Help Center

FAQs about trends on Twitter

Where can I find trends?

Trends are available on the Twitter for iOS app, the Twitter for Android app, and twitter.com.

On Twitter's iOS and Android apps, you can find trends by simply tapping on the search icon  When signed in to twitter.com on a desktop or laptop computer, trends are listed in many places, including the Home timeline, Notifications, search results, and profile pages.

How are trends determined?

Trends are determined by an algorithm and, by default, are tailored for you based on who you follow, your interests, and your location. This algorithm identifies topics that are popular now, rather than topics that have been popular for a while or on a daily basis, to help you discover the hottest emerging topics of discussion on Twitter.

Note: The number of Tweets that are related to the trends is just one of the factors the algorithm looks at when ranking and determining trends. Algorithmically, trends and hashtags are grouped together if they are related to the same topic. For instance, #MondayMotivation and #MotivationMonday may both be represented by #MondayMotivation.

You can choose to see trends that are not tailored for you by selecting a specific trends location on twitter.com. Location trends identify popular topics among people in a specific geographic location.

What does the # sign mean?

You may notice that some trends have # sign before the word or phrase. This is called a hashtag and is included specifically in Tweets to mark them as relating to a topic, so that people can follow the conversation in search. Click here for more information about hashtags.

Will I see world and local events in my trends?

Absolutely. When signed into your account on the web, trends will be tailored for you based on your location and who you follow. There will be many world and local news events and conversations that will appear in your trends regardless of your personalization.

Can I see trends for a specific location?

Yes! To view trends for a specific location, click Change in your trends box. You can choose to Keep tailored trends based on your location and who you follow, or you can select Change to choose a nearby location or search locations. If you don't find your preferred country or city, it means we're not receiving enough Tweets from that geographical area to create a list. You can look up local Tweets on any topic by using advanced Twitter Search operators.

What happens when I click or tap on a trend?

Clicking or tapping any of the trends takes you to the Twitter search results for that trend. You'll see all Tweets including that phrase or hashtag. To see what people are saying about a previous trend, perform a search for that keyword.

How can I participate in a trend?

Simply post a Tweet including the exact word or phrase as it appears in the trends list (with the hashtag, if you see one). Due to the large number of people Tweeting about these specific trends, you may not always be able to find your particular Tweet in search, but your followers will always see your Tweets.

Note: Twitter also filters searches for quality. To understand what types of behavior could cause your Tweets to be filtered out, click here.

Are there rules for trends?

Yes, and we outline them in the Twitter Rules because it is possible to abuse trends. The following behavior could cause your account to be filtered from search or even suspended:

  • Adding one or more topics or hashtags to an unrelated Tweet in an attempt to gain attention in search.
  • Repeatedly Tweeting the same topic or hashtag without adding value to the conversation in an attempt to get the topic trending or trending higher.
  • Tweeting about each trend in order to drive traffic to your profile or website, especially when mixed with advertising.
  • Listing trends in combination with a request to be followed.
  • Tweeting about a trend and posting a misleading link to something unrelated.

Trends descriptions

Below some trends, you may see the approximate number of Tweets associated with the trend, or personalized context such as who in your network is Tweeting about it.

Additionally, when a Moment is found to be relevant to a trend, we may use the title of the Moment as the trend’s description.

Having trouble?

Check out our troubleshooting section for solutions to common problems.