Twitter sends notifications for direct messages by default, but you control how and when you receive them

When someone sends you a direct message on Twitter (now called X), you will get a notification on your phone, computer, or both — unless you have turned notifications off. The default is to notify you: Twitter assumes you want to know when someone messages you privately. But the notification you receive depends on what you have already set up in your notification preferences and your device settings.

The notification itself appears as a badge on the app icon, a banner on your screen, or a sound alert, depending on your device and what you have chosen. You can change which of these happen, turn off DM notifications entirely, or silence them from specific people without blocking them.

Key Takeaways

  • Twitter notifies you of new direct messages by default, but only if notifications are enabled in both your Twitter settings and your device settings.
  • You can turn off all DM notifications, or mute notifications from specific accounts while still receiving their messages.
  • Notification badges, sounds, and banners are controlled separately — you can have one without the others.
  • If you do not receive a DM notification, check your device's notification settings for the Twitter app before assuming the sender's message failed to send.

Where Twitter DM notifications are controlled

Twitter's notification settings live in two places: inside the Twitter app itself, and in your device's system settings. Both have to allow DM notifications for you to receive them.

Inside Twitter, go to Settings and Privacy, then Notifications. You will see options for Direct Messages. You can turn on or off notifications for new messages, message requests (messages from accounts you do not follow), and read receipts. If you turn off "Direct Messages" here, you will not get notifications even if your phone is set to allow them.

On your phone or computer, your device's operating system also controls whether the Twitter app can send notifications at all. On iPhone, this is in Settings > Notifications > Twitter. On Android, it is in Settings > Apps > Twitter > Notifications. If notifications are blocked at the device level, Twitter cannot override that choice.

Muting DM notifications from specific people

You do not have to turn off all DM notifications to silence one person. Twitter lets you mute notifications from specific accounts without blocking them or deleting the conversation.

Open a direct message conversation with the person you want to mute. Tap or click the three-dot menu at the top of the conversation. Select "Mute notifications" or "Mute @username." You will still receive their messages and see them in your inbox, but you will not get a notification when they send one. The mute stays in place until you unmute them using the same menu.

This is different from muting someone's public posts. Muting a person's notifications for DMs does not affect whether you see their tweets in your feed.

Why you might not be getting DM notifications

If someone says they sent you a message but you did not get a notification, the message probably arrived — you just were not alerted. Check your DM inbox to confirm the message is there.

The most common reason for missing notifications is that they are turned off at the device level. Open your phone or computer's settings and search for the Twitter app's notification permissions. Make sure notifications are allowed. On some Android phones, you may also need to check your notification channels: go to Settings > Apps > Twitter > Notifications and make sure "Direct Messages" is toggled on.

If notifications are on everywhere but you still are not getting them, restart the Twitter app or log out and back in. Sometimes the app stops sending notifications until you refresh it. If the problem continues, check whether you have muted notifications from that specific person by opening the conversation and looking at the menu.

Notification badges, sounds, and banners are separate

Twitter and your device both let you control different types of notifications separately. A notification badge is the red number that appears on the app icon. A sound is the alert that plays. A banner is the pop-up that appears on your screen.

You can have badges without sounds, or banners without badges. On iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications > Twitter and choose your alert style (None, Banners, or Badges). You can also toggle "Sounds" and "Badges" separately. On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Twitter > Notifications and adjust each channel.

This matters because you might think notifications are off when really you just have them set to silent. If you want to be notified but do not want sound, turn off the sound but leave badges or banners on.

Message requests and notifications

Twitter separates direct messages from people you follow from message requests — messages from accounts you do not follow. Message requests go to a separate inbox and have their own notification setting.

In Twitter's notification settings, you can turn off notifications for message requests while keeping notifications on for regular DMs. This is useful if you get a lot of unsolicited messages from accounts you do not know. You will still see the message requests in your inbox if you look for them, but you will not be alerted every time one arrives.

What happens when you read a message

Once you open a direct message and read it, the notification goes away. Twitter does not send you another alert for the same message. If the sender sends a follow-up message, you will get a new notification for that.

Some people turn on read receipts in their DM settings, which means the sender can see when you have read their message. This is a separate setting from notifications. You can have read receipts on while notifications are off, or vice versa. Read receipts do not affect whether you get notified — they only tell the sender whether you have seen their message.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get notifications for DMs but not for tweets?

Yes. In Twitter's notification settings, you can turn on Direct Messages and turn off other notification types like Likes, Retweets, or Replies. Each notification type is controlled separately, so you can customize which events alert you.

If I mute someone's notifications, can they tell?

No. Muting notifications from someone does not notify them or change anything they can see. They will not know you have muted their DM notifications. You will still receive their messages normally.

Why am I getting DM notifications when I thought I turned them off?

Check both your Twitter settings and your device settings. If you turned off notifications in Twitter but your device still allows them, you may still receive alerts. Go to your phone or computer's settings and look for the Twitter app's notification permissions to confirm they are fully disabled.

Do I get notified if someone sends me a message request?

Only if you have message request notifications turned on in Twitter's settings. By default, message requests from accounts you do not follow are notified separately from regular DMs. You can turn off message request notifications while keeping regular DM notifications on.

What is the difference between muting and blocking someone on DMs?

Muting stops notifications but you still receive and see their messages. Blocking prevents them from sending you messages at all and removes your conversation history. Muting is useful if you want to ignore someone temporarily; blocking is for accounts you do not want to communicate with.