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How-to4 min read

How to Keep X (Twitter) on the Following Tab

X added a setting in 2023 that remembers whether you last viewed the For You or Following tab, but users continue to report the app or web version resetting to For You after updates, refreshes, or new sessions, so a browser extension that pins Following as the default is the more reliable fix.

X updated its apps in 2023 to remember whether you were last on For You or Following, which sounds like the fix this question is asking for. In practice, people still land back on For You more often than that update implies. This is what the setting actually does, and what covers the gap it leaves.

What the official fix actually does

In 2023, X changed its web and mobile apps to remember which timeline tab, For You or Following, you last had open, rather than defaulting to For You on every single launch. For anyone who'd been manually re-tapping Following every session, that was a real improvement.

It also hasn't been fully reliable since. Users have continued to report the timeline resetting to For You anyway, especially on the web version after a page refresh or a new browser tab, with no consistent trigger and no official acknowledgment of a fix.

Explore never got the same treatment

Even when tab-memory works as intended, Explore, the separate trending and algorithmic discovery tab, sits in the navigation bar the whole time. There's no setting that hides it or reduces how prominent it is. It's a permanent fixture regardless of which timeline you prefer.

What's left: the web version, pinned

Because X's tab-memory setting is inconsistent rather than absent, the actual fix is the same one that applies everywhere else in this library: act on the page before it renders, on the web version, where a Safari extension can operate.

On the web version, that means:

  • Following loads as the timeline, every time, independent of whatever X's own memory setting is doing that day.
  • Explore stays hidden, not just deprioritized, removing the discovery tab from the navigation entirely.

Making it the default

A guided iOS Shortcut that redirects the X app icon to the web version removes the need to check which tab you landed on. You open X, Following is already there.

That's DoomOff's X toggle: Following by default, Explore hidden, both stable regardless of what X's own setting does in any given update.

Frequently asked questions

Does X remember if I was on the Following tab?
It's supposed to, since a 2023 update was meant to save your last-viewed tab across sessions. In practice, users continue to report it resetting to For You, particularly on the web version after a refresh or a new tab.
How do I switch to the Following tab on X?
Tap Following at the top of the timeline, next to For You. If the tab-memory setting is working correctly, X should keep you there on your next visit. If it isn't, you'll need to tap it again each time.
Can I hide the Explore tab on X?
Not inside the native app. Explore, X's trending and algorithmic discovery tab, stays in the navigation bar regardless of which timeline tab you prefer. Removing it requires acting on the web version instead.