What Is the X Algorithm?
The X algorithm is the ranking system that picks which posts you see in your For You feed and in what order. It gathers candidate posts from accounts you follow and from across X, predicts how likely you are to like, reply, repost or otherwise engage with each one, and shows the highest-scoring posts first.
How it works today
X has published its For You ranking code on GitHub, as Decrypt reported. Write-ups of the code describe two stages:
- Finding candidates. Posts from accounts you follow, plus posts from accounts you do not follow that people like you engage with.
- Ranking. A transformer model based on Grok scores each post on predicted actions, such as likes, replies, reposts and negative signals like "not interested" or blocks.
Filters then remove posts from blocked or muted accounts and posts flagged as spam. The published code leaves out some production settings, so exact weights are not public.
Example
You reply to three posts about pricing pages. Over the next day your For You feed shows more pricing and SaaS posts, including from accounts you have never followed, because the model now predicts you will engage with them.
Why it matters for growth
- Engagement from the right people spreads posts. Replies and conversations from readers in your niche help a post reach similar people.
- Negative signals hurt. Posts that make people mute, block or tap "not interested" lose reach.
- Consistency trains your audience. Posting about a clear topic helps the model match you with interested readers.
For a deeper walkthrough, read our guide to the X algorithm.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Do links hurt reach on X?
X has not published a rule that penalises links, and the open code does not show one plainly. Many creators still report lower reach on posts with external links. Test it on your own account.
Does the algorithm favour verified accounts?
Subscription status affects how replies are ordered. For the For You feed, X has not published a fixed boost for verified posts.
Last checked November 2026.
Check a draft against what the algorithm rewards with the post checker.