Exploring the Many Ways to Stop Comments in WordPress

WordPress is a widely popular content management system that enables website and blog owners to express their ideas and thoughts to audiences all around the world. However, managing comments on a WordPress site can become a daunting task, as unwanted spam and comments can sometimes become overwhelming.

Method 1: Disable Comments in WordPress Settings

The simplest way to disable comments on one’s WordPress website is to access the WordPress settings and disable commenting entirely. Here’s a simple guideline to disable comments:

• Step 1: Login into your WordPress dashboard and click on ‘Settings.’
• Step 2: Choose ‘Discussion’ from the sub-menu.
• Step 3: Uncheck the box that says ‘Allow people to submit comments on new posts.’
• Step 4: Click on ‘Save Changes’ at the bottom of the page.

Note that by following this method, comments will only be disabled for newly published posts; previously published posts will still have comments enabled.

Method 2: Disable Comments on Individual Posts or Pages

If disabling comments entirely on all posts is not preferable, then it is possible to disable comments on specific posts or pages with these few steps:

• Step 1: Open the post or page to disable comments.
• Step 2: Click on ‘Screen Options’ in the top right corner of the page.
• Step 3: Check the box that says ‘Discussion.’
• Step 4: Scroll down to the bottom of the page and look for the ‘Discussion’ section.
• Step 5: Uncheck the box that says ‘Allow comments.’
• Step 6: Click on ‘Update’ to save the changes.

Following these steps will disable comments for that particular post or page.

Method 3: Use a Plugin to Manage Comments

When faced with spam or many comments to handle, using a plugin to manage comments on a website can help filter and moderate comments, including disabling them if necessary. One popular plugin for this purpose is called ‘Disable Comments.’

Installing and activating the ‘Disable Comments’ plugin involves these steps:

• Step 1: Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
• Step 2: Click on ‘Plugins’ from the menu on the left.
• Step 3: Click on ‘Add New.’
• Step 4: In the search box, type in ‘Disable Comments.’
• Step 5: Click on ‘Install Now’ next to the plugin.
• Step 6: Activate the plugin.

The plugin will now automatically disable comments for all new and existing posts, and its settings can be used to disable commenting for specific post types.

Method 4: Disable Comments with Code

Using code to disable comments on a WordPress website can be a more permanent solution. It requires some technical know-how and consists of the following steps:

• Step 1: Open the functions.php file in the website’s theme folder.
• Step 2: Add the code provided in this article to close comments automatically for all posts that are older than 30 days by changing the number of days.

Method 5: Limit Comments with Advanced Settings

Utilizing WordPress’s advanced settings can provide a balance of limiting comments while still allowing legitimate comments to be posted. This method involves modifying the discussion settings by following these few steps:

• Step 1: Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
• Step 2: Click on ‘Settings’ from the menu on the left.
• Step 3: Choose ‘Discussion’ from the sub-menu.
• Step 4: Check various boxes to discourage spam and unwanted comments.

Conclusion

Dealing with comments on a WordPress website can be overwhelming, but utilizing any of these methods can significantly reduce the efforts required in managing comments. By following these steps, website and blog owners can manage their website’s comments efficiently and effectively.