Are X DMs encrypted?
Only if you turn on Chat, and the person you message has too. X says it can't read those chats then. Message requests and anything you share with X's AI assistant are not sealed, and X doesn't say calls are.
Checked on 25 October 2026 against 3 sources.
Made by Secria. We grade every app by the same rules. How we check
- MessagesOnly you, once you turn it onSealed once you and the other person have both set up Chat and they follow you or you've chatted before; message requests stay unsealed until accepted.1Turn it on
- Group chatsOnly you, once you turn it onGroup messages and media can be sealed in Chat; for a group shared by invite link, X says its name and picture are public.1Turn it on
- CallsX can read itX says group calls are not yet end-to-end encrypted, and it doesn't say one-to-one calls are, as of 25 October 2026.2
- BackupsOnly you, once you turn it onSealed chats are stored on X's servers and can only be unlocked with your keys, which your Chat PIN restores on a new device.1Turn it on
- Post-quantumNot yetNo post-quantum protection announced as of 25 October 2026.1
- Who holds the keys
- Your devices hold your Chat keys; a backup copy is split across three key servers, all run by X, and only your 4-digit Chat PIN unlocks it.
- What X Corp can still see
- Who you message and when, since X doesn't seal that information, plus message requests, any chat that X's AI assistant is in, and which posts you share in a chat.
Set up Chat and check for the lock
- Open the Chat tab in the X app or on x.com.
- Follow the steps and create your 4-digit Chat PIN.
- Before you send, check the icon next to the send button. An open lock means the message won't be sealed.
Takes about a minute. The other person has to set up Chat too. Keep the PIN in a password manager: after 20 wrong guesses, your sealed chat history is gone for good.
Email is worth checking next: Gmail, Outlook and iCloud Mail can all read your mailbox. See which email services can.
Are X DMs end-to-end encrypted?
Only in Chat, X's newer messaging, and only when both people have set it up1. X says every message, link, reaction and file in a sealed chat is encrypted before it leaves your device1. If the other person hasn't set up Chat, the message goes unsealed, and the send button shows an open lock1.
Message requests from people you don't follow stay unsealed until they're accepted1.
What are X Chat's known limits?
X lists several itself. Who you message and when isn't sealed1. Chat is not forward secure: if someone steals a device's private key, they could unlock every sealed message that device sent or received1. Anything you share with X's AI assistant, or any chat it's added to, is no longer sealed1.
The security firm Trail of Bits reviewed Chat in June 2025 and found several serious flaws. When it checked again in October 2025, X had fixed three of the six issues it reported3. The same report notes the researcher Matthew Garrett's warning that a 4-digit PIN is a weak lock for anyone inside X's systems; X says hardware limits of 20 guesses stop that1, 3.
Are X calls encrypted?
Not as far as X says. Its help page says group calls are not yet end-to-end encrypted, and it doesn't describe one-to-one calls as sealed, as of 25 October 20262.
One-to-one calls normally go straight between the two devices, which can show each person's IP address to the other. Turning on Enhanced call privacy routes the call through X instead2.
Where does X keep my Chat keys?
On your devices, with a backup on X's servers so you can read old chats on a new device1. The backup is split into three parts on servers X runs, two of them in tamper-resistant hardware, and it can only be put back together with your Chat PIN1.
X says the hardware locks the backup for good after 20 wrong guesses, so X can't guess its way in1. X says it may later let you pick key servers run by other organisations1.
How X compares
Sorted by how many parts are sealed by default, then by how many can be. Ties go A to Z.
Sources
- About Chat, X Help Center. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Audio and Video Calls, X Help Center. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- X XChat Security Assessment (28 October 2025), Trail of Bits. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
Changes to this answer
- First published.