Twitter has been around since 2006 and in that time has made a huge impact on the world. Nevertheless, it fundamentally remains unchanged. The character limit has increased, new functionality has been added, but the social network still looks and works similarly.
Whether you’ve been on Twitter since day one, or are a relatively new user, there’s still something for you to learn. Did you know about all the hidden keyboard shortcuts that let you navigate the interface with ease? Do you know what all the Twitter-specific terms mean?
We’re here to help you out and turn you into a Twitter pro in no time.
FREE DOWNLOAD: This cheat sheet is available as a downloadable PDF from our distribution partner, TradePub. You will have to complete a short form to access it for the first time only. Download the Twitter Shortcuts and Terms Cheat Sheet.
Twitter Keyboard Shortcuts and Glossary
| KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS | |
|---|---|
| SHORTCUT | ACTION |
| Navigation | |
| See shortcuts | ? |
| Next tweet | J |
| Previous tweet | K |
| Page down | Space |
| Load new tweets | . |
| Home | G + H |
| Explore | G + E |
| Notifications | G + N |
| Mentions | G + R |
| Profile | G + P |
| Likes | G + L |
| Lists | G + I |
| Direct messages | G + M |
| Moment maker | G + C |
| Settings | G + S |
| Bookmarks | G + B |
| Go to user | G + U |
| Display settings | G + D |
| Actions | |
| New tweet | N |
| Send tweet | Ctrl + Enter |
| New direct message | M |
| Search | / |
| Likes | L |
| Reply | R |
| Retweet | T |
| Share tweet | S |
| Bookmarks | B |
| Mute account | U |
| Block account | X |
| Open tweet details | Enter |
| Expand picture | O |
| Open/close messages dock | I |
| Pause/play selected video | K |
| Mute selected video | M |
| Go to audio dock | A + D |
| Pause/play audio dock | A + Space |
| Mute/unmute audio dock | A + M |
| GLOSSARY | |
| TERM | DEFINITION |
| # (Hashtag) | A way to group a tweet into a topic |
| @ | Precedes a username to link to that user’s profile |
| Block | Stop someone from seeing and interacting with your profile |
| Bio | A 160-character biography that appears on your profile |
| Bookmark | Saving tweets in a collection of favorites |
| Direct messages | Privately message another account |
| Explore | An area of Twitter where you can view trends, events, topics, and more |
| Follow | Subscribe to another account and see their tweets in your timeline |
| Likes | The heart icon that represents your appreciation of a tweet |
| List | A custom timeline made up of a series of accounts |
| Mention | The act of mentioning another user in your tweet |
| Mute | Hiding accounts, phrases, hashtags, and more from your timeline |
| Pinned tweet | A tweet that appears at the top of your profile permanently |
| Promoted | Can be sponsored accounts, tweets, trends, and more |
| Retweet | Sharing someone else’s tweet to your timeline |
| Reply | Responding to someone else’s tweet |
| Thread | A series of linked tweets from one user |
| Timeline | A stream of tweets, ordered chronologically |
| Tweet | A message on Twitter, up to 280 characters |
| Verified | An account that has a blue check to indicate it’s a legitimate source |
How to Improve Your Twitter Experience
Knowing these Twitter terms and navigating with these keyboard shortcuts is sure to improve your Twitter experience.
But did you know there are plenty of apps out there that can make it even better? Whether you want to automatically block trolls or automatically create Twitter threads, there’s probably a third-party program that can help you out.
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