A server’s Local timeline shows all the public posts made by accounts on that server. Each server has a unique Local timeline because only that server has those accounts. It can be interesting to browse and follow the Local feed on different servers, especially those with a particular theme or atmosphere, and a good way to discover accounts to follow.
Could you explain what a Local timeline is again?
Yes, there’s a dedicated guide to Local, Federated and Home timelines.
How do I browse a server’s Local timeline?
On most Mastodon servers, you can browse the Local timeline by going to the server’s website and clicking the Live Feeds link, which by default shows the Local timeline (it is labelled “This Site” on the website).
The Local timeline is scrolling far too fast! How do I slow it down?
See the guide to Local, Federated and Home timelines for how to slow timelines down.
I went to a server’s website without logging in, and there was no link to Live Feeds or Local?
Some server admins choose to hide their server’s Live Feeds section from people who aren’t logged in. Public posts from that server are still public and can be viewed by anyone, but they are no longer viewable in one convenient feed.
Server admins can find instructions on how to hide or show the Local/Live Feeds timeline at the end of this article.
Wait, what is it called? “Local” or “Live Feeds”?
The naming on Mastodon’s website software changed in 2023. The Local and Federated timelines are accessible from the new 🌎 Live Feeds page which has three tabs at the top:
- This Site is the same as the Local timeline
- All is the same as the Federated timeline
- Other Servers is the Federated timeline but with the Local timeline posts hidden
However, Mastodon apps including the official app still call the Local timeline “Local”, and this is what most people call it when discussing it.
Can I follow other servers’ Local timelines?
Some third party Mastodon apps (Fedilab and Subway Tooter on Android, Ice Cubes on iPhone/iPad) let you follow the Local timelines of other servers. The website interface and the official apps do not have this feature yet.
Many, many people have asked for this feature to be added to the website interface. If you want to vote for this and you are comfortable using Github, click here and give a thumbs up to the first post in this thread ⧉. This will let the developers know that the feature is wanted.
How do I find interesting servers with nice Local timelines?
You can browse nice servers at fedi.garden ⧉ and joinmastodon.org/servers ⧉.
Also, if you see an interesting account on your own timelines, try going to its original page. This will take you to the account’s own server where you can usually browse its Local timeline.
I am a server admin. How do I hide or show the Local / Live Feeds timeline for people who aren’t logged in?
- Log in through your admin account on the website or web app
- Click on ⚙️ Preferences
- Click on Administration (if you’re on the mobile web you need to click ☰ in top right first)
- Click on Server Settings
- Click on Discovery tab at the top
- Go to the box Allow unauthenticated access to public timelines and UN-tick this if you want to hide the Local/Live Feeds timeline, or tick the box if you want to show it.
- Click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the screen