Threads lets you share your public posts on Mastodon and other ActivityPub servers through fediverse sharing. But by default, all your public replies are also sent to the fediverse. You may want to limit which replies appear outside Threads so that only certain conversations reach a wider audience. This article explains how to set your Threads account so that replies are federated only when you choose a specific audience.
The fediverse sharing feature in Threads is a toggle in your account settings. When enabled, your public posts and replies are sent to connected ActivityPub servers. To control which replies go out, you must adjust the reply audience before posting. This guide walks through the exact settings and posting steps.
Key Takeaways: Control Fediverse Visibility of Threads Replies
- Profile > Privacy > Fediverse sharing: Turn on or off the entire fediverse connection for your account.
- Reply audience selector (globe icon): Choose “Anyone” to federate the reply, or “Profiles you follow” and “Mentioned only” to keep it inside Threads.
- Post audience must be public: Only public posts can be federated; private or followers-only posts never leave Threads.
How Fediverse Sharing Works for Replies
Fediverse sharing in Threads uses the ActivityPub protocol. When you enable it, your public posts and replies are sent to Mastodon, Pixelfed, and other ActivityPub servers. The key point is that the audience you set on a reply determines whether that reply is federated.
Threads offers three reply audience options when composing a reply:
- Anyone: The reply is public and will be federated if you have fediverse sharing turned on.
- Profiles you follow: The reply is visible only to accounts you follow and those mentioned. It is not federated.
- Mentioned only: The reply is visible only to accounts mentioned in the conversation. It is not federated.
The original post must also be public. If the original post is set to “Followers” or “Mentioned only,” any reply you make, even with “Anyone,” will not be federated. The fediverse sharing toggle in your account settings must be on for any federation to happen at all.
Steps to Federate Only Specific Replies
Follow these steps to ensure only the replies you intend are sent to the fediverse.
- Enable fediverse sharing in your account settings
Open Threads. Tap your profile icon in the bottom right. Tap the two lines icon in the top right to open Settings. Tap Privacy. Tap Fediverse sharing. Toggle the switch to On. This must be on for any federation to occur. - Make sure your original post is public
When you create a new post, check the audience selector at the top of the composer. It must show “Anyone.” If it shows a lock icon or “Followers,” change it to “Anyone.” Only public posts can be federated. - Compose a reply with the correct audience
Tap the reply icon on a public post. In the reply composer, tap the audience selector next to your profile picture. A menu appears with three options: Anyone, Profiles you follow, and Mentioned only. Select “Anyone” if you want this reply to appear on Mastodon and other fediverse servers. Select one of the other two options to keep the reply inside Threads only. - Post the reply
Tap the Post button. The reply is now sent to the fediverse if you chose “Anyone” and the original post is public. If you chose “Profiles you follow” or “Mentioned only,” the reply stays within Threads. - Verify federation on a Mastodon server
Open a Mastodon client or web interface. Search for your Threads handle (username@threads.net). You should see the reply you posted with “Anyone” audience. Replies with restricted audiences will not appear.
What Happens When You Change Reply Audience After Posting
Threads does not retroactively change federation status. If you post a reply with “Anyone” and later edit the audience to “Profiles you follow,” the reply already sent to the fediverse remains on external servers. To prevent federation, you must delete the reply before it propagates. External servers may cache the reply for a short time, so deletion is the only reliable way to remove it from the fediverse.
Common Mistakes and Limitations
Reply Audience Not Visible in Composer
If you do not see the audience selector when replying, you may be replying to a post that is not public. Check the original post’s audience. If it is set to “Followers” or “Mentioned only,” the reply audience selector defaults to the same restriction and cannot be changed to “Anyone.”
Fediverse Sharing Toggle Off
Even if you set a reply to “Anyone,” no federation occurs if the fediverse sharing toggle is off. Verify the toggle is on in Profile > Privacy > Fediverse sharing.
Reply to a Private Account’s Post
If the account you are replying to has a private profile, their posts are not public. You cannot set a reply to “Anyone” on a private post. The audience selector will be locked to “Followers” or “Mentioned only.”
Federation Delay
Replies may take several minutes to appear on Mastodon servers. If you do not see your reply after 10 minutes, check that the original post is public, the fediverse toggle is on, and the reply audience is set to “Anyone.”
Threads Reply Audience Options Compared
| Item | Anyone | Profiles You Follow |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility on Threads | Visible to everyone | Visible to you, accounts you follow, and mentioned users |
| Federated to Mastodon | Yes (if original post is public and fediverse toggle is on) | No |
| Best use case | Public conversations you want on the open fediverse | Conversations within your Threads network only |
| Can be changed after posting | Yes, but already federated copy remains on external servers | Yes, but does not affect past federation |
You now know how to control which Threads replies are federated to the fediverse. Use the “Anyone” audience only for replies you want to share on Mastodon and other ActivityPub servers. For private conversations, choose “Profiles you follow” or “Mentioned only.” Remember that deleting a reply is the only way to remove it from external servers after posting.