Why Has My Tumblr Account Been Deactivated?

Tumblr recently implemented some strict policy guidelines regarding the types of content users are allowed to post. This revoked the accounts for many users who had, up until then, been posting permissible content. If your Tumblr account has been deactivated, there are several possible reasons why.

Did You Post Copyrighted Content?

Thanks to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), platforms like Tumblr have to take down copyrighted content when they are made aware of it. If you posted some music, art, or other content that you did not create, it's possible another user reported you for a copyright infringement.

Sadly, it doesn't matter if you weren't using the content to make money. Giving away content for free can still violate the DMCA, if you were not the original creator. This includes something you might have altered, such as remixing a popular song, if you didn't have permission from the original artist first.

Did You Post Spammy Content?

If you use too many 'buzz words', post a lot of links, or create too many posts in a row (especially about the same topic), Tumblr might suspect you of being a bot, or a fake account.

If you use a third-party app, like Hootsuite, to make scheduled posts, double check that app. If there was some kind of mistake with setting the date for your posts, you might have posted everything all at once and made Tumblr think you were a spam account.

Did You Post Prohibited Content?

Though Tumblr used to be quite friendly towards posting adult content, those rules have become much more strict since 2018. Users are no longer allowed to post profanity, nudity, explicit sexuality, hate speech, or graphic violence.

Some of this content was permitted before 2018, though it should have been set as viewable only by you since then. It's possible some of your content slipped through, and got flagged. Too may flags can disable your account.

Some content is permissible depending on context. Pornographic representations of topless women are prohibited, though pictures relating to birth, breastfeeding, and gender confirmation or mastectomy surgeries which may show female breasts or nipples are permitted. If you posted content in one of the former categories, it may have been flagged by mistake. Contact Tumblr Customer Service to resolve the issue and restore your deactivated account.

Did You Post Anything At All?

If it's been more than a year since your last post, Tumblr may have marked your account 'dormant.' Your content should still be archived, though other users can take the name of a dormant account for themselves.

Note that Tumblr cannot restore deleted blogs. While some social media platforms allow deleted accounts to be restored, Tumblr does not. If you deleted your Tumblr account yourself, there may be nothing you can do now to get it back.

Restoring Your Account

If you feel that your Tumblr account was deactivated due to an error, reach out to Tumblr Customer Service. You may have to make multiple complaints.