# from: vs to: vs @username on X Search

On X search, from:username finds posts an account wrote, to:username finds replies sent to that account, and @username finds any post that mentions it.

[![apidojo](/blog/authors/apidojo.png)**Apidojo** *15+ years of experience in data retrieval.*](/blog/authors/apidojo/)

**30 September 2026** Published

**2 min** Read

![Cover card reading 'from: vs to: vs @username on X Search'](/blog/covers/from-to-mention-operators.png)

**On X search, `from:username` finds posts an account wrote, `to:username` finds replies sent to that account, and `@username` finds any post that mentions it.** Add `-from:username` to a mention search to see only what other people say about the account.

The three operators look alike and answer different questions. This guide compares them side by side; all three are in the [Twitter advanced search operators](/blog/twitter-search/advanced-search-operators/) reference.

## What Is the Difference Between from:, to: and @ on X?

**The difference between `from:`, `to:` and `@` on X is whose post it is: the account’s own posts, replies aimed at the account, or anyone’s post naming the account.** The table compares them on 4 points ([twitter-advanced-search reference](https://github.com/igorbrigadir/twitter-advanced-search)).

| Operator | Returns | Includes the account’s own posts? | Example |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| from:NASA | Posts written by @NASA | Yes, only those | from:NASA moon |
| to:NASA | Replies addressed to @NASA | No | to:NASA question |
| @NASA | Any post that mentions @NASA, including replies | Yes, when NASA mentions itself | @NASA -from:NASA |
| @NASA -from:NASA | Mentions of @NASA by other accounts | No | @NASA launch -from:NASA |

The Advanced search form has one field for each: **From these accounts**, **To these accounts** (in reply to) and **Mentioning these accounts** ([X Help Center](https://help.x.com/en/using-x/x-advanced-search)).

## When Should You Use from:?

**Use `from:` when you want what an account itself posted.** It is the operator for finding an old post by someone, reviewing a competitor’s posts, or exporting a timeline. The full method is in [how to search tweets from a specific user](/blog/twitter-search/search-tweets-from-user/).

## When Should You Use to:?

**Use `to:` when you want replies people sent to an account, such as customer questions to a brand.** `to:brand -from:brand` removes the brand’s own replies inside its threads. The full method is in how to find replies sent to a user on X.

## When Should You Use @username?

**Use `@username` when you want every post that names the account, whether or not it is a reply.** Pair it with `-from:username` for brand monitoring. The full method is in how to search tweets mentioning a user.

## How Do You Combine from:, to: and @?

**You combine the account operators to isolate conversations between accounts.** Listed below are the 4 most useful combinations.

| Goal | Query |
| --- | --- |
| One side of a conversation | from:user1 to:user2 |
| Both sides of a conversation | (from:user1 to:user2) OR (from:user2 to:user1) |
| An account’s replies to others, not in its own threads | from:user1 filter:replies -to:user1 |
| Mentions of two accounts together | @user1 @user2 |

Any of these takes an engagement floor on top, so you see only the mentions worth reading; the thresholds are in [how to search tweets by likes, reposts and replies](/blog/twitter-search/search-by-engagement/).

## How to Collect Posts, Replies and Mentions With apidojo

**apidojo’s [Tweet Scraper V2](https://apify.com/apidojo/tweet-scraper) on Apify accepts all three operators in `searchTerms`, and also has separate `author`, `inReplyTo` and `mentioning` inputs that do the same jobs.** Mention collection with `@NASA` is one of the actor’s documented examples ([Apify](https://apify.com/apidojo/tweet-scraper)).

```
{
  "searchTerms": ["@NASA -from:NASA", "to:NASA"],
  "sort": "Latest"
}
```

It costs $0.40 per 1,000 tweets. See the [apidojo Twitter Scraper](/scrapers/twitter-scraper/).

## The scrapers behind this

-   [Tweet Scraper V2 Tweets from searches, profiles, Lists and URLs; 49–64 tweets/sec; minimum 50 per query $0.40 / 1K tweets](/scrapers/twitter-scraper/)

## Questions people ask

### Does to: include mentions that aren't replies?

No, `to:` returns only replies addressed to the account; use `@username` for all mentions.

### Do you type the @ sign in from: and to:?

No, write `from:NASA` and `to:NASA`; the @ sign belongs only in a mention search.

### Can you use several handles in one from: search?

Yes, with uppercase OR: `(from:user1 OR from:user2)`.

![apidojo](/blog/authors/apidojo.png)

## [Apidojo](/blog/authors/apidojo/)

15+ years of experience in data retrieval.

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## More in this cluster

-   [X (Twitter) search operators and how to use them Every X search operator that works, with the date, account, keyword and reply guides that show what each one does in practice.](/blog/twitter-search/)
-   [How to Find Old Tweets on X To find old tweets on X, search a keyword with a date window, for example "world cup" since:2014-06-12 until:2014-07-14, then open the Latest tab.](/blog/twitter-search/find-old-tweets/)
-   [How to Find Viral Tweets About Any Topic To find viral tweets about a topic, search the topic with a high like threshold and no reposts, for example "remote work" min\_faves:5000 -filter:retweets.](/blog/twitter-search/find-viral-tweets/)
-   [How to Search Tweets by Date on X (Twitter) To search tweets by date on X, type your keyword followed by since:YYYY-MM-DD and until:YYYY-MM-DD into the search bar, then open the Latest tab.](/blog/twitter-search/search-tweets-by-date/)
-   [How to Search Tweets by Likes, Reposts and Replies To search tweets by likes on X, add min\_faves: and a number to your query, for example bitcoin min\_faves:1000 for posts with at least 1,000 likes.](/blog/twitter-search/search-by-engagement/)
-   [How to Search Tweets From a Specific User To search tweets from a specific user on X, type from:username into the search bar, followed by any keyword you remember.](/blog/twitter-search/search-tweets-from-user/)
-   [since: and until: Explained: X Date and Time Operators since: returns posts on or after a date, and until: returns posts before a date, so since:2026-01-01 until:2026-02-01 covers exactly January 2026.](/blog/twitter-search/since-until-operators/)
-   [Twitter (X) Advanced Search Operators Twitter (X) advanced search operators are commands you type into the X search bar to filter posts by account, date, words, engagement and media.](/blog/twitter-search/advanced-search-operators/)
-   [Why X Search Can't Find an Old Tweet (and What to Try) X search can't find an old tweet when the post was deleted, sits on a protected, suspended or deactivated account, or when your query's words or dates don't.](/blog/twitter-search/old-tweet-not-showing/)