How to Find Someone on X (Twitter) When You Don’t Know Their Username

X (formerly Twitter) is one of the most popular social media platforms out there that’s used by people of all ages. With 550 million monthly active users, it has become a global hub for sharing opinions, following news in real time, and engaging in conversations about virtually any topic.

Since practically everyone uses X these days, wouldn’t it be great to find your friends on this platform to see what they’re tweeting about? Or maybe you wish to find your college mates, relatives, ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend, or someone else.

The easiest way is to use their X username to locate a profile, but what if you don’t know it? Well, there are other ways that can help you achieve your goal.

Sync Address Book Contacts

Saving a person’s contact information on your phone allows you to sync contacts with X to locate their profile. For this, you need to open the Twitter app, go to “Settings and Privacy“, then select “Discoverability and Contacts“. Toggle the sync option on, and X will suggest accounts based on your contact list.

Keep in mind that this feature only works if the person has linked their phone number or email address to their X account and enabled discoverability. If their account is private or they’ve turned off these settings, X won’t be able to suggest them to you. You can also manage or delete previously uploaded contacts anytime from the same settings menu. This ensures you have full control over your privacy and the data you share with X.

Pros and Cons of This Method:

It’s a quick way to find friends, but privacy settings may prevent some accounts from being discoverable through email or phone number.

Use Basic Search Techniques

Using basic search techniques is another effective alternative method. X’s search bar allows you to find users by their real name, nickname, or relevant keywords. Type the name or nickname, hit enter, and let the search function do its work.

Search filters like Top, Latest, People, Media, and Lists can enhance your Twitter search experience.

Enable location services, engage with relevant content, and check mutual friends who might follow the person for more effective basic searching. Combining a person’s real name with their interests or adjusting a person’s username can yield more precise results.

Pros and Cons of This Method:

On the positive side, it’s very easy to use — you can simply type a name, keyword, or phrase into the search bar without needing any special tools. It provides quick results and works well when you want to explore popular accounts, hashtags, or trending discussions.

However, basic search often lacks accuracy, especially when searching for common names, and you may have to sift through many unrelated results.

Leverage Hashtags

Hashtags help discover X accounts based on shared interests and activities. Combine specific terms with relevant hashtags to narrow down tweets related to specific topics and find users discussing those topics. Use the Latest filter to find recent tweets with your hashtags and visual content filters to locate related multimedia.

This approach is especially useful when you’re trying to connect with active users who regularly engage in conversations about a certain topic.

Pros and Cons of This Method:

On the positive side, hashtags make it easier to find people who share your interests or discuss specific topics. They help you join ongoing conversations and stay updated on trends in real time. This method also allows you to identify active users who regularly post about subjects you care about.

However, popular hashtags can be overcrowded, making it difficult to stand out or find truly relevant accounts. Some users misuse hashtags by adding unrelated ones just to gain visibility, which can clutter your search results.

Take Advantage of Google Search Techniques

Google search can help find someone’s Twitter account by searching their name along with “Twitter” or “X.” However, it has limitations like not indexing all tweets, and a person’s Twitter account may not always be easily accessible due to the platform’s rate limits.

Quotation marks around names and combining names with effective keywords can refine search results and improve the chances of finding the correct person’s profile.

Pros and Cons of This Method:

On the positive side, it’s simple and doesn’t require an X account or special tools. You can often locate profiles by typing the person’s name along with keywords or their location, which can save time if the account is public.

However, there are limitations. If the person’s account is private or doesn’t include identifiable information, Google may not be able to find it. Common names can produce many irrelevant results, making it harder to pinpoint the correct profile. Additionally, Google may not index very recent tweets or new accounts immediately, so the search may not reflect the most up-to-date activity.

Look Through Mutual Connections

Looking through mutual connections is a powerful and often underutilized method to find someone on X. This technique relies on the idea that people are usually connected to friends, colleagues, or family members who are also active on the platform. If you follow or know someone who is likely connected to the person you’re searching for, you can browse their followers or following lists to look for the account.

You can also explore lists that these mutual connections may have created, such as groups of coworkers, classmates, or local community members, which can help narrow down your search. Often, even if the person’s username doesn’t directly match their real name, appearing in a mutual network makes it easier to spot them.

Pros and Cons of This Method:

This method can be highly effective because people often follow or interact with friends, family, and colleagues, making it easier to locate an account even if the username isn’t obvious. It can also help identify accounts that might not appear in direct searches due to privacy settings, misspellings, or uncommon usernames.

However, if the person has a private account or limits their interactions, they may not appear in any mutual connections’ lists, making this method less effective. It can also be time-consuming to manually browse through large follower or following lists, especially for accounts with thousands of connections.

Let’s Recap How to Find Someone on X (Twitter)

If the person you’re trying to find on X actively uses the platform, there’s a high chance you’ll find them by syncing your contacts, using basic search techniques on X, leveraging hashtags on the platform, taking advantage of a search on Google, and looking through mutual contacts.

Combining multiple methods increases your chances of finding the right account, but always verify the profile carefully before assuming it belongs to the person you’re looking for.