Mastodon has options to show four different timelines: Home, Local, Federated and Explore/Trending. They might be called slightly different things depending on what app or interface you’re using, but they do the same thing.
Here’s a quick rundown of what each one does (scroll past this for instructions on how to view the different timelines):
- Home is the normal timeline that you see by default. It shows you all the posts from all the people you follow in chronological order, with newest posts at the top. It also shows posts from hashtags you follow, and posts boosted by people or groups you follow. This is what you see when you log in on your account.
- Trending shows the most boosted recent posts, most used hashtags and most shared links.
- Local shows all the public posts made by all the people on your server. On massive servers this can be a firehose that is too random and unfiltered. However, on small and medium-sized servers this can be a really interesting feed to read, especially if the server is well moderated. Many people on small and medium servers discover new accounts to follow through the Local feed, and it can give servers a strong sense of community.
- Federated shows all public posts that your server has noticed. Click here for a guide to which posts and accounts your server will notice. On larger servers Federated is an absolute nightmare to comprehend as there are so many posts on so many different topics.
You can see how to view all these different timelines in the sections below.
How do I see my Home timeline?
Your Home timeline is shown by default when you open Mastodon, it’s where you see posts from all the accounts, hashtags and groups you follow.
If you need to get back to your Home timeline on the website, click “Home” (or ☰ and “Home” if you’re on the mobile website).
Mobile apps will have various different ways of getting back to your Home timeline, for example a house icon 🏠 at the bottom of the screen.
How do I see my server’s Local and Federated timelines?
If you’re using Mastodon’s web interface click “Live Feeds” (or ☰ and “Live Feeds” if you’re using the mobile website). It will be set to “This Server” by default which is the Local timeline, and you can set it to “All” if you want to see the Federated timeline.
Mobile apps will have various different interfaces but they’re usually labelled “Local” and “Federated”.
How do I see my server’s Trending timeline?
It you’re using the website click on “Trending” (or ☰ and “Trending” on the mobile website).
On the official Mastodon app click the magnifying glass 🔍 at the bottom and leave the search box blank. the trends will appear automatically. Third party mobile apps will have various different interfaces,
Where can I find out more about the Explore/Trending section?
The Trending timeline is described in its own section, click here for the guide to trends.
Why isn’t my post showing up on Local/Federated/Trending timelines?
Local, Federated and Trending timelines only show posts with public visibility settings. If you use another visibility setting, your post will never show up on those timelines.
Can I create my own custom timelines on Mastodon?
Yes. The Lists feature lets you make your own themed mini-timelines with whatever accounts you choose.
The timelines are scrolling way too quickly, I can’t keep up with them! How do I slow them down or pause them?
If you’re logged in through your Mastodon server’s website, you can optionally use “slow mode” to stop all automatic scrolling on feeds. When slow mode is activated, the feed will only show new posts when you manually click a special link at the top of the feed. To switch it on:
- Log in through your server’s website
- Go to ⚙️ Preferences
- Tick the box marked Slow Mode, then click the button marked Save Changes
To deactivate slow mode, do exactly the same thing but UN-tick the Slow Mode box and click Save Changes.
Is there any way to view all the different timelines on the same screen?
If you’re using Mastodon through a computer, the multicolumn advanced web interface lets you view all your timelines at once on the same screen.
How do I see another server’s Local timeline?
Click here for more info on how to do this.
The Local and Federated timelines on my server are just full of junk!
You’re possibly on a massive server that isn’t well moderated. Smaller well-moderated servers tend to have higher quality Local and Federated timelines.