Viral Twitter shadowban test claims to show if you've been blocked
Jessica Hardy
Updated on March 24, 2026
Thousands of Twitter users are claiming they have been shadowbanned for no reason this week and a shadowban test has gone viral.
This comes after Twitter’s new CEO Elon Musk revealed he was creating a new feature that tells you if you have been shadowbanned.
“Twitter is working on a software update that will show your true account status, so you know clearly if you’ve been shadowbanned, the reason why and how to appeal,” he tweeted on December 9.
The Tesla founder has been making all sorts of changes to the social media platform since his acquisition concluded on October 27, 2022.
So, what actually is shadowbanning? And what is the shadowban test? Here’s everything you need to know…
What is shadowbanning?
Shadowbanning, also known as ghostbanning, is the process of blocking a user from a social media site without their knowledge.
This is usually done by making their posts and comments no longer visible to other users, punishing the user without a formal warning.
Usually, people can still post on the platform and everything seems normal, but their content is hidden and restricted without being informed.
It seems to happen on all kinds of platforms including TikTok and Twitter. As they work on algorithms, it’s easy for a site to stop pushing someone’s content out for a particular reason.
Usually, it’s because they’ve broken their terms in some way, but many often claim they have been shadowbanned for no reason.
Does anyone else feel like they’ve been shadowbanned on Twitter lately? My engagement and stuff is almost non-existent 👀
— Zen Knight || Anniversary Stream May 6th! Vtuber (@Zen_Knight_V) December 17, 2022
Twitter is working on a software update that will show your true account status, so you know clearly if you’ve been shadowbanned, the reason why and how to appeal
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 9, 2022
Twitter users claim they’ve been shadowbanned
This week, thousands of people are claiming they have been shadowbanned on Twitter.
One person wrote: “Well after coming back to Twitter after being shadow banned for no reason, I see zero changes. I hope this is resolved eventually b/c what is the point of social media if you aren’t allowed to be social or seen?”
Another tagged Twitter and Elon Musk and said: “I have contacted multiple times now with no response. My account is shadowbanned for no reason I would very much like this removed please!!”
“I get shadowbanned back to back for no reason, I don’t know what’s happening to Twitter these days,” someone else tweeted.
Another Twitter user added: “Does anyone else feel like they’ve been shadowbanned on Twitter lately? My engagement and stuff is almost non-existent.”
Shadowban test goes viral
As Elon Musk’s feature hasn’t launched yet, many are using a free site which claims to tell you whether you have been shadowbanned.
Titled Twitter Shadowban Test, the German site has gone viral as people attempt to see if they have been blocked on the platform.
All you have to do is type in your Twitter handle and it will tell you whether you have been search-banned or ghost banned.
It’s not clear whether the site is actually accurate, but the shadowban test has taken over Twitter this week nonetheless.
One person shared a screenshot of the test and wrote: “This explains why my twitter been so dry. @elonmusk why am I shadowbanned?!”
“Today I learned that I’m shadowbanned on @Twitter, and I ain’t done any to warrant that,” said another.
