How to Use Threads: A 2026 Beginner's Guide
How to use Threads, in short: sign in with your Instagram or Facebook account, choose a public or private profile, then tap New post to share up to 500 characters, with photos, videos, a poll or a topic tag if you like. Below any post, you can reply to it, repost it or quote it.
Much of it changed after 2024: DMs, text attachments, Communities and Dear Algo all arrived since then, so older guides miss them. Every step here is Meta’s own, from its Help Center and newsroom. New to the app? Start with what Threads is. Coming from X? See what changed when Twitter became X.
Table of Contents
- How to use Threads: which account do you sign up with?
- Should your Threads profile be public or private?
- How do you post a thread on Threads?
- How do replies, reposts, quotes and mentions work?
- Which feeds does Threads have?
- How do messages and Communities work on Threads?
- Should you turn on fediverse sharing?
- FAQ
How to use Threads: which account do you sign up with?
An Instagram or a Facebook account. Meta’s Help Center documents both routes and lets you create one Threads profile for each account you have, but it documents no way to sign up without either. Option 1 is the Instagram route, option 2 the Facebook one:
In the Threads app (iPhone and Android), option 1:
- Download the Threads app from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android).
- Once the app is installed, tap the Threads icon to open it.
- Tap Continue with Instagram.
- Enter your Instagram username and password, then click Log in.
- Review information on your Threads experience, then tap Confirm at the bottom.
- Select whether you want to have a public or private profile, then tap Continue at the bottom.
- Review information on content visibility and the fediverse, then tap Join Threads at the bottom.
In the Threads app (iPhone and Android), option 2:
- Download the Threads app from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android).
- Once the app is installed, tap the Threads icon to open it.
- Tap Continue with Facebook.
- Review your profile information.
- Tap Public profile to select whether you want to have a public or private profile, then tap OK at the bottom.
- Tap Next at the bottom.
- Review the terms and policies, then tap Allow and join Threads at the bottom.
Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): Create a profile on Threads.
Starting from Facebook changes two things: a verified Facebook badge doesn’t carry over (an Instagram one does), and only profiles created with Instagram can turn on fediverse sharing. Either way, following people on Threads never changes who you follow on Instagram or Facebook. Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): Create a profile on Threads
Should your Threads profile be public or private?
Choose public if you want anyone to see your posts, or private if only followers you approve should see them. Your name, profile photo, username and bio are always public either way, and profiles of people under 18 start out private.
On threads.com (computer):
- Click More in the bottom left, then click Settings.
- Click Privacy, then click Private profile.
- Click the toggle next to Private Profile to make your profile public or private.
- Click OK to confirm.
In the Threads app (iPhone and Android):
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap Menu in the top right.
- Tap Privacy.
- Tap the toggle next to Private Profile to make your profile public or private.
- Tap OK to confirm.
Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): Switch your Threads profile to public or private.
How do you post a thread on Threads?
Open New post, write up to 500 characters, add any photos, videos, GIF, topic tag or poll, choose who can reply and quote, then post. Meta’s steps for web and app:
On threads.com (computer):
- Click New post in the bottom right.
- Enter what you want to include in your post. You can also click Add from gallery (photo or video), GIF, Tag (topic) or Poll.
- To change who can reply and quote your thread, click Anyone can reply & quote in the bottom left. You can limit who can reply and quote to Profiles you follow or Mentioned only.
- Click Post in the bottom right.
In the Threads app (iPhone and Android):
- Tap New post at the bottom.
- Enter what you want to include in your thread.
- Optionally tap Add from gallery (up to 10 items), GIF, Tag, Poll or Location.
- To add to your thread, tap Add to thread. If your thread contains more than 500 characters, another thread will be added automatically.
- To change who can reply and quote your thread, tap Anyone can reply & quote in the bottom left. You can limit who can reply and quote to Profiles you follow or Mentioned only.
- Tap Post in the bottom right. You’ll see a progress bar at the top while your thread is being posted.
Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): Start a new thread on Threads.
Rules worth knowing:
- 500 characters per post. In the app, longer text continues in another post automatically. Checked against Meta for Developers: Threads API overview (limits)
- Text attachments of up to 10,000 characters, readable directly in Threads, have been rolling out since 4 September 2025. Checked against About Meta newsroom: Attach Text to Threads Posts
- Up to 10 photos or videos per post in the app, with videos up to 5 minutes. Apps that publish through Meta’s Threads API can send carousels of up to 20. Checked against Meta for Developers: Threads API, Posts
- Polls have up to 4 options of 25 characters each and run for 24 hours, and you can’t vote in your own. Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): Add a poll to your post on Threads
- One topic tag per post, up to 50 characters, with or without a #; tapping it opens search results for that topic. Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): Tag a topic in your post on Threads
- Ghost posts (since 27 October 2025) archive automatically after 24 hours; replies go to your messages inbox, where only you see who liked and replied. Checked against About Meta newsroom: Introducing Disappearing Posts on Threads
- Editing covers the text only, within 15 minutes of posting. Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): Edit your post on Threads
- Pinning keeps one post at a time at the top of your profile. Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): Pin a post on Threads
If you publish with Outfeed
How do replies, reposts, quotes and mentions work?
Below every post sit the reply, like and repost icons. Repost offers two choices: repost the post as it is, to your profile and feeds, or quote it in a new post of your own. Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): Like, repost or quote a thread or reply on Threads
To mention someone, type @ and their username with no space, or tap Mention at the top of their profile. Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): Mention someone on Threads
You choose who can reply to and quote each post: anyone, profiles you follow, profiles you mention or, since 24 April 2025, your followers. Since 30 October 2025 you can also approve replies before they appear. You can change it at any time, unless the post was shared to the fediverse. Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): Manage who can reply and quote your post on Threads
Which feeds does Threads have?
For You mixes posts from profiles you follow with recommended accounts, Following shows only profiles you follow, and custom feeds are the ones you build from topics and profiles. Turn on fediverse sharing and you also get a Fediverse feed. Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): About your feeds on Threads
Since 11 February 2026, writing “Dear algo” in a public post, followed by what you want more or less of, adjusts your For You feed for three days. Meta launched it in the US, New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. A private Your Algo setting followed on 16 June 2026, rolling out in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Checked against About Meta newsroom: Dear Algo on Threads
Searches can become feeds too: search a keyword, then turn the results into a custom feed from the Options menu. Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): Search on Threads Filters, topic tags and trending topics are covered in our Threads search guide.
How do messages and Communities work on Threads?
Messages work inside the Threads app: direct messages arrived on 1 July 2025 and group chats on 15 October 2025. Communities, public spaces built around one interest, came out of beta on 16 June 2026.
Messages from people you don’t follow land in a Message Requests folder, where links and media are disabled; choosing Only People You Follow in your messages settings turns requests off. You can add up to 50 people who follow you to a group chat. Checked against About Meta newsroom: Introducing Messaging and Highlighted Perspectives on Threads
Communities build on topic tags and custom feeds. Meta began testing them in October 2025 across more than 100 topics. Membership is public: communities you join are tagged on your profile. Checked against About Meta newsroom: Introducing Threads Communities: Find Your People
Should you turn on fediverse sharing?
Turn it on only if you want people on other fediverse servers to follow and interact with your posts. Sharing is an opt-in beta. Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): About Threads and the fediverse Meta limits it to profiles created with Instagram, people 18 or older, public profiles and people outside the European Region. Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): Turn on sharing to the fediverse on Threads
The trade-offs:
- Posts with a poll, limited replies and quotes, or unsupported attachments are never shared, and Threads waits 15 minutes before sharing anything so you can edit. Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): Start a new thread on Threads (Share to the fediverse)
- Turning sharing off asks other servers to delete your profile and posts, which Meta can’t guarantee, and you can’t turn it back on for 30 days. Checked against Instagram Help Center (Threads): Turn off sharing to the fediverse on Threads
Scheduling has its own guide, how to schedule Threads posts. Choosing between networks? Read Threads vs Twitter.
Plan and schedule your Threads posts in Outfeed AI
FAQ
How do I use the Threads app?
Sign in with Instagram or Facebook, choose a public or private profile, then tap New post to write up to 500 characters. Below any post, you can reply, like, repost or quote, and your For You, Following and custom feeds decide what you see.
How do I post a thread on Threads?
Tap New post, write up to 500 characters, add photos, videos, a GIF, a topic tag or a poll if you want, choose who can reply and quote, then tap Post. In the app, longer text is split into another post automatically. You can edit the text within 15 minutes of posting.
What are Threads Communities?
Public spaces on Threads, built on topic tags and custom feeds, where people talk about a shared interest. Meta began testing them in October 2025 across more than 100 topics and took them out of beta on 16 June 2026. Joining one is public: it’s tagged on your profile.
Can you use Threads on a computer?
Yes, at threads.com. Meta’s Help Center gives computer steps for starting a thread, adding a poll, editing a post within 15 minutes, pinning a post and switching between a public and private profile. Its sign-up steps are for the iPhone and Android app.