Mastodon does not use an algorithm to decide what you see. Instead, it relies on hashtags to connect people who share the same interests. When you follow or use a specific hashtag, you see every public post that includes it. This makes hashtags the primary tool for discovering like-minded users and building a focused community. … Read more
Mastodon’s search bar accepts operators that filter results by hashtag, author, and date range. Many users type hashtags alone and miss the advanced filters built into the system. The from: operator limits results to posts from a specific account, while the to: operator shows replies directed at a particular user. This article explains how to … Read more
Spam posts in a Mastodon hashtag stream clutter your feed and waste your time. These unwanted messages often contain links to scams, repeated promotional content, or automated replies that do not belong in a topic-based conversation. Mastodon provides built-in tools to report individual posts directly from the hashtag timeline without leaving your current view. This … Read more
You follow a hashtag on your phone but it does not show as followed on your desktop computer. Mastodon hashtag following sync across devices can lag by several minutes or even hours. This delay happens because Mastodon uses a pull-based federation model rather than instant push notifications for metadata changes. This article explains the technical … Read more
Moving your Mastodon account from one instance to another allows you to keep your followers and profile history without starting from scratch. The migration process uses Mastodon’s built-in account relocation feature, which transfers your followers, profile metadata, and a redirect notice to your new account. This article explains the prerequisites for migration, provides step-by-step instructions … Read more
You started moving your Mastodon account to a new instance, but the process shows “Pending” and never completes. This usually happens because the old instance cannot confirm the new account ownership or the new instance rejects the migration request. The move account feature requires a handshake between two servers: the old instance must verify a … Read more
After moving your Mastodon account to a new instance, you need to confirm that followers, follows, and other data actually transferred. Many users assume the migration worked automatically, but partial failures can leave followers behind or break the redirect from your old profile. This article explains exactly which settings to check and what the migration … Read more
You have set up a new Mastodon account and initiated the migration process from your old instance. But after following all the steps, you see that your followers have not moved to your new profile. This can be frustrating because the migration feature is designed to transfer your follower list automatically. The core reason followers … Read more
When you move your Mastodon account from one instance to another, your followers may not automatically know where you went. Without a proper alias, the old instance cannot redirect follower requests or notify followers of the move. This article explains how to create an account alias, which is the first step in a standard Mastodon … Read more
When you move your Mastodon account from one instance to another, you trigger a follower migration handshake. After the move completes, you cannot perform another account migration immediately. Mastodon enforces a cooldown period to prevent abuse and give the federation time to propagate the changes. This article explains exactly how long the cooldown lasts, what … Read more