How to Disable Comments on WordPress

Comments on a WordPress site can be a double-edged sword. On one side, they help foster community engagement, but on the other, they can become a digital wild west of spam, shady links, and unmoderated chaos. If your site’s comment section feels more like a bot party than a conversation, it might be time to pull the plug.

So, how to disable comments on WordPress without turning your dashboard into a maze of settings? You’re in luck. Whether you’re running a clean-cut business site or an eCommerce store that doesn’t need customer reviews under every post, this guide walks you through 7 foolproof methods—plus a few bonus tips.

Let’s dive in.

Why Disable Comments on WordPress?

Before we get to the “how,” let’s tackle the “why.”

Spam is the most obvious villain. Unless you love seeing comments like “Amazing blog! Check my crypto site,” you’re better off disabling them. Not only do these spammy messages damage your SEO, but they also affect your credibility.

Then there’s the security angle. Malicious links in comments can trick visitors and open your site to vulnerabilities. For many, it’s safer to just close the door entirely.

Also, if you’re running an online shop, comments might just distract from your goal: converting visitors into buyers. Nobody needs a product page turned group chat.

Finally, if you already have a community on a forum or social platform, your WordPress comment box might just be an unnecessary duplicate.

1. Disable Comments on All Existing Posts and Pages

Let’s start with the nuclear option.

To wipe comments across your entire site:

• Go to Comments in the dashboard.
• Select all, choose Move to Trash, and click Apply.

Next, go to Posts > All Posts, use Bulk Edit, and under Comments, choose Do not allow. Do the same for Pages under Pages > All Pages.

Want a faster trick? Head to Settings > Discussion, and under “Other comment settings,” set Automatically close comments on posts older than 0 days. Boom—no more future comments.

Pro Tip: Pages in WordPress usually have comments disabled by default. So if you find one with comments, you’re either lucky or once went plugin-happy.

2. Disable Comments on Future Posts

This is like pre-committing to silence.

• Go to Settings > Discussion.
• Uncheck Allow people to submit comments on new posts.

Now every new post you create will be blissfully quiet. If only email chains worked the same way.

3. Disable Comments on Specific Posts or Pages

Let’s say you want feedback on your blog posts but not on your Terms & Conditions page (because, honestly, nobody reads it).

To do that:

• Go to Posts > All Posts.
• Select the ones you want to silence.
• Bulk Edit > Do Not Allow comments.

Done. Selective silence—like muting that one uncle in the family group chat.

4. Disable Comments on an Individual Post or Page

If you’re more of a hands-on type:

• Open a post or page in the editor.
• On the right panel, find Discussion.
• Uncheck Allow Comments.
• Click Update.

No more comments for that one page. Great for announcement posts, one-off content, or anything where feedback is just not necessary.

5. Disable Comments on Media Attachments

Fun fact: WordPress generates pages for your media files (images, videos, etc.)—and yes, they can have comments too.

To stop that:

• Go to Media > Library.
• Click Edit on a file.
• Uncheck Allow Comments under Discussion.

If you’ve got hundreds of media files, don’t panic. Just add this snippet to your functions.php file or use the WPCode plugin to do it safely:

function disable_media_comment( $open, $post_id ) { $post = get_post( $post_id ); if( $post->post_type == ‘attachment’ ) { return false; } return $open; } add_filter( ‘comments_open’, ‘disable_media_comment’, 10 , 2 );

Don’t forget to backup your site before adding any code. Trust us—Ctrl+Z doesn’t work in PHP.

6. Use a Plugin to Disable Comments

For those who prefer the “one-click and chill” approach, the Disable Comments plugin is your best friend.

• Install it from your dashboard.
• Go to Settings > Disable Comments.
• Choose to disable comments Everywhere or only on certain post types.

Fast, clean, and no manual tinkering required. It even removes comment options from the admin menu and toolbar.

Heads up: if you go with this plugin, individual post comment settings won’t override it. It’s all or nothing.

7. Disable Comments via Custom Code

Calling all developers! If you want full control, add this code to your functions.php file:

add_filter(‘comments_open’, ‘__return_false’, 20, 2); add_filter(‘pings_open’, ‘__return_false’, 20, 2); add_filter(‘comments_array’, ‘__return_empty_array’, 10, 2);

You can also remove comment links from the dashboard and toolbar with some additional tweaks.

Again, use a child theme and backup everything—your future self will thank you.

Bonus: Clean Up the Leftovers

Even after disabling comments, some themes still show a “Comments are closed” message. Tacky, right?

Here’s the fix:

• Rename the comments.php file in your theme folder to comments_old.php.
• Replace it with a blank file named comments.php.

No more awkward leftovers. Your site is now officially comment-free.

Final Thoughts

Figuring out how to disable comments on WordPress doesn’t have to feel like coding the next Mars rover. Whether you choose plugins, settings, or custom code, you now have the tools to reclaim control over your content and keep things professional.

Remember: disabling comments isn’t about shutting out your audience—it’s about choosing the right space for engagement. Maybe that’s your social media, maybe a dedicated forum, or maybe just a well-crafted contact page.

👋 Need Help? We’re a Digital Marketing Company in Chandigarh.

If tweaking settings or editing PHP files makes you nervous, let us take over. As a trusted digital marketing company in Chandigarh, we help businesses like yours manage and optimize WordPress sites—minus the stress.

From security to speed to making sure your blog doesn’t turn into a spam battlefield, we’ve got you covered. Because a silent website should still speak volumes.