How to Turn off Comments in WordPress (5 Easy Ways)

Are you looking for a way to turn off comments in WordPress?

WordPress comments are important in increasing visitors' engagement with your site and decreasing the bounce rate. Since there’s always a side to a story, the same is true with WordPress comments, i.e., people can leave hateful, spammy, and offensive comments in every form. The struggle is real, so why not turn it off?

This article will explain why, sometimes, it's a good idea to disable comments on your WordPress site and provide the best ways to do so.

Why Do You Disable WordPress Comments?

Instead of directly jumping toward how to disable comments in WordPress, we would like to explain why you want to do this.

Here are some of the reasons:

• Spam WordPress Comments: Spam comments are unwanted content produced by users. Such users have spiteful intentions for your site for the users on the receiving end. Spam can also negatively impact a site’s reputation on search engines. There is a simple solution, and that is to disable comments.

• WordPress Comments Can Cause a Security Risk: Most of the time, WordPress comments have links consisting of viruses that can automatically install viruses, collect personal information, and more upon clicking.

• WordPress Comments Section Can Distract Users: Suppose you are running a shop and have enabled a comment section. The visitors might go through the comments of others, which might distract them from the products. Consequently, they might don’t go for your products which were otherwise interested in a purchase. 

5 Ways to Disable Comments in WordPress

Now that you know why you need to disable comments in WordPress. Let’s walk through different methods to learn how to turn off comments in WordPress.:   

1. Turn off Comments on Individual WordPress Posts/Pages

Suppose you’ve posted sensitive content on your WordPress site and want to avoid unwanted comments. Don’t worry. You can easily turn off comments on WordPress for individual WordPress posts and pages. 

Simply uncheck the box next to the Editor that says "Allow comments" when you are done writing the article. 

There is one more way to do the same. Select the page from which you wish to remove comments by going to All Pages.

Next, select Quick Edit.

A new screen with QUICK EDIT will open. Simply navigate to the Allow comments checkbox and uncheck it. See, your following WordPress page has been disabled for future comments now.

2. Delete Comments in WordPress for Every Published Post and Page:

You can quickly delete comments on published WordPress posts and pages. 

All you need to do is to go to the left sidebar of the WordPress admin dashboard and click Comments. A new Comment screen will open up. 

Navigate to the Bulk action (drop-down menu), select Move To Trash, and then click  Apply button. This will remove every comment on published WordPress posts and pages.

3. Turn Off Comments For Your Whole WordPress Site:

You can even turn off comments for your whole WordPress site. Go to the left sidebar of your WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to Settings, and click on Discussion.

Under the Default post settings, uncheck the "Allow people to submit comments on new" option, and click the Save Changes button. 

4. Turn Off Comments For Media Files:

Your WordPress media files can receive comments. You can even turn off comments for media files.

First, go to the left sidebar of the WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to Media and click the Library option.

You’ll be redirected to the media files screen; select any file from here.

Once you’ve selected and opened your media file, click Screen Options at the top right corner.

A drop-up menu will open. Simply check the discussion box.

Now, scroll down to the panel labeled Discussion and select if you want comments on or off. Once you are done, don’t forget to hit the Update button.

Note: WordPress doesn’t have a bulk edit media files button. So you have to disable all your media file comments individually, one by one.

5. Turn Off WordPress Comments With a Plugin:

WordPress plugins are the easiest way to turn off comments, at once, for your media files, posts, pages, and more. 

Many free options are available in the WordPress plugins directory, such as

1. Disable Comments – Remove Comments & Stop Spam

2. Disable Comments

3. Disable Comments for Any Post Types

Here; we’ve used Disable Comments – Remove Comments & Stop Spam plugin. This plugin has over 1 million active installations and lets you remove comments from media files, posts, and pages simultaneously. 

First of all, you’ll need to install and activate the plugin. Now, go to the left sidebar of the WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to Settings, and click Disable Comments.

By clicking Disable Comments option, a new Settings screen will open up. From here, you can easily turn off comments on posts, pages, media, or portfolios. 

Once you are done, don’t forget to hit the Save Changes button.

This can be a great quick fix. Try it now. 

Final Thoughts

We hope this article helps you understand how to turn off comments in WordPress. We dive in-depth to understand how to edit WordPress comments for individual posts and pages, bulk edit your comment preferences, and more.

Feel free to contact us if you have questions about how to turn off comments in WordPress in the comments section below!

You may also want to check out 15 Best Jetpack Alternatives for WordPress Websites and Customize WordPress Login Page.

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