How to Enable or Disable Comments on WordPress Pages & Posts

Written by tim on October 3, 2013

Enable & Disable Comments from Pages & Posts in WordPress

In WordPress comments are enabled on new posts and pages by default . You can change the default comments setttings for new posts or pages, as well as enable/disable comments on posts or pages you’ve already published.

You can change the defaults for new posts or pages on the : Settings -> Discussion screen.

Enable/Disable Comments

To change the comment settings for a post or page you already published, first locate the post/page you want to edit and click on its title.

Next, locate the Discussion module on the edit screen, and either check or uncheck the options it offers.
To prevent any kind of discussion, uncheck the boxes.
To disable the ability to use the comment form, but allow comments as Pingbacks or Trackbacks from other blogs, uncheck the box that says Allow comments, and leave the other box checked.
To allow visitors to compose comments on the page but prevent responses from coming in as Pingbacks or Trackbacks from other blog, uncheck the box that says Allow Trackbacks and Pingbacks, and leave the other box checked.

Make sure to save the post after you change any comment setting.

Missing Discussion Module

The edit screen on your blog is highly customizable. You can move modules around, minimize them, or hide them completely, so this module might not always be in the same place on every blog.

By default, new blogs on WordPress.com will have the Discussion module hidden. You can reveal it by clicking on Screen Options on the top right, and checking the box that says Discussion.

Bulk Editing Comments

There is not a way to turn comments on or off for all published posts and pages at once. However, you can use the bulk edit feature to change many posts or pages at a time.

Go to the Posts -> All Posts screen in your blog dashboard.
Select the posts you would like to modify or check the box next to “Title” column at the top to select all posts on that page.
Select Edit from the Bulk Actions drop down menu.
Click the Apply button.
Change the options for Comments and Pings to Allow or Do not allow.
Click the Update button.
Repeat with your other Pages.

It’s possible to turn comments off automatically after a certain number of days. To do that, go to the Settings -> Discussion page and look for Other comment settings on the left. Check the box next to the following option, fill in the number of days, and save.