When you compose a post in Mastodon, you choose who can see it. Mastodon offers four visibility levels: Public, Unlisted, Followers-only, and Direct. Each level controls how your post appears on timelines, in search results, and to people who are not logged in. This article explains what each level does, when to use it, and what limitations exist.
Key Takeaways: Mastodon Post Visibility Levels
- Public visibility: Post appears on the local and federated timelines, in search results, and on your profile. Anyone can see it, even without an account.
- Unlisted visibility: Post appears on your profile and in followers’ home feeds but is excluded from public timelines and search results.
- Followers-only visibility: Post is visible only to your approved followers and appears on their home feeds. It does not appear on timelines or search results.
- Direct visibility: Post is sent only to the mentioned user(s) and appears in their Mentions column. No one else can see it.
What Each Visibility Level Controls
Every Mastodon post carries a visibility flag set at the time of composition. This flag determines where the post appears and who can read it. The four levels are Public, Unlisted, Followers-only, and Direct. Understanding the difference helps you avoid oversharing or accidentally limiting your reach.
Public
Public posts are the default on most Mastodon instances. They appear on your instance’s local timeline, the federated timeline, your profile, and in search results. Anyone, including users without a Mastodon account, can view a public post. Public posts are also eligible for boosting and being picked up by third-party search engines like Google.
Unlisted
Unlisted posts are not shown on the local or federated timelines. They still appear on your profile and in the home feeds of your followers. Unlisted posts are not indexed in Mastodon’s internal search, and they do not appear in the public timeline of any instance. However, anyone who knows the direct link to the post can view it. Boosting an unlisted post makes it visible on the public timeline of the boosting user’s instance.
Followers-only
Followers-only posts are visible only to your approved followers. They appear in the home feeds of those followers but not on any public timeline, your profile, or search results. Non-followers who visit your profile see a message that the post is not available. Followers-only posts cannot be boosted by anyone, including your followers.
Direct
Direct posts are private messages sent to specific users. Only the sender and the mentioned recipients can see the post. Direct posts appear in the Mentions column of each recipient. They are not shown on any timeline, profile, or search result. Direct posts are not encrypted and are visible to instance administrators.
How to Set the Visibility Level When Composing a Post
The visibility level is selected in the compose box before posting. The option is available on the Mastodon web interface and all official mobile apps.
- Open the compose box
Click or tap the compose button, usually a pencil icon or a text input field at the top of the screen. - Locate the visibility icon
Look for an icon near the post button. The default icon is a globe for Public. Click or tap it to open the visibility menu. - Choose a visibility level
Select Public, Unlisted, Followers-only, or Direct from the list. The icon changes to reflect your selection. - Compose your post and send it
Type your content, add media or links, and click the post button. The post is published with the chosen visibility.
You can also change the default visibility for all new posts in your account settings. Go to Preferences > Appearance and set the Default post privacy option to your preferred level.
Common Mistakes and Limitations
Unlisted posts still appear on public timelines when boosted
If a follower boosts your unlisted post, that boost appears on the follower’s instance public timeline. The original post remains unlisted, but the visibility of the boost is Public. To prevent this, use Followers-only for content that must stay private.
Direct posts are not encrypted
Direct posts are stored in plain text on the server. Instance administrators can read them. Do not use Direct for sensitive information such as passwords or financial details. Direct is equivalent to an email, not an encrypted messaging app.
Followers-only posts do not appear in the profile view
When a non-follower visits your profile, they see a blurred placeholder for Followers-only posts. They cannot read the content. If you want a post to be visible on your profile but not on timelines, use Unlisted instead.
Changing visibility after posting is not possible
Mastodon does not allow you to edit the visibility of a post after it is published. You must delete the post and create a new one with the correct visibility level. Plan ahead before posting.
Public vs Unlisted vs Followers-only vs Direct: Comparison Table
| Item | Public | Unlisted | Followers-only | Direct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appears on local timeline | Yes | No | No | No |
| Appears on federated timeline | Yes | No | No | No |
| Appears on your profile | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Visible to non-logged-in users | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Indexed in search | Yes | No | No | No |
| Can be boosted | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Visible to instance admins | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Now you can choose the right visibility level for each Mastodon post. Use Public for broadcast content, Unlisted for profile-centric updates, Followers-only for private conversations, and Direct for one-to-one messages. To quickly switch visibility while composing, memorize the keyboard shortcut: Alt plus the first letter of the level (P, U, F, D) on desktop.