How X trending topics are picked

Q: Does X have an API for trending topics?

The X API v2 has two trends endpoints. GET /2/trends/by/woeid/:id returns location trends for a Yahoo! Where On Earth ID, with 1 for worldwide, and takes max_trends from 1 to 50. GET /2/users/personalized_trends returns trends for the signed-in user and needs a Premium user subscription. Neither returns the posts behind a trend.

What appears as X trending is a list of topics that X's algorithm picks because they are popular right now, tailored by default to who you follow, your interests and your location. X's Trends FAQ states it directly: "Trends are determined by an algorithm and, by default, are tailored for you based on who you follow, your interests, and your location." Two people in different cities with different follows see different lists, so treat any trend you see as your trend, not the platform's.

The algorithm rewards speed over size. The same FAQ says it "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." A subject that people discuss every day at a steady volume, like your product category, does not trend even when the total volume is large.

Where do you find trends on X?

You find trends on X under the Trends section of the Explore tab in the iOS and Android apps, and in places across x.com. X's help centre lists the desktop spots as "the Home timeline, Notifications, search results, and profile pages." Trends exist on x.com, X for iOS and X for Android.

Clicking a trend runs a search. The FAQ says it "takes you to the X search results for that Trend," where you see "all Posts including that phrase or hashtag." A trend is a saved search for a phrase that X chose for you. To read about a trend that has dropped off the list, X tells you to search for its keyword yourself.

X decides what is trending with an algorithm that weighs how fast a topic is rising, with the number of posts as one input among others. The help centre's note is precise: "The number of Posts that are related to the Trends is just one of the factors the algorithm looks at when ranking and determining trends." X does not publish the other factors.

Four more documented behaviours shape the list you see:

Merging. X groups related trends and hashtags into one. Its example is #MondayMotivation and #MotivationMonday showing up together as #MondayMotivation.
Categories. A label such as "Politics," "Music" or "Entertainment" above a trend "is automatically selected based on what the Posts in the Trend are about."
Context. X says it manually monitors Trends and adds context to answer "Why is this trending?" through a representative post, a headline and description, or a curated landing page.
Counts. Below some trends you see "the approximate number of Posts associated with the Trend," or who in your network is posting about it.

A person holds a smartphone while looking at a city map, illustrating how trends change with your location.

How do you see trends for a different location on X?

You see trends for a different location by turning off tailored trends and picking a place in Explore settings. X describes Location Trends as identifying "popular topics among people in a specific geographic location." The steps differ by app.

On x.com, click Change in the Trends box. Keep tailored trends, or pick a nearby location or search for one.
On iOS or Android, tap your profile icon or the navigation menu, then Settings and privacy, then Privacy and safety.
Under Your X Activity, tap Content you see, then Explore settings.
Turn off Show content in your current location, then tap Explore locations and choose a place from the list or type one in.

If your city or country is missing, X explains that "we're not receiving enough Posts from that geographical area to create a list." Pick the nearest larger area instead.

What do the X trends API endpoints return?

The X API v2 returns trends from two endpoints: one for a location and one for the signed-in user. The developer docs list both under Trends by WOEID and Personalized Trends.

	Location trends	Personalized trends
Endpoint	`GET /2/trends/by/woeid/:id`	`GET /2/users/personalized_trends`
What picks the list	A Yahoo! Where On Earth ID, with 1 for worldwide	The user's location and interests
Authentication	App Bearer Token	User access token through OAuth 2.0 PKCE
Extra requirement	None listed	A Premium user subscription
How many trends	`max_trends` from 1 to 50, default 20	Not stated
Fields returned	`trend_name`, and `tweet_count` on request	`trend_name`, `tweet_count` in the example

Neither endpoint returns the posts behind a trend. To read them, you run a search on the trend name, which on the API means the search endpoints and the costs covered in the Twitter API pricing guide.

Which topics does X keep out of Trends?

X keeps a topic out of Trends when it breaks the X Rules, contains profanity or adult or graphic references, or targets the privacy of victims of serious crimes or of minors who are private figures. The help centre adds that X "may also consider the newsworthiness of the content" and leave a borderline topic trending. A topic X blocks from Trends stays searchable, because "conversations around that content will still be accessible on X."

A shopper compares two products on a store shelf, showing the buyers you find by searching for buying words instead of chasing trends.

X trending rarely finds a lead on its own, because trends measure how fast a topic grows, and a buyer asking for a tool is one quiet post that never moves the list. Someone writing "any recommendations for a CRM that handles WhatsApp?" uses words no trend algorithm will promote. You find that post by searching for the words, which the guide to X advanced search operators covers in full.

Jumping into a trend to get noticed works against you. X's own FAQ warns that "Due to the large number of people Posting about these specific Trends, you may not always be able to find your particular Post in search." Your reply lands in the busiest search on the platform and sinks.

RedReplier

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A trend is worth a lead search in one case: when it touches your category. A competitor's outage, a price rise or a shutdown that starts trending pulls in people who are suddenly shopping. Use it like this:

Open the trend and switch to the Latest tab of the search results.
Add buying words to the trend name, for example the competitor's name plus alternative OR switching OR "looking for".
Reply to people who asked a question, with an answer that helps without your link, and skip the people who are only joking about it.

The broader method of reading rising topics for demand is in the guide to trend analysis, and the signals that separate a shopper from a bystander are in the guide to buyer intent.

Joining a trend or searching buying words

Reply inside the trend

A large number of people post about it
Your reply lands in the busiest search on the platform
Your post can sink and go unfound

Search the buyer's words

The competitor's name plus alternative OR switching OR "looking for"
Start from the Latest tab
Reply to people who asked a question

A trend shows what is loud, and a search shows who is shopping.

How does RedReplier track X conversations without trends?

RedReplier tracks X by keyword instead of by trend, so the quiet buying posts that never trend still reach you. You add the keywords, phrases and competitor handles your buyers use, and RedReplier searches new X posts every 6 hours while leaving out replies and reposts, ranks each match by buyer intent and puts it in one feed with your Reddit, Bluesky, Facebook and Hacker News matches. Matches land on your RedReplier dashboard after each search, and email alerts go out as digests on a cadence you set per keyword, from hourly to daily. RedReplier drafts a reply and never posts it for you. See X monitoring for the setup.

Frequently asked questions

An algorithm picks topics that are popular now rather than topics that stay popular, and by default tailors the list to who you follow, your interests and your location. X says the number of related posts is "just one of the factors" in the ranking. X also merges related hashtags into one trend.

Why are my X trends different from someone else's?

X tailors Trends to each account by default, using who you follow, your interests and your location. Two accounts in different places with different follows see different lists. Switch both to the same location in Explore settings to compare like for like.

How do I change my trends location on X?

On x.com, click Change in the Trends box and pick a location. In the apps, go to Settings and privacy, Privacy and safety, Content you see, Explore settings, turn off Show content in your current location and tap Explore locations. If your area is missing, X is not receiving enough posts from it to build a list.

Can you see past trends on X?

X's help centre offers no archive of past trends. To see what people said about an earlier trend, it tells you to search for that keyword. A date-limited search pulls posts from the days the topic was trending.

Does X show how many posts are in a trend?

Below some trends, X shows "the approximate number of Posts associated with the Trend." The API returns a tweet_count field for each trend when you request it. X does not show a count on every trend.

Can X remove a topic from Trends?

Yes. X keeps topics out of Trends when they violate the X Rules, contain profanity or adult or graphic references, or target the privacy of victims of serious crimes or minors who are private figures. The conversation stays searchable on X, but the term does not appear in the Trends list.

Where do I find trends on X?

In the iOS and Android apps, trends sit under the Trends section of the Explore tab. On desktop, X's help centre lists the Home timeline, Notifications, search results and profile pages. Clicking a trend opens the X search results for that phrase.

The X API v2 has two trends endpoints. GET /2/trends/by/woeid/:id returns location trends for a Yahoo! Where On Earth ID, with 1 for worldwide, and takes max_trends from 1 to 50. GET /2/users/personalized_trends returns trends for the signed-in user and needs a Premium user subscription. Neither returns the posts behind a trend.

X warns that with so many people posting about a trend, you may not always be able to find your own post in search. Your reply lands in the busiest search on the platform and sinks. Replying to a quiet buying post avoids that crowd.

How do I use an X trend to find buyers?

A trend helps only when it touches your category, such as a competitor's outage, a price rise or a shutdown. Open the trend, switch to the Latest tab and add buying words to the trend name, for example the competitor's name plus alternative OR switching OR "looking for". Reply to people who asked a question and skip the ones who are only joking.