Protect Account (Private Posts) — Tutorial

Step-by-step guide to toggling protected tweets and managing privacy settings using XActions.

Works on: Browser Console | Node.js (Puppeteer)
Difficulty: Beginner
Time: 1-2 minutes
Requirements: Logged into x.com in your browser

Prerequisites

• Logged into x.com in your browser
• Browser DevTools console (F12 or Cmd+Option+J on Mac)

Quick Start

1. Go to any page on x.com
2. Open DevTools Console (F12, then click the Console tab)
3. Paste the script below to navigate to privacy settings and toggle protection
4. Confirm the change if prompted by X
5. Verify the lock icon appears on your profile

Configuration

The Node.js settingsManager.js module provides programmatic control:

import { toggleProtectedAccount } from './src/settingsManager.js';

// protect = true  → make account private
// protect = false → make account public
await toggleProtectedAccount(page, true);

Step-by-Step Guide

Method 1: Browser Console (Quick Toggle)

Step 1: Navigate to audience settings

Paste this into the console to go directly to the privacy settings page:

window.location.href = 'https://x.com/settings/audience_and_tagging';

Wait for the page to load fully.

Step 2: Toggle the protected tweets switch

(async () => {
  const sleep = (ms) => new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, ms));

  console.log('🔒 PROTECT ACCOUNT - XActions by nichxbt');
  console.log('');

  // Find the switch toggle
  const toggle = document.querySelector('[data-testid="protectedTweets"]')
    || document.querySelector('[role="switch"]');

  if (!toggle) {
    console.error('❌ Protected tweets toggle not found.');
    console.log('💡 Make sure you are on: x.com/settings/audience_and_tagging');
    return;
  }

  const currentState = toggle.getAttribute('aria-checked') === 'true';
  console.log(`📋 Current state: ${currentState ? '🔒 Protected (Private)' : '🌐 Public'}`);

  // Toggle the switch
  toggle.click();
  await sleep(1000);

  // Handle confirmation dialog
  const confirmBtn = document.querySelector('[data-testid="confirmationSheetConfirm"]');
  if (confirmBtn) {
    console.log('🔄 Confirming change...');
    confirmBtn.click();
    await sleep(1500);
  }

  const newState = toggle.getAttribute('aria-checked') === 'true';
  console.log(`✅ Account is now: ${newState ? '🔒 Protected (Private)' : '🌐 Public'}`);
})();

Expected Console Output

🔒 PROTECT ACCOUNT - XActions by nichxbt

📋 Current state: 🌐 Public
🔄 Confirming change...
✅ Account is now: 🔒 Protected (Private)

Method 2: Node.js (Puppeteer)

Script: src/settingsManager.js

import settingsManager from './src/settingsManager.js';
import puppeteer from 'puppeteer-extra';
import StealthPlugin from 'puppeteer-extra-plugin-stealth';

puppeteer.use(StealthPlugin());

const browser = await puppeteer.launch({ headless: false });
const page = await browser.newPage();

// Set session cookie
await page.setCookie({
  name: 'auth_token',
  value: 'YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN',
  domain: '.x.com',
});

// Make account private
const result = await settingsManager.toggleProtectedAccount(page, true);
console.log(result);
// { success: true, action: 'protected', protected: true, timestamp: '...' }

// Make account public again
const result2 = await settingsManager.toggleProtectedAccount(page, false);
console.log(result2);
// { success: true, action: 'unprotected', protected: false, timestamp: '...' }

// Get overview of all settings
const settings = await settingsManager.getSettings(page);
console.log(settings);

await browser.close();

Method 3: Check and manage other privacy settings

(async () => {
  const sleep = (ms) => new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, ms));

  console.log('🔐 PRIVACY SETTINGS OVERVIEW - XActions by nichxbt');

  // Navigate to privacy settings
  window.location.href = 'https://x.com/settings/privacy_and_safety';
  await sleep(3000);

  // List all available privacy sections
  const links = document.querySelectorAll('a[href^="/settings/"]');
  console.log('\n📋 Available privacy settings:');

  links.forEach(link => {
    const text = link.textContent.trim();
    const href = link.getAttribute('href');
    if (text && href.includes('privacy') || href.includes('safety') || href.includes('audience')) {
      console.log(`   🔗 ${text} → x.com${href}`);
    }
  });

  // List all toggle switches on the page
  const switches = document.querySelectorAll('[role="switch"]');
  console.log(`\n🔘 Toggle switches found: ${switches.length}`);

  switches.forEach((sw, i) => {
    const label = sw.closest('[data-testid]')?.textContent?.trim()?.substring(0, 80) || `Switch ${i + 1}`;
    const enabled = sw.getAttribute('aria-checked') === 'true';
    console.log(`   ${enabled ? '🟢' : '🔴'} ${label}`);
  });
})();

Tips & Tricks

1. What protected mode does -- When your account is protected, only approved followers can see your posts. New follow requests require your approval. Your posts will not appear in public search results.

2. Existing followers stay -- Protecting your account does not remove existing followers. They will continue to see your posts. Use the Block feature to remove specific followers.

3. Replies become limited -- Protected posts can only be replied to by your approved followers. Your replies to public accounts will not be visible to non-followers.

4. Reposts are disabled -- Other users cannot repost your protected tweets. This limits content spread significantly.

5. Quick URL shortcuts -- Navigate directly to specific settings pages:

   • Audience: x.com/settings/audience_and_tagging
   • Privacy: x.com/settings/privacy_and_safety
   • Blocked accounts: x.com/settings/blocked
   • Muted accounts: x.com/settings/muted

Troubleshooting

Related Scripts