7 min read

How to migrate from Twitter to Bluesky.

Are you thinking of migrating from Twitter/ X to Bluesky? I recently migrated my personal and business accounts. Here's the guide.
Blue bird flying through blue clouds

Are you thinking of migrating from Twitter/ X to Bluesky? You're not the only person searching for help!

Bluesky's popularity has soared in November 2024. It went from 13 million users to 21 million users in the space of 3 weeks.

Chart showing the increase in Bluesky users in November 2024
Bluesky user grown, courtesy of Stats for Bluesky

That's more than 1 million users for every Bluesky employee.

On paper, Threads is a much more popular platform with 275 million active users. However, recent statistics suggest that Bluesky is getting much more engagement.

Daily visits to Threads and Bluesky over the last 12 months
Image from Similarweb via TechCrunch

Time will tell if users stick with Bluesky long-term. For now, if you want to try Bluesky, moving your account, followers, and tweets might be the right way to go.

Is Bluesky a Good Alternative to Twitter?

Yes, Bluesky is a good alternative to Twitter. But keep in mind that it's not a direct replacement.

Bluesky offers a pared-down experience compared to X. The community-driven ethos appeals to X users who have been with Twitter since the start, but it's not quite as active.

In short, migrating from X to Bluesky is worthwhile if you're looking for:

  • No ads
  • Chronological timelines
  • Customizable feeds
  • Features that X removed, like account blocking.

So Bluesky will be a good fit if you're focused on having quality conversations with friends and followers.

Small businesses can find a home among the many feeds and Starter Packs that already exist, too, provided they're willing to contribute meaningfully to the conversation.

Migrating from X to Bluesky, Step by Step

I recently migrated our X account to a business Bluesky account. I'll explain the full step-by-step migration process.

Create a New Bluesky Account

Up until February 2024, you needed an invite code to join Bluesky.

Now, you can join for free on the site without an invite.

Just head over to bsky.app and join.

Set Up Your Bluesky Profile

It's a good idea to set up your profile before you start following people in Bluesky.

It'll help people to recognize you, and potentially follow you back.

To set up your account profile information, click Profile to view your own profile. Then click Edit Profile at the top.

Edit Bluesky profile

For maximum discoverability, use the same profile picture that you used on X.

Verify Your Bluesky Account

Bluesky doesn't have any verification checkmarks. Instead, you can verify your account by using your domain name as your username.

If you're setting up a business Bluesky account, I highly recommend this. It's a good way to prove that the account is legit.

If you don't have a domain, you can buy one for less than £10. I like Porkbun. No affiliate link - I just find them to be the cheapest.

To start, log in to Bluesky. Click Settings, Account, Handle.

Click on the button that says I have my own domain.

Adding your own domain on Bluesky

In the first box, type in the domain you want to use.

Entering your custom domain on Bluesky

You can then verify ownership in two ways:

  • Add a TXT record to your domain's DNS
  • Upload a file to your hosting account.

I used the first method.

Log into your domain registrar's control panel and edit your DNS zone. If you're using Cloudflare, you'll want to log in there instead.

Add a new record with the name TXT and the host _atproto.

Then, in the content field, paste in the Value, which looks like a long string of characters.

In case you're wondering, Bluesky uses the AT Protocol, which is why your record is called _atproto.)

Back in Bluesky, hit the Verify DNS Record button.

Verifying DNS record in Bluesky

Bluesky will change your username to your domain with @ in front of it. If it doesn't work, give it a few minutes and try again.

Import X Content to Bluesky

If you want to keep your tweets and move them over to Bluesky, you can import them directly. Imported tweets are marked with an archive label, like this:

Imported X post on Bluesky timeline
Courtesy of the official Bluesky account

I skipped this step because I didn't see the point in preserving 10-year-old tweets. But if you'd like to archive your timeline on Bluesky, you can use

Follow X Followers on Bluesky

If you're hesitant about finding all of the people you follow on X, there's a Chrome extension that will attempt to locate them for you.

Sky Follower Bridge scans your X account and attempts to match up the people on your follows, following, and block lists. (You'll have to run it separately for each list.)

Be sure to review the list! Impersonation is unfortunately common on Bluesky. Big brands and celebrities haven't been fast enough to move over so many of their accounts have been claimed by random people.

Tip: I ran Sky Follower Bridge when I first signed up, then ran it a month later to catch the people who had just joined.

Find and Follow Starter Packs

Starter Packs are lists of Bluesky accounts on a theme or topic. With one click, you can follow up to 150 accounts all at the same time.

Example of a Bluesky Starter Pack

You'll find a searchable directory of Starter Packs here.

If someone has created a Starter Pack, it'll be listed on their profile in a tab. This is often a better way to find packs of like-minded people.

Being included in a Starter Pack is a good way to grow your Bluesky account. There's no way to add yourself; you'll have to reach out to the creator to be added to a Pack.

Alternatively, you can make your own Starter Pack by clicking the Starter Packs link in your profile.

Claire Broadley's Bluesky profile

Find and Follow Feeds and Hashtags

Feeds allow you to subscribe to a topic or filtered post list. When you find a feed you like, just click Pin to Home to add the feed to your navigation bar.

Pin to Home button on a Bluesky feed

I recommend picking a few pre-made feeds like:

You can make your own custom Bluesky feeds at SkyFeed.

Post to X and Bluesky At the Same Time

Many of us aren't quite ready to deactivate X. You might want to post to Bluesky and X at the same time to get the maximum possible reach.

Most social media scheduling tools (like Buffer) will allow you to crosspost to X and Bluesky at the same time. Twitter to Bsky is a more complex (but free) alternative.

Subscribe to Blocklists

Bluesky has a feature that allows you to block a list of accounts at the same time. Think of it like the opposite of a Starter Pack.

Blocklists are designed to keep your timeline free of accounts that are known to spam or post content that you don't enjoy.

When you find a blocklist, the user experience is not too intuitive. You need to click Subscribe, then either Mute or Block.

Exmple of a Bluesky blocklist

Take care with blocklists. You'll automatically block any accounts that are added to them, so your timeline is partly within the creator's control.

There are also reports of people creating blocklists for malicious reasons, although I haven't seen any myself. It's best to review the accounts on a blocklist before subscribing to it.

You can review the blocklists you're subscribed to at Settings, Moderation, Moderation Lists.

Bonus Bluesky Tips and Tricks

Now you're set up on Bluesky, post! In general, I've found the engagement to be strong on Bluesky so far. I can also get away with posting photos of my lunch without someone accusing me of trying to poison people.

Beyond that, Bluesky has a community API. That means there are a ton of apps, platforms, and tools that extend its functionality. For example:

  • Missing the multi-column views in Tweetdeck or X Pro? deck.blue and Skeetdeck provide the same functionality for your Bluesky account.
  • View account information for any Bluesky user on ClearSky.
  • For a nuclear option to blocking, use Blockenheimer to block all of their followers as well.
  • Still torn between Bluesky vs Mastodon? If you want to bridge Bluesky and Mastodon, users recommend Bridgy Fed.

Find more Bluesky tools at the Community Showcase.

Final Step: Enable 2FA on X

If you're not planning to use your X account for a while, I recommend setting up 2FA if you haven't done so already.

It'll ensure nobody can log into your X account while you're not using it.

And that's it! If you'd like your tool to be listed here, please get in touch with us on Bluesky.