Comments & discussion settings

WordPress has a built-in commenting system for blog posts and pages. The Discussion Settings page controls who can comment, whether comments need approval, and how you're notified. Many business sites either disable comments or set up moderation — here's how to do both.

What you'll need

• Administrator access to your WordPress site

How to open Discussion Settings

In the left sidebar, click Settings, then click Discussion.

Default post settings

These three checkboxes at the top, under Default post settings, set the default behavior for new posts:

• Attempt to notify any blogs linked to from the post — Sends a "pingback" when you link to another site. Usually best to leave this on if you want to participate in the wider blogging ecosystem; turn it off if you don't blog actively.
• Allow link notifications from other blogs (pingbacks and trackbacks) on new posts — Lets other sites notify you when they link to you. Those notifications appear in your comments section. This can generate spam. We recommend turning it off unless you specifically want it.
• Allow people to submit comments on new posts — The main switch for comments. Uncheck this to turn off comments sitewide on all new content.

Other comment settings

Comment author requirements

• Comment author must fill out name and email — Requires a name and email before someone can comment. WordPress doesn't verify them, but it makes spammers do a little extra work.
• Users must be registered and logged in to comment — Only logged-in WordPress users can comment. This is the strictest option, and it shuts out anonymous comments entirely.

Comment moderation timing

• Automatically close comments on old posts — A useful setting for blogs. Tick it, then set the number of days in Close comments when post is how many days old (say, 180). After that, comments on older posts close automatically, and existing approved comments stay visible. This reduces spam on old articles.
• Enable threaded (nested) comments — Lets people reply directly to specific comments, creating a conversation thread.
• Break comments into pages — Splits very large comment sections across multiple pages.

Comment moderation settings

This section is important for spam control.

• Before a comment appears → Comment must be manually approved — Every comment waits in a moderation queue until it's approved. The exceptions are comments from the post's author and from Administrators and Editors, which go straight through. Nothing from visitors goes live without your say. This is the safest option.
• Before a comment appears → Comment author must have a previously approved comment — Returning commenters with an earlier approved comment can post without waiting; first-time commenters wait for approval.
• Comment Moderation → Number of links to allow in a comment before holding for moderation — Comments with lots of links are a common sign of spam. WordPress holds a comment for moderation when it contains this many links or more. The default is 2. A lower number holds more comments for you to check.

Email notifications

• Email me whenever → Anyone posts a comment — The post's author gets an email for each new comment that's published straight away. Useful for active blogs; overwhelming for high-traffic sites.
• Email me whenever → A comment is held for moderation — An email goes to the site's administration email address only when a comment needs approval. More manageable.

Comment blocklist

On screen, this box is labelled Disallowed Comment Keys (older versions called it "Comment Blacklist"). Any comment whose content, name, URL, email, IP address or browser details contain a word on this list goes straight to the Trash. You don't need to fill this out manually; an anti-spam plugin such as Akismet is usually the better tool. See Dealing with spam comments.

Avatars

The Avatar settings at the bottom control whether profile pictures (Gravatars) appear next to comments. The default (shown) is fine unless your design specifically requires hiding them.

Turning off comments entirely

If your site doesn't use a blog or you don't want any comments:

Common questions

Comments are showing on my posts even though I turned them off — why?

The setting change only applies to new posts by default. Existing posts retain their individual settings. You'll need to edit existing posts individually, or use a bulk-edit approach. We can help with this.

My comment section is full of spam — what do I do?

Install the Akismet Anti-spam plugin. It's made by Automattic and automatically checks every comment, filtering out the ones that look like spam. Akismet keys are free for personal blogs, and paid plans cover business and commercial sites. See Dealing with spam comments for more options.

How do I approve or reject pending comments?

Go to Comments in the left sidebar, or click the Pending filter to see only the comments waiting for you. Pending comments are highlighted with a pale yellow background. Hover over a comment to see Approve, Reply, Quick Edit, Edit, Spam, and Trash options. Click the right action for each one.

Do I need comments on my business site?

Most business service sites don't need comments. They're more useful on active blogs where community engagement is a goal. If you're not going to moderate them, it's better to turn them off than to let spam accumulate.

Related guides

• Dealing with spam comments
• WordPress general settings explained
• WordPress security basics
• How to write & publish a blog post
• Using categories & tags

Learn more

• Settings Discussion screen — official WordPress documentation