My Hashtags (#) or @Replies Aren't Working!

Some users report having difficulty using a hashtag on their Tweets, or that Tweets sent as @replies aren't working as expected. If this is happening to you, read on to find out possible causes of your issue and how to fix them.

@Replies/Mentions

If you're having trouble with @replies or mentions, check for the following:

1. Is there any symbol in or after the username?
   - If you write @emilyp.123, your message will be sent to the user emilyp, not emilyp123
2. Is there any symbol preceding the @ symbol?
   - If you write .@emilyp, ?@emilyp or !@emilyp, these will appear as regular Tweets, meaning all your followers will see them in their timelines, rather than just you and the intended recipient.
3. Is there any letter preceding the @symbol?
   - If you write 23@emilyp or word@emilyp, emilyp will not receive your Tweet. @mentions will not work with letters or numbers in front of the @ symbol. The @ symbol must be at the beginning of a Tweet or it must have a space directly in front of it in order for the mention to work.
4. Are your Tweets protected?
   - If your Tweets are protected, the person you're trying to @ mention has to follow you in order to be able to see your Tweets. So if @emilyp has protected Tweets, @justinbieber won't be able to see her Tweets unless he follows her.

Hashtags

Hashtags experience some of the same issues described above because they use the same conventions. Check your hashtags for the following:

1. Is there any symbol or punctuation in or after the hashtag?
   - If you write #noican't, your message will be categorized under #noican. Punctuation marks ( , . ; ' ? ! etc.) will end your hashtag wherever punctuation occurs.
2. Is there any letter preceding the hashtag # symbol?
   - If you write 23#idoittoo or word#idoittoo, your Tweets will not show in searches for the hashtag #idoittoo. Hashtags will not work with letters or numbers in front of the # symbol. The # symbol must have a space directly in front of it in order for it to show correctly in searches.
3. Is the hashtag made up entirely of numbers?
   -If you write #1 or #123 the hashtag will not be hyperlinked and is therefore not searchable. However, if you include letters following the numbers in the hashtag, for example, #123go, then the hashtag will work correctly.

Still need help? Contact Support.