In Mastodon, your handle is the unique identifier that people use to find and mention you. It typically looks like @username@instance.social. Your display name is the name shown on your profile and posts. By default, Mastodon sets your display name to match your handle username, but you can change it to any text you like. … Read more
When you upload a header image to your Mastodon profile, the platform automatically crops it to fit a specific aspect ratio. Many users find their carefully composed image looks wrong after upload — the top or bottom gets cut off, or the image appears too zoomed in. This happens because Mastodon uses a fixed 3:1 … Read more
Adding a verified link to your Mastodon profile proves to visitors that you control the website or social media account you link to. Without verification, any user can add any URL to their profile, making it easy for impersonators to appear legitimate. Mastodon uses the HTML rel=me attribute standard to perform this check automatically. This … Read more
Mastodon limits your profile to four custom fields. This restriction can feel tight when you want to share your website, a link to your shop, your pronouns, and a short bio. The cause of this limit is Mastodon’s design choice to keep profiles clean and to prevent spam. This article explains how to make the … Read more
Mastodon profiles display a square avatar image by default. Some instances and client apps offer the ability to overlay a decorative frame around that avatar, similar to profile picture frames on other social networks. A custom avatar frame can help your profile stand out or show support for a cause. This article explains how to … Read more
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 … Read more
Your Mastodon profile content and posts may appear in search results on the instance you use and on other federated instances. Many users want to limit their visibility in search to maintain privacy or reduce their digital footprint. Mastodon provides a built-in setting to stop your posts from being indexed by search features on your … Read more
If you manage a Mastodon account for your business or personal brand, you have likely noticed the Suggest in Discovery toggle in your account settings. This feature controls whether your profile appears in the discovery features of your home instance and federated servers. When enabled, your account may be shown to new users browsing the … Read more
Mastodon’s notification feed can become crowded when people you follow boost posts from accounts you do not follow. Each boost generates a separate notification, making it hard to spot direct replies or mentions. The cause is Mastodon’s default notification settings, which treat boosts the same as original posts. This article explains how to disable boost … Read more
Mastodon posts do not disappear on their own. Over time, your public timeline becomes cluttered with outdated toots that may no longer reflect your views or interests. Manually deleting hundreds of posts is tedious and time-consuming. Mastodon provides a built-in feature that automatically deletes posts older than a specified number of days. This article explains … Read more