Mastodon Account Privacy Default: How to Set ‘Followers-Only’ Default

When you create a new Mastodon account, your posts are set to Public by default. This means anyone on any instance can see your toots, even without logging in. If you prefer a more private experience where only your approved followers can see your posts, you must change this default setting. This article explains how to set your default post visibility to Followers-Only on both the Mastodon web interface and official mobile apps.

Understanding Post Privacy Levels in Mastodon

Mastodon offers four privacy levels for each post you create. The default level is Public, which is set at the account level but can be overridden per post. Here is what each level means:

Public

Your post appears on the public federated timeline, the local timeline, and in search results on your instance. Anyone on any instance can see it without following you. It is also visible to logged-out users if the instance allows it.

Unlisted

Your post does not appear on the public or local timelines. However, it still appears in search results and on your profile page. Anyone who knows your profile URL can see the post. It is effectively public but not promoted.

Followers-Only

Your post is visible only to your approved followers. It does not appear on any public timeline or in search results. Users who are not following you cannot see the post unless you manually share the link with them. This is the privacy level you want for a more private account.

Mentioned People Only (Direct Message)

Your post is visible only to the users you mention in the post. It is the equivalent of a private message. However, moderators on your and the recipient’s instance can still see the content.

Changing the default to Followers-Only means every new post you compose will automatically have this privacy level. You can still change the privacy of individual posts during composition if needed.

Steps to Set Followers-Only Default on the Web Interface

1. Log in to your Mastodon instance
   Open your preferred browser and go to your instance URL. For example, mastodon.social. Enter your email and password to log in.
2. Open the Preferences menu
   Click the Preferences link in the right sidebar under the navigation menu. If you are on a smaller screen, click the hamburger icon (three horizontal lines) first, then click Preferences.
3. Navigate to the Other section
   In the left sidebar of the Preferences page, click Other. This section contains miscellaneous settings including the default post privacy option.
4. Change the default post privacy
   In the Other section, locate the dropdown labeled Default post privacy. Click the dropdown and select Followers-only from the list.
5. Save your changes
   Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Save changes button. A green confirmation message appears at the top of the page indicating the settings were saved.

After saving, any new post you compose will default to Followers-only. You can verify this by clicking the compose button — the privacy icon should show a lock icon instead of a globe.

Steps to Set Followers-Only Default on the Official Mobile Apps

The official Mastodon apps for iOS and Android share the same settings layout. Follow these steps on your phone or tablet.

1. Open the Mastodon app and log in
   Launch the app on your device. If you are not already logged in, enter your instance domain and credentials to sign in.
2. Tap your profile icon
   In the top-right corner of the home screen, tap your profile picture or avatar icon. This opens a menu with account options.
3. Tap Preferences
   From the menu, tap Preferences. This opens the settings screen.
4. Tap Other
   Scroll down the Preferences list and tap Other. This section contains the default post privacy setting.
5. Select Followers-only
   Under Default post privacy, tap the current value. A list of options appears. Tap Followers-only to select it.
6. Confirm the change
   The app saves the change automatically. You do not need to press a separate save button. The selected option is now active.

Common Mistakes and Limitations When Changing Privacy Defaults

Old Posts Are Not Affected by the New Default

Changing the default post privacy only affects posts created after the change. Existing posts retain their original privacy level. If you want to change the privacy of existing posts, you must edit each post individually or use the bulk edit feature available in some Mastodon apps. The web interface does not offer bulk privacy changes.

The Default Applies Only to Posts, Not to Profile or Media

The default post privacy setting controls only the visibility of your text posts. Your profile page, avatar, header image, and bio remain public by default. To hide your profile from search engines, you must adjust the Hide your profile from search engines option in Preferences > Profile. Media attachments in posts also inherit the post’s privacy level, but media you upload directly to your profile does not.

Third-Party Apps May Ignore the Default Setting

Some third-party Mastodon clients, such as Tusky, Fedilab, or Metatext, have their own default privacy settings. Changing the default on the web interface or official app does not guarantee that a third-party app will respect it. You must also check the privacy settings within each third-party app you use.

Followers-Only Posts Can Still Be Boosted by Followers

When you set a post to Followers-only, your followers can still boost it. However, the boosted post remains visible only to the followers of the person who boosted it, not to the public. If you want to prevent boosting entirely, you must use the Mentioned People Only privacy level, but that also restricts visibility to only the mentioned users.

Item	Default Post Privacy (Public)	Default Post Privacy (Followers-Only)
Visibility of new posts	Visible on public timelines and search	Visible only to approved followers
Appearance in local timeline	Yes	No
Appearance in federated timeline	Yes	No
Visible to logged-out users	Yes, if instance allows	No
Existing posts affected	No	No
Per-post override during composition	Yes	Yes

Setting your default post privacy to Followers-Only is a simple one-time change that gives you more control over who sees your content. After making the change, every new post you compose will automatically be restricted to your followers. Remember to also check the privacy settings in any third-party Mastodon apps you use, as they may override this default. For maximum privacy, consider enabling the Require follow requests option in your profile settings so that only approved followers can see your followers-only posts.