A List on X is a custom timeline built from accounts you choose. It doesn't push anything to anyone. That makes it easy to overlook as a group tool, but for an organizer it solves half of the problem: knowing what your group is saying, who asked a question, and who hasn't been heard from in weeks.
This guide covers how Lists work, the limits, and how to combine a List with the tools that do reach people.
What a List does
When you open a List, you see recent posts from its members only, without the ranking and recommendations of your Home timeline. You can add any public account to a List whether or not you follow it, and following a List created by someone else is allowed too.
For a group, that gives you:
- A clean feed of the group. Volunteers, customers, a class, a club's committee. You see their posts without scrolling past everything else.
- A way to catch questions. If someone in the group posts "Does anyone know if the meetup is still on?", you see it and can reply in public, which answers everyone who wondered the same.
- A roster. The member list doubles as a record of who's in the group, which helps when you set up a group chat or send personal notes later.
What a List won't do: send messages, notify members of your posts, or give members a shared space. It's one-directional, from them to you.
Limits and privacy
X's help center gives the main numbers. One account can own up to 1,000 Lists, and each List can hold up to 5,000 accounts. List names are short (25 characters) and descriptions are limited to 100 characters, so pick a name that people recognize at a glance.
Each List is either public or private:
| Public List | Private List | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can see it | Anyone | Only you |
| Others can follow it | Yes | No |
| Members can find out they're on it | Yes | No |
| Good for | A shared directory, like "Speakers at our conference" | Your own tracking, like "Volunteers I need to thank" |
A private List is different from a protected account. A private List hides the grouping; it doesn't hide the posts. Posts by public accounts on a private List are still public.
Think before making a List public. Being added to a public List is visible, and a List titled "Late payers" or "People to follow up with" would embarrass everyone on it. If the grouping says something about the members, keep it private.
Setting one up
On the web or in the app, open Lists from the main menu and create a new one. Give it a name, an optional description and a public or private setting. Then add members, either by searching or from any profile via the menu on that profile (the three dots), where you'll find "Add/remove from Lists."
Once it exists, pin it. Pinned Lists appear as tabs next to your Home timeline, so the group's feed is one swipe away instead of three taps.
For a group of a few hundred people, building a List one profile at a time takes a while. Do it gradually: add people as they introduce themselves, RSVP, or join your group chat. A List that grows with real participation is more accurate than one assembled from a spreadsheet of handles.
Pairing a List with tools that reach people
A List covers listening. For talking back, pair it with one of these:
A public post for news. Announce once, pinned on your profile. Then check your List over the next day for anyone who posted a question about it and reply to them in public.
A group chat for conversation. Put your group chat's invite link in the List description, or in a post you pin. People who find the List can ask to join the chat. The description holds only 100 characters, so keep it to a sentence and the link; the broadcast planner has a List note version sized for exactly this.
Personal replies for people who've gone quiet. If someone on your volunteer List hasn't posted in a month, a friendly reply to their last post often does more than a message. It's public, it's light, and it doesn't land in a requests folder they never check.
A public List as a directory
One more use: a public List works as a directory you can share. A conference can publish "Speakers 2027," a neighborhood group can publish "Local businesses that sponsor us." People follow the List to read along, and members often follow each other because they now know the others exist.
If you do this, ask people before adding them, and say what the List is in the description. It's courteous, and people who agreed to be listed are far more likely to engage with the rest of the group.
Where Lists fit after Communities
When X closed Communities in 2026, some groups that had relied on them lost their shared timeline. A public List brings part of that back: one feed of the group's posts that anyone can follow. It lacks moderation tools and members can't post into it, so it's best paired with a group chat. Our guide to members-only groups on X compares the options in detail.
Questions
Can I send a message to everyone on an X List?
No. A List is a reading tool: it builds a timeline of posts from the accounts on it. It has no messaging feature. To talk to the same group, use a group chat or a public post that mentions only the people directly involved.
How many people can be on an X List?
Up to 5,000 accounts per List, and one account can own up to 1,000 Lists, according to X's help center.
Can people see that I added them to a List?
Public Lists are visible to anyone, including the people on them. Private Lists are visible only to you. Use a private List if the grouping itself is sensitive, such as a list of leads or of accounts you're watching.
PubliciTweet is independent and not affiliated with X Corp. Features on X change often; if something here no longer matches what you see in the app, tell us.