Free Threads Shadowban Test
Am I shadowbanned on Threads? Check your profile visibility and people-search standing in seconds — plus an honest look at what genuinely can't be tested.
Updated July 2026· checks run against Threads' live public view
What is a Threads shadowban?
Meta doesn't use the word “shadowban.” What people mean by it is what Meta itself calls “reduced distribution” — your account becomes “not eligible for recommendations,” so your posts reach far fewer people who don't already follow you, with no notice and no strike on your account. It's invisible from the inside, which is why a checker has to test your profile from a logged-out viewer's perspective to catch it at all.
The signals we check for
Every visitor gets the first two automatically. Reach collapse needs your own Insights data, so it only runs once you connect your account.
Whether your profile loads at all for someone who isn't logged in and doesn't follow you — the baseline test for any restriction.
Whether your exact handle comes back when someone searches for it on Threads. If it doesn't, you're harder to find even for people looking for you by name.
Your view count over the last week against the three weeks before it, straight from Meta's own Insights data. Only available once you connect your account — Insights isn't visible from the outside.
What we can't check — and the two checks only you can run
Both of these live behind your login or behind an API that doesn't answer honestly. Any checker claiming to run them for you is guessing. Each takes about 30 seconds by hand.
Open Threads → your profile → the menu (☰) → Settings → Account Status. Meta shows policy decisions on your account there, including whether your content is currently not eligible for recommendations.
Why it's manual: Only you can see this page — it's behind your login, so no checker can read it. It's also the one place Meta tells you directly, rather than you inferring it from reach.
Open a post you replied to from another account — yours, a friend's, anyone's but the one that posted the reply — and look for your reply. If it's there for them, your replies aren't being hidden on that post.
Why it's manual: Don't run this logged out. Threads truncates a logged-out thread at roughly the first 25 replies and then hard-gates on "Log in to see more replies" — we measured 29 rendered on a post with 247. Scrapers get an even thinner slice: 8 replies on a thread with 58,894. "Your reply isn't in the list" proves nothing when the list itself is cut off, which is why a logged-in second account is the only version of this test that means anything.
How to check if you're shadowbanned on Threads
Reduced distribution only shows up to people who aren't you. Here's how to see your account the way a stranger does.
Type your Threads username above and run the test. We check your profile and search visibility the way a logged-out viewer sees them.
See per-check results for profile visibility and people search, each shown with the evidence we found on Threads' public, logged-out surfaces.
Read the limits section below — Threads' broken reply pagination and topic-only search mean reply hiding and post indexing genuinely can't be tested from the outside.
How long does a Threads shadowban last?
There is no fixed term. Meta publishes no universal timer or remedy for reduced distribution. Account Status is the authoritative place to check an explicit restriction.
- A recommendation restriction has no countdown and no notification when it ends. Meta never publishes a duration because there isn't one to publish.
- A policy strike is different: it does have a defined term, and Settings → Account Status shows you both the restriction and when it expires.
- Reach recovers gradually rather than snapping back. Judge it on a week-over-week trend, not on the next post you publish.
- Only Meta knows the cause. Review measured risk patterns, pause conservatively when a direct restriction is visible, then resume gradually.
Threads shadowban FAQ
How do I check if I'm shadowbanned on Threads?
Run your @handle through the test above. It checks whether your profile loads and whether your handle surfaces in people search — both from a logged-out viewer's perspective, which is the only view where reduced distribution actually shows. It then gives you two checks only a human can run: whether your replies show up for a second account, and what Settings → Account Status says. Tick both off and the report is complete.
What is a Threads shadowban?
Meta doesn't use the word "shadowban." What people mean by it is what Meta itself calls reduced distribution — your account becomes not eligible for recommendations, so your posts reach fewer people who don't already follow you, without any notice or strike on your account.
How long does a shadowban last on Threads?
There's no universal length. Meta controls distribution and does not publish a guaranteed recovery timer. A policy strike may carry a defined term in Settings → Account Status; otherwise compare visibility over time rather than assuming a cause or deadline.
How do I remove or lift a shadowban on Threads?
You can't appeal reduced distribution — there's no button for it, because Meta doesn't treat it as a penalty. What lifts it is removing the trigger: stop repetitive or automated posting, delete or edit anything that brushes against the Community Guidelines, check Settings → Account Status for an actual strike you can appeal, then pause for a few days and resume with original posts and real replies. If Account Status shows a strike, appeal it there — that one does have a formal route. Read the full recovery guide.
Can this tool tell if my replies are hidden?
Not automatically — and any tool claiming otherwise is guessing. Threads only ever returns the top handful of replies on a post, no matter how many exist; we saw 8 replies returned on a thread with 58,894. "Your reply isn't in the list" tells you nothing when the list itself is broken. So the report includes it as a check you run: open a post you replied to from a second account, look for your reply, and tick it off. Don't do it logged out — Threads cuts a logged-out thread off after roughly 25 replies with "Log in to see more replies", so absence there is the normal case, not a signal. From a logged-in second account it takes 30 seconds and it's the most reliable signal there is.
Can this tool tell if a specific post is in search?
No. Threads search matches topics, not the words in a post. Searching an exact sentence from a post that is definitely indexed and visible returns nothing. There's no query that proves whether one particular post is discoverable.
What's the difference between reduced distribution and a strike?
Reduced distribution is algorithmic — your reach quietly drops with no notice. A strike is a policy decision on your account, and Meta shows it directly under Settings → Account Status in the app. Only you can see that page, so the report lists it as a check you run yourself and confirm.
How do I fix reduced distribution on Threads?
Review measurable patterns such as repetitive posting, aggressive automation, or content close to Community Guidelines. For a direct restriction, a short pause is conservative guidance, not a Meta remedy; resume gradually and check Account Status. Full guide linked below. Read the full recovery guide.
Is this Threads shadowban test free?
Yes — completely free. No account, no password. You get one free check per day. Signed in you get the same free check every day, and any check beyond it costs 2 AI credits, so there is no daily ceiling beyond your own balance. The free daily check is shared with our X shadowban test, so a check you run there uses the same one.
How we check:reduced distribution only shows to people who aren't you — logged in, you always see your own posts, so the only meaningful test is from Threads' public, logged-out view. We never ask for your password.
A free check a day. Need more?
This test stays free for everyone — one check a day, no login, and you keep that free daily check when you sign in. Beyond it, checks cost 2 AI credits each, so there's no daily ceiling except your own balance.
Trial limits apply for 3 days — full limits unlock when your subscription starts. Cancel anytime.
This test says if. The deep scan says why.
Shadowban Deep Scan connects to your Threads account and reads seven risk checks — posting cadence, reply volume, follow ratio, content risk, reach, growth velocity, and the same visibility signals you just tested — then ranks what to fix first. It can't see your replies from the outside either; nothing can. It tells you everything else.