YouTube Comment Moderation: Settings, Moderators and Workflow

YouTube comment moderation happens in YouTube Studio, under Settings, then Community. You pick one of four moderation levels (None, Basic, Strict, Hold all), then set blocked words and blocked links, list approved and hidden users, and appoint standard or managing moderators. Then you review the Held tab regularly, remove spam, hide abusive users and reply to real questions.

Where are YouTube's comment moderation settings?

There are two levels of settings:

• Channel level: in YouTube Studio, open Settings, then Community. The Automated filters tab holds moderators, approved users, hidden users, blocked words and blocked links. The Defaults tab sets the moderation level for new videos.

• Video level: in a video's details, you can turn comments on or off, change the moderation level for that video only and choose how comments are sorted.

Channel settings are your baseline. Use video settings for exceptions, such as a sensitive topic that needs stricter control. Our guide on turning YouTube comments on or off covers the video-level switches.

Which comment moderation level should you choose?

YouTube's comment settings help page lists four levels. Whatever the level, a held comment stays invisible to viewers until you approve it.

A practical setup: Basic or Strict as the channel default, Hold all only on videos about a sensitive topic, for as long as the discussion is heated.

How to use YouTube's automated filters

• Blocked words. Comments containing or closely matching these terms are held for review. Start with scam phrases, slurs and the names of messaging apps that scammers push. Add terms as you see them, and remove words that catch real comments.

• Blocked links. Holds comments that contain a URL. Very effective against spam, but it also holds viewers sharing useful sources.

• Approved users. Their comments are always published and skip every filter. Reserve it for trusted regulars, team members and partners.

• Hidden users. Their comments no longer appear on your channel. It is the most effective tool against repeat trolls and bot accounts.

Filters work on patterns, not meaning. Bots that impersonate creators or disguise links need extra attention: our guide to bot comments on YouTube lists the patterns and a starter list of blocked words.

How to add a comment moderator on YouTube

YouTube has two moderator roles. According to YouTube's help article on moderating comments, managing moderators have more options than standard moderators, and neither gets access to your channel in YouTube Studio.

1. Ask the person for the URL of their YouTube channel.

2. In YouTube Studio, open Settings, then Community.

3. Paste the URL in the Standard moderators or Managing moderators field.

4. Save, then send your moderator your written rules: what to hold, what to hide, what to leave alone.

A daily moderation workflow

1. Clear the Held tab first. For each comment: approve it, remove it, report it as spam or abuse, or hide the user. Real comments held by mistake deserve a quick approval and often a reply.

2. Check reply threads on your top comments. Scams and impersonators hide in replies, not only at the top level.

3. Reply to questions. Use the filters at the top of the Comments page, such as comments you have not responded to or comments containing questions, to find what needs an answer.

4. Pin and heart. Pin one useful comment per video (an answer, a correction, a key link) and heart good contributions.

5. Once a week, tune the filters. Add new scam phrases, remove words that caused false positives, and review your hidden users list.

How to handle each type of comment

Write community rules you can point to

Rules make moderation predictable for viewers and for your moderators. Keep them short enough to fit in a pinned comment or the channel description, for example:

• Disagree as much as you like, but no personal attacks.

• No links to other channels, shops or messaging apps.

• No spam, scams or repeated comments.

• We will never ask you to contact us on Telegram or WhatsApp.

• Comments that break these rules are removed and repeat offenders are hidden.

When you remove a comment, you are applying a rule everyone could read, not reacting to an opinion.

Avoid over-moderation

A comment section that only shows praise is not credible. Long blocked word lists and Strict moderation on every video hold real comments, and viewers notice when their fair criticism disappears. Moderate behavior (spam, insults, harassment, scams), not opinions. Write your rules down, pin a short version under your videos, and apply them the same way to everyone.

Also keep in mind that YouTube turns comments off on videos set as made for kids. That is a platform rule, not a moderation choice you can change.

When YouTube's tools are not enough

YouTube Studio works well for one channel with a manageable volume. It gets harder when:

• scam waves arrive under every upload faster than you can clear the Held tab;

• you manage several channels, or YouTube plus Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn;

• several people moderate and need to know who handled what;

• keyword filters either miss disguised spam or hold too many real comments.

At that point, automation helps. Our guide to YouTube comment automation explains what tools can and cannot do through the YouTube Data API, and the one on managing YouTube comments covers the engagement side.

Where Blabla fits

Blabla works like an extra moderator that never logs off. It connects through the official YouTube Data API, and you write moderation rules as plain sentences, such as "scams, impersonation of our channel, insults, links to other channels", next to keyword lists. Matching comments are rejected as they sync, so a scam wave that starts at night is cleared before your morning check. Everything else lands in a shared inbox with to-do, in progress and done statuses, so when several people moderate, each comment shows who handled it. Real questions can get an AI reply grounded on your FAQ. See Blabla moderation and Blabla for YouTube, with a 7-day free trial and no credit card. For a single small channel, the native settings above are usually enough.

Conclusion

Set Basic or Strict as your default, add blocked words and blocked links, hide repeat offenders and give trusted people a moderator role. Clear the Held tab daily, reply to questions and fair criticism, and tune your filters weekly. Moderation done this way keeps the comment section useful for the viewers who matter. For more on YouTube Studio as a whole, see our YouTube Studio guide.