How to turn comments on or off for your YouTube video

If you manage a YouTube video and want to open or close its comments, you can change the setting for that video without changing the others. First decide whether to pause comments or turn them off; then follow the setting in Studio and check what to do if it is unavailable.

Choose between pausing and turning comments off

Pausing keeps comments that are already published and stops new ones until you turn comments back on. Turning comments off prevents new comments and temporarily hides existing ones; YouTube says they reappear when you turn comments back on. Choose Pause when you want a temporary break.

Change comments for one video in YouTube Studio

Before you start, make sure you are using the channel that manages the video. YouTube does not let you change these settings when the channel or video is marked made for kids, the video is private, or you use a supervised account.

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio and select Content from the left menu.
2. Open the thumbnail of the video you want to change.
3. Scroll down and select Show more.
4. Under Comments and ratings, choose to turn comments on, pause them, or turn them off.
5. Select Save, then return to the video details to check the setting.

In the YouTube app, open one of your videos and tap Comments below the video, or to the right of a Short. Tap Settings, then under For this video, tap Comments to change the setting. On a Short, the control is on the right.

If you cannot change the setting

YouTube blocks these changes when the channel or video is marked made for kids, when the video is private, or when you use a supervised account. Check the video’s audience and visibility first. To allow comments without making a video public, YouTube Help recommends setting it to Unlisted. Anyone with the link can watch and share it, so Unlisted is not the same as Private.

To receive comments again, turn them on using the same controls. To highlight one reply, see how to pin a comment on your YouTube video.

The control names and conditions here follow YouTube Help on comment settings and the differences between turning comments on, pausing, and turning them off.