap on certain actions within a specific timeframe.
Think of it like a bouncer at a club telling you you’ve had enough drinks for the hour—except instead of alcohol, it’s tweets.
Many users find that these limits severely impact their ability to grow their accounts organically. I’ve noticed that people with smaller follower counts hit these limits more frequently, creating a catch-22 situation.
If you’re serious about growing your Twitter presence quickly, you might consider options to buy Twitter followers from reputable services like SocialPlug to boost your initial reach. This can help improve your follower-to-following ratio, which Twitter considers when applying certain limits.
Why Twitter Sets Rate Limits
After digging into this for a while, I’ve figured out that Twitter isn’t just being a killjoy for no reason. With hundreds of millions of users all tweeting, scrolling, and following at once, the platform needs some crowd control.
From what I can tell, these limits serve a few purposes:
They keep Twitter’s servers from melting down during high traffic They help catch bot accounts that are behaving suspiciously They block hackers trying to flood the system They (supposedly) ensure everyone gets decent performance
Types of Twitter Rate Limits
In my experience, Twitter restricts pretty much everything you might want to do on the platform. Here’s what I’ve run into:
Tweet posting is capped at 2,400 per day, which sounds like a lot until you’re live-tweeting a sports game or conference. Even worse, you can only post 50 tweets every 30 minutes.
The following limit of 400 new accounts per day seems reasonable until you’re trying to quickly build a new account by following people in your industry.
What really grinds my gears is that verified users (those who pay for Twitter Blue/X Premium) get way higher limits—up to 10,000 posts daily compared to my measly 1,000.
How Long Does the Twitter Rate Limit Last
The most annoying part about hitting a rate limit is waiting for it to reset. Unfortunately, Twitter isn’t exactly transparent about when that’ll happen.
For most API-related limits with third-party apps, I’ve found the reset happens after an hour. But for the big limits like daily tweet posting or following accounts, you’re stuck waiting a full 24 hours.
Rate Limit Duration for Different Actions
Through trial and error (lots of error), I’ve figured out approximately how long you’ll need to wait:
If you’re on a tweet spree and hit the 50 tweets per 30 minutes limit, you’ll need to cool your jets for half an hour before Twitter lets you post again.
I once tried following a bunch of accounts after a networking event and hit the 400 account limit. Had to wait until the next day to continue.
When I was setting up a new Twitter account and changing email settings, I hit the email change limit of 4 times per hour. That was a weird one—who needs to change their email that frequently anyway?
How to Fix Rate Limit Exceeded on Twitter
After months of battling these limits, I’ve collected a few tricks that actually work. Some will get you back in action right away, while others are more about preventing the problem in the future.
1. Check if Twitter Is Having Problems
Before you try anything else, make sure the problem isn’t on Twitter’s end. I’ve wasted time troubleshooting only to discover Twitter was having a widespread outage.
Head over to DownDetector and see if other users are reporting similar issues. If there’s a spike in reports, it’s probably not just you, and no amount of troubleshooting on your end will fix it.
2. Wait for the Cooldown Period
Sometimes the boring solution is the only one that works. If you’ve genuinely hit a rate limit, stepping away from Twitter for a while is often your only option.
I usually switch to another platform like Instagram or Reddit while waiting for my Twitter limits to reset. Or, you know, actually get some work done instead of social media scrolling.
3. Try Using the Official Twitter App
If you’re seeing rate limits while using third-party apps, switching to Twitter’s official app or website might solve your problem immediately.
I noticed this when I was managing a client’s account through Hootsuite and kept hitting limits. When I switched to using Twitter directly, the limits were much more generous.
4. Sign Up for Twitter Blue/X Premium
I hate to admit it, but paying for Twitter Blue (now X Premium) does actually solve most rate limit issues. That’s definitely by design—Twitter wants to convert free users to paying customers.
When I briefly tested X Premium, my daily post limit jumped from 1,000 to 10,000, which was more than enough for my needs. Plus, I could see more tweets before hitting any viewing limits.
5. Unfollow Some Accounts
Here’s something weird I discovered: Once you follow around 5,000 accounts, Twitter starts looking at your follower-to-following ratio before letting you follow more people.
When I hit this wall, I had to go through and unfollow accounts I wasn’t really engaging with anymore. Kind of a blessing in disguise, as it forced me to clean up my feed.
Why Twitter Implemented Stricter Rate Limits
The rate limit situation got dramatically worse in July 2023 when Musk suddenly announced new, stricter viewing limits. He claimed it was to combat “extreme levels of data scraping and system manipulation,” but many of us have our doubts.
I remember trying to catch up on news that weekend and getting rate-limited after just a few minutes of scrolling. Suddenly Twitter was basically unusable.
The Google Cloud Connection
Here’s what I suspect was really happening: Around the same time as these new limits appeared, reports surfaced that Twitter hadn’t paid its Google Cloud storage bills.
The timing seems awfully convenient—bills due at the end of June, new restrictive limits implemented in early July. By limiting how much content users could view, Twitter could reduce its server load and storage needs until they sorted out their financial situation.
Avoiding Rate Limits on Twitter
After months of dealing with these limits, I’ve developed some habits that help me avoid hitting them in the first place.
Instead of posting a thread of 20 tweets all at once, I space them out over a few hours. This helps me stay under that 50 tweets per 30 minutes threshold.
For those of us managing multiple accounts or using scheduling tools, I’ve found it helpful to consolidate activity. Rather than making dozens of small updates throughout the day, I batch my Twitter work into a couple of focused sessions.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What’s the fastest way to fix the rate limit exceeded on Twitter?
Wait it out. Most limits reset after 1-24 hours depending on what triggered them. Using the official Twitter app instead of third-party apps can help avoid API-related limits.
- Will Twitter notify me when my rate limit resets?
Unfortunately, no. Twitter doesn’t provide notifications or a countdown for when rate limits will reset. You’ll need to wait for the standard time and try again.
- Do verified accounts still get rate limited?
Yes, but their limits are much higher. Verified accounts can view up to 10,000 posts daily compared to 1,000 for regular users.
- Can Twitter permanently ban me for hitting rate limits?
No, hitting rate limits alone won’t get you banned. However, consistently hitting limits might flag your account for spam-like behavior, which could lead to other restrictions.
- Does Twitter rate limit affect DMs?
Yes, Twitter limits you to 500 direct messages per day. If you hit this limit, you’ll need to wait 24 hours before sending more DMs.
Conclusion
I’ve hit Twitter’s rate limit and exceeded messages more times than I can count, and while they’re annoying, they’re not insurmountable. With the right approaches, you can minimize disruptions and keep your Twitter experience relatively smooth.
Understanding what triggers these limits has helped me work within Twitter’s rules while still getting what I need from the platform. Hopefully these tips help you avoid seeing that frustrating “rate limit exceeded” message too often!
Whether you’re a casual Twitter user or someone who relies on the platform professionally, knowing how to navigate these limits is increasingly important as Twitter continues to evolve its policies and restrictions.
