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. Most 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 set the default behavior for all new content:

• 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) — Lets other sites notify you when they link to you. 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. Reduces anonymous spam.
• Users must be registered and logged in to comment — Only logged-in WordPress users can comment. This is the strictest option and effectively stops most spam.

Comment moderation timing

• Automatically close comments on posts older than X days — A useful setting for blogs. After a certain number of days (say, 180), comments on older posts close automatically. 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 you approve it. Nothing goes live without your say. This is the safest option.
• Before a comment appears → Comment author must have a previously approved comment — Comments from repeat approved commenters go straight through; first-time commenters wait for approval.
• Comment Moderation (hold comments with X or more links) — Comments with many links are often spam. Setting this to 1 or 2 links catches most automated spam.

Email notifications

• Email me whenever → Anyone posts a comment — You'll get an email for every new comment. Useful for active blogs; overwhelming for high-traffic sites.
• Email me whenever → A comment is held for moderation — A notification only when a comment needs your approval. More manageable.

Comment blocklist

Any words, URLs, IP addresses, or email addresses in this text box will automatically mark matching comments as spam. You don't need to fill this out manually — Akismet and other spam plugins do it better. 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

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 — official WordPress documentation