X Trends FAQ

Where can I find Trends?

Trends are available on the X for iOS app, the X for Android app, and x.com.

On X's mobile apps, you can find Trends listed under the Trends section of the Explore tab  when signed in to x.com on a desktop or laptop computer, Trends are listed in many places, including the Home timeline, Notifications, search results, and profile pages.

How are Trends determined?

Trends are determined by an algorithm and, by default, are tailored for you based on who you follow, your interests, and your location. This algorithm identifies topics that are popular now, rather than topics that have been popular for a while or on a daily basis, to help you discover the hottest emerging topics of discussion on X.

You can choose to see Trends that are not tailored for you by selecting a specific Trends location on x.com, iOS, or Android (instructions below). Location Trends identify popular topics among people in a specific geographic location.

Note: The number of Posts that are related to the Trends is just one of the factors the algorithm looks at when ranking and determining trends. Algorithmically, Trends and hashtags are grouped together if they are related to the same topic. For instance, #MondayMotivation and #MotivationMonday may both be represented by #MondayMotivation.

What does the # sign mean?

You may notice that some trends have # sign before the word or phrase. This is called a hashtag and is included specifically in Posts to mark them as relating to a topic, so that people can follow the conversation in search.

Will I see world and local events in my Trends?

Yes, when signed into your account on the x.com, iOS, or Android, Trends will be tailored for you based on your location and who you follow. There will be many world and local news events and conversations that will appear in your trends regardless of your personalization.

Can I see Trends for a specific location?

Yes, you can view Trends for a specific location on x.com, iOS, or Android.

View Trends via x.com:
To view Trends for a specific location, click Change in your Trends box. You can choose to Keep tailored trends based on your location and who you follow, or you can select Change to choose a nearby location or search locations.

 

Adjust your trends settings via X for iOS:

  1. In the top menu, tap your profile icon.
  2. Tap Settings and privacy, then tap Privacy and safety.
  3. Under Your X Activity, tap Content you see.
  4. Select Explore settings.
  5. Drag the slider next to Show content in your current location to turn on and receive personalized trends. 
  6. When the feature is disabled, you can change your location by tapping Explore locations. From your Home timeline in the search bar on the Trending tab, type your desired Trends location or choose from the list.

 

Adjust your Trends settings via X for Android:

  1. In the top menu, you will either see a navigation menu icon  or your profile icon. Tap whichever icon you have, and select Settings and privacy.
  2. Tap Privacy and safety.
  3. Under Your X Activity, tap Content you see.
  4. Select Explore settings.
  5. Drag the slider next to Show content in your current location to turn on and receive personalized trends.
  6. When the feature is disabled, you can change your location by tapping Explore locations. From your Home timeline in the search bar on the Trending tab, type your desired Trends location or choose from the list.

 

Note: If you don't find your preferred country or city, it means we're not receiving enough Posts from that geographical area to create a list. You can look up local Posts on any topic by using advanced X search operators.

What happens when I click or tap on a Trend?

Clicking or tapping any of the Trends takes you to the X search results for that Trend. You'll see all Posts including that phrase or hashtag. To see what people are saying about a previous Trend, perform a search for that keyword.

How can I participate in a Trend?

Simply post a Post including the exact word or phrase as it appears in the Trends list (with the hashtag, if you see one). Due to the large number of people Posting about these specific Trends, you may not always be able to find your particular Post in search, but your followers will always see your Posts.

Note: X also filters searches for quality. To understand what types of behavior could cause your Posts to be filtered out, read about our search rules and restrictions.

Are there rules for Trends?

Yes. We want Trends to promote healthy conversations on X. This means that at times, we may not allow or may temporarily prevent content from appearing in Trends until more context is available. This includes Trends that:

  • Violates the X Rules.
  • Contains profanity or adult/graphic references.
  • Targets the privacy of victims of serious crimes and of minors, who are private figures.

 

In some cases, we may also consider the newsworthiness of the content, or if it is in the public interest when evaluating potential violations. In these cases, the content might continue to trend on our platform.

Please note that even if we prevent a hashtag or content from appearing in Trending topics, conversations around that content will still be accessible on X, but those terms will not be in the Trending topics section.

In the US, as part of our work to protect the integrity of the conversation around the 2020 US election, we have expanded our efforts to add context and review trends for violations. Read more here.

Do Trends have context?

We manually monitor Trends and work to add context to help answer the question, "Why is this trending?" We do this through attaching a representative Post to the Trend, adding a headline and description, or curating a landing page to give more direct context. We may also add a combination of these. 

Below some Trends you may also see the approximate number of Posts associated with the Trend, or personalized context such as who in your network is Posting about the Trend.

Above some Trends you may see a category such as “Politics,” “Music,” or “Entertainment.” This is automatically selected based on what the Posts in the Trend are about.

Certain Trends will have an article automatically attached based on the conversation around the Trend.

Do Trends have descriptions?

Below some Trends, you may see the approximate number of Posts associated with the Trend, or personalized context such as who in your network is Posting about it.

Additionally, when a Moment is found to be relevant to a Trend, we may use the title of the Moment as the Trend’s description.

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