How to Remove a Comment From Reddit

Published October 30, 20264 min readBy the RedditPostRemove team

Comments are quick to write and slow to forget. A reply made in anger, a comment that reveals more than you meant to, or a comment about you that is simply unfair can sit in a thread for years. This guide explains how to remove a comment from Reddit, depending on who wrote it.

If you wrote the comment

This is the simple case. Go to the thread or to the Comments tab on your profile, open the menu next to the comment and choose Delete. The comment should then show as deleted. Some points to know:

• Replies under your comment may remain visible, even though your comment is gone.
• Other users may have quoted or screenshotted your comment before you deleted it.
• If you have many comments to remove, take care with automation tools, and never give your password to a service you do not trust.
• If you plan to close your account, delete the comments first. Reddit's guidance is that closing the account does not delete the comments it made.

If someone else wrote the comment

You cannot delete it. The options depend on what the comment says.

Option 1: message the moderators

Moderators can remove comments that break their community's rules, and they can do so without waiting for Reddit. Find the "message the mods" option in the community, say which comment you mean, quote the rule you think it breaks and attach the link. Keep it short and polite. Moderators are volunteers, and a courteous message is more likely to be actioned than a demand.

Option 2: report the comment to Reddit

Open the comment's menu and choose Report, then pick the closest category. Reddit's sitewide rules cover areas such as harassment, threats, hate, impersonation, spam and sharing personal information. Add a short explanation that points to the specific problem. Reports go to moderators and, where relevant, Reddit's administrators.

Option 3: contact the author

Some disputes end with a quiet request. If the person is willing, they can delete the comment themselves. Be careful here. If the situation involves harassment, do not engage. Report instead and keep records.

Option 4: use a legal route

If the comment copies your copyrighted work, Reddit's copyright process is the right channel. If a court has ordered removal, Reddit has a process for legal requests. For defamation, you need advice from a qualified attorney. Reddit is generally cautious about removing content just because someone claims it is false, because it does not decide whether claims are true.

Which comments are most likely to be removed?

Comments are most likely to be removed when they clearly fall into a rule category:

• Personal information such as an address, personal phone number or private email.
• Threats or encouragement of violence.
• Targeted, repeated harassment.
• Impersonation.
• Spam or scam links.
• Breaking a clearly stated rule of the community.

Which comments are unlikely to be removed?

Disagreement, sarcasm, harsh criticism and unflattering opinions do not usually break any rule. A real customer's negative experience is normally allowed too. If your goal is to remove a comment only because it is negative, expect the answer to be no, and plan to respond instead.

Gather evidence before you act

Comments can be edited or deleted by their author at any time, which means your evidence can vanish. Before you report:

1. Save the direct link to the comment.
2. Take screenshots that show the username, the date and the comment above it.
3. Note the community and the post title.
4. Save any earlier messages between you and the author or moderators.

Common mistakes

• Reporting on false grounds. Calling a rude comment "harassment" when it is not can lead to your reports being ignored.
• Reporting many times. Repeated reports of the same item do not make it stronger.
• Angry messages to moderators. They reduce your chances.
• Posting the comment's author's details. This can break the rules yourself and put you at risk.
• Skipping the screenshots. If the comment disappears, you have no record.

Replies and quotes

When you remove a comment, the replies underneath it may stay. Quoted text inside other comments also stays. Each is separate content. If the quoted material is the problem, for example it includes private information, each quote needs its own report. This is one reason why a thread-level review is sometimes needed.

After the comment is gone

Check whether the comment still appears in search results. Search engines update on their own schedule, and Google offers a tool to refresh outdated results once a page has changed. If the comment contained personal information, there are also Google tools for requesting its removal from search results.

Getting help

If you are unsure whether a comment breaks a rule, or you have tried reporting and heard nothing, our Reddit comment removal service reviews the comment in context and tells you what is realistic. We cannot guarantee removal, since decisions rest with Reddit and moderators. For posts, see Reddit post removal.

Frequently asked questions