You added words to Bluesky’s Muted Words list, but the posts still appear in your feeds and notifications. This problem usually happens because the mute settings do not apply to all content types by default. The feature also has specific rules about how it matches text. This article explains why the filter fails and shows the exact settings you need to change to make it work correctly.
Key Takeaways: Fixing Bluesky’s Muted Words Filter
- Settings > Moderation > Muted Words & Tags: Go to this menu to add or edit your muted words list.
- Toggle “Home” and “Notifications” toggles: Each muted word has separate toggles for feeds and notifications; both must be turned on to hide posts in both areas.
- Exact match limitation: Muted words only match the exact word or phrase you enter, not partial matches or variations in spelling.
Why Muted Words Fail to Hide Posts on Bluesky
Bluesky’s Muted Words feature is a moderation tool that hides posts containing specific words or phrases from your timeline and notification bubbles. When you add a word to the list, the system checks each incoming post for that exact string of characters. If the post contains the word, Bluesky hides it and replaces it with a “Post hidden” placeholder.
The root cause of the filter failing is usually one of three things. First, each muted word has two separate toggles: one for the Home feed and one for Notifications. By default, the toggles are set to different states. Second, the filter only matches the exact word you typed. It does not match plurals, different tenses, or case variations unless you add those forms separately. Third, the filter does not apply to custom feeds, such as feeds created by other users or algorithmic feeds, unless those feeds respect the client-side mute list.
Bluesky processes muted words on the client side, meaning the app itself hides the posts after receiving them from the server. This design means the filter works for the official Bluesky app and most third-party clients, but it cannot block posts at the server level. If you use a third-party client that does not implement the mute list, the words will not be filtered.
Steps to Make Muted Words Work Correctly
Follow these steps to check and adjust your muted word settings. The same procedure works on the Bluesky web app, the iOS app, and the Android app.
- Open the Moderation Settings
Click or tap your profile picture in the top-right corner of the Bluesky interface. From the menu that opens, select Settings. On the Settings page, scroll down to the Moderation section and click Moderation. - Go to Muted Words & Tags
On the Moderation page, click Muted Words & Tags. You will see a list of every word and tag you have muted. If the list is empty, you need to add the words first. - Add a new muted word if needed
Click the Add muted word button. A text box appears. Type the word or phrase you want to mute. Bluesky treats the word as case-insensitive by default, so “Spoiler” and “spoiler” are treated the same. Click Add to save it. - Check the toggles for each word
After adding a word, look at the row for that word. You will see two toggles: Home and Notifications. The Home toggle controls whether the word is hidden in your main feed. The Notifications toggle controls whether the word is hidden in your notification list. Both toggles must be turned on for the filter to work in both areas. If only one toggle is on, posts containing the word will still appear in the other area. - Add plural and tense variations
Because Bluesky matches exact words only, you need to add variations separately. For example, if you want to mute the word “spoil”, also add “spoils”, “spoiled”, “spoiling”, and “spoiler”. This step ensures you catch all forms of the word. - Test the filter
After adjusting the toggles and adding variations, go back to your Home feed. Scroll to find a post that contains the muted word. The post should now be replaced with a gray box that says “Post hidden”. Tap or click the box to reveal the post if you want to see it. If the post still appears normally, double-check that the toggles are on and that the word matches exactly.
If Bluesky Still Has Issues After the Main Fix
“Post hidden” placeholder still shows the word in previews
The placeholder box may show a snippet of the post that includes the muted word. This behavior is by design. The filter hides the full content of the post but leaves a small preview so you know a post was hidden. To avoid seeing the word entirely, you can mute a broader phrase that includes surrounding words, or you can use the Mute thread option instead of muting individual words.
Muted words do not work in custom feeds
Custom feeds created by other users or by the Bluesky team may not respect your muted words list. This happens because the custom feed algorithm sends posts directly to your client, and the client-side filter does not always apply to third-party feeds. To avoid this, stick to the default Home feed or use feeds that explicitly state they support client-side muting. You can also mute the entire feed by unfollowing it.
Muted words do not block the word in replies to your posts
If someone replies to your post with a muted word, the reply may still appear in your notifications even with the Notifications toggle on. Bluesky’s mute filter has a known limitation where it does not always catch replies that are direct responses to your content. The best workaround is to mute the entire conversation by clicking the three-dot menu on the post and selecting Mute thread.
Muted words stop working after an app update
Occasionally, a Bluesky app update resets the mute toggles to their default state. If you notice the filter stopped working after updating the app, go back to Settings > Moderation > Muted Words & Tags and verify that both toggles are still turned on for each word. You may need to turn them on again.
Muted Words vs Mute Account vs Mute Thread: When to Use Each
| Item | Muted Words | Mute Account | Mute Thread |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it hides | Posts containing specific words or phrases | All posts from a specific user | All replies in a specific conversation |
| Scope | Global across feeds and notifications | Global across feeds and notifications | Only within the selected post and its replies |
| Duration | Until you remove the word | Until you unmute the account | Until the thread is deleted or you unmute it |
| Best for | Blocking specific topics or spoilers | Blocking a user you do not want to see | Blocking a heated argument or off-topic replies |
Use Muted Words when you want to hide a topic across all posts, such as a sports team name during a championship game. Use Mute Account when a specific user repeatedly posts content you do not want to see. Use Mute Thread when a single post has many replies that clutter your timeline.
You can now control which words appear in your Bluesky feeds and notifications by using the Muted Words feature correctly. Check both toggles for each word and add all variations of the word you want to block. If the filter still fails, mute the entire thread or account instead. As an advanced tip, use the mute list in combination with Bluesky’s labeler services to block entire categories of content, such as political posts or AI-generated art.