Mastodon Revamps User Profiles to Simplify Onboarding

Mastodon has announced a significant redesign of user profiles aimed at making its decentralized social network more intuitive and attractive to mainstream users seeking alternatives to centralized platforms like X or Threads.

The update addresses several long-standing pain points. Instead of separate “Posts” and “Posts and Replies” tabs, profiles now feature a single “Activity” tab with a dropdown menu. Users can toggle replies and boosts (Mastodon’s repost equivalent) on or off. Hashtags are now prominently displayed at the top of the Activity tab, allowing quick filtering of an account’s content by topic.

The pinned posts carousel has been removed due to mixed user feedback. Users with multiple pinned posts will now see one featured, with the rest accessible via a “View all pinned posts” button. A new informational pop-up explains Mastodon’s unique handle format (e.g., @username@server), which often confuses newcomers accustomed to simpler @username formats on other platforms.

Additional improvements include greater customization: users can hide the “Media” or “Featured” tabs, or remove replies from the Media tab to better showcase their work. Custom fields (links, pronouns, etc.) are now displayed side-by-side for better use of vertical space and can be edited directly on iOS and Android. Profile edits have been consolidated into one settings location, and link verification – used to establish credibility without centralized authority – is more accessible. Users can also crop and add alt text to profile and cover images.

These visual and functional changes aim to reduce clutter and make profiles feel more modern and user-friendly. The redesign will first roll out to the mastodon.social server and any others running the nightly build, with broader availability expected when Mastodon version 4.6 launches in the coming weeks.