How to move from X (Twitter) to Bluesky and keep your audience
Save your X (Twitter) archive, set up a Bluesky profile people recognize, tell followers where you’ve gone and run both accounts without double work.
To move from X (Twitter) to Bluesky, save your archive, create a Bluesky account with the same name and photo, then post your new address on X (Twitter) and pin it. Followers don’t move with you: each person has to follow your new account again, so keep both active for a few weeks.
This guide follows one four-week move. It doesn’t cover importing old posts or tools that match followers across networks.
Decide what kind of move you’re making
You can stop posting on X (Twitter) as soon as you announce the move, or post on both networks for a few weeks so more people see the news. Then decide whether to keep the old account as a pointer to Bluesky or deactivate it.
Riverside Weekly, a made-up local newsletter, posts on both for four weeks, then keeps a pointer:
| Week | What Riverside Weekly does | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Requests the archive, sets up Bluesky as riversideweekly.example | Archive saved, handle verified |
| 2 | Announces the move on X (Twitter) and pins it | Bio and pinned post show the address |
| 3 | Makes a starter pack of 25 local accounts | Pack shared in the newsletter |
| 4 | Last regular post on X (Twitter) | Profile points to Bluesky |
Save your X (Twitter) archive first
Request the archive before you change anything. On the web, select More > Your account > Download an archive of your data and enter your password. In the app, it’s under Settings and privacy > Account. Confirm with the code sent to your email or phone, then select Request data. Your email must be confirmed first.
X (Twitter) says the archive may take a few days, then sends an email or app notification. Download the .zip file in a browser where you’re signed in. It holds your profile, posts, Direct Messages, media, follower and following lists, Lists and more.
Check your posts and images are there. Keep a private backup, since it holds your messages.
Set up a Bluesky profile people recognize
Create the account in the Bluesky app with the same display name and photo as on X (Twitter). In the bio, say what you post, add “Formerly RiversideWeekly on X (Twitter)” and your website.
Your handle ends in .bsky.social at first. A domain you own can replace it and tie the account to a site people know. In Bluesky’s settings, change your handle, choose “I have my own domain” and add the _atproto TXT record it shows, or serve your account’s DID at /.well-known/atproto-did on that domain. Bluesky’s domain handle tutorial covers both, and mentions of your .bsky.social handle still point to your account.
Pin a short introduction post (who you are, what you’ll post, where the newsletter is) and post a few times before announcing, so the profile isn’t empty.
Tell your audience where you’ve gone
On X (Twitter), announce the move with the full address, not only the handle. Riverside Weekly posts:
We’re moving to Bluesky. Follow us at
https://bsky.app/profile/riversideweekly.example. We’ll post on both networks for two more weeks.
Pin the post and put the address in your bio or website field. Mention the move in your newsletter and on your website. Repeat it at planned points, such as weeks 2 and 4, not daily.
A starter pack helps newcomers find more than your account. From the Starter Packs tab on your Bluesky profile, you can recommend up to 150 people and 3 custom feeds, then share the pack’s link or QR code. People without a Bluesky account can join through it. Riverside Weekly adds 25 local accounts and shares the link in its newsletter.
Run both accounts without double work
During the overlap, write each update once and adapt it. A standard X (Twitter) post holds 280 weighted characters, with each link counted as 23. Bluesky allows 300, counting each link as posted. The character limits guide shows how one draft fits both.
For each update, check:
- Each version within its own network’s limit
- An image description on every picture
- Handles looked up on each network, since a name can belong to someone else
- One place to schedule, so nothing goes out twice
- Replies answered where people asked
In Studio, you write one post for both networks, add custom text for either one, and the counter shows what’s left under the stricter limit. The cross-posting guide covers adapting the wording.
Keep or deactivate your X (Twitter) account
On your last planned day, post a goodbye on X (Twitter) with the Bluesky address, pin it, and change the bio to “Now on Bluesky” plus the address.
Keeping the account keeps your username and old post links working. Check its replies regularly. Deactivating starts deletion: after 30 days without signing in, the account is deleted and the username is no longer yours. Request a fresh archive first, since the week 1 copy lacks later posts.
Give people one page that lists every account (see the link-in-bio guide). Studio’s public page, reunified.com/@ plus your Studio handle, links every account you connect. In the app, “Total followers” shows their combined followers over time. Studio doesn’t move followers or import archives. It isn’t available yet, but you can join the waitlist.
