How to Turn On Comments on YouTube: One Video, All Videos, App

To turn on comments on YouTube, open YouTube Studio, go to Content, click the video, select Show more, set comments to On under Comments and ratings, pick a moderation level and click Save. For future uploads, change the default in Settings. Comments stay off on videos marked Made for kids.

This guide covers every case: one video, all your videos, new uploads, the phone app, the settings to choose, and what to check when the option is greyed out.

How to turn on comments on a YouTube video (computer)

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.

2. In the left menu, click Content.

3. Click the thumbnail of the video to open its details.

4. Scroll down and click Show more.

5. Under Comments and ratings, set comments to On and choose a moderation level (None, Basic, Strict or Hold all).

6. Click Save in the top right corner.

These steps come from YouTube’s help article on choosing comment settings. The change applies immediately.

How to turn on comments on YouTube from your phone

1. Open the YouTube app and go to your video.

2. Tap Comments below the video (or on the right of a Short).

3. Tap the settings icon.

4. Under For this video, tap Comments and choose your setting.

You can do the same from the YouTube Studio app by opening the video, tapping the edit icon and looking for the comments option.

How to turn on comments on all your YouTube videos at once

If comments are off on many older videos, use bulk editing instead of changing them one by one, as described in YouTube’s bulk edit help page:

1. In YouTube Studio, click Content.

2. Tick the boxes next to the videos to change. The top checkbox selects every video on the page.

3. Click Edit and choose Comments.

4. Select the new comment setting.

5. Click Update videos and confirm. Large updates can take a few minutes to finish.

How to turn on comments by default for new uploads

1. In YouTube Studio, click Settings.

2. Open Community moderation, then Content controls.

3. Under Comments on new videos and posts, turn comments on and choose whether to hold some of them for review.

4. Click Save.

The default only applies to future uploads. Existing videos keep their current setting, so combine it with a bulk edit if needed.

YouTube comment settings explained

According to YouTube’s comment settings guide, each video has a comment status and, when comments are on, a moderation level.

You can also limit comments to subscribers or paid members, with a minimum subscription duration (any duration, 1 hour, 1 day or 1 week). That blocks drive-by spam accounts, at the cost of comments from new viewers. Held comments wait in YouTube Studio for up to 60 days, and since the filters use AI, YouTube warns they will not always get it right, so check the queue regularly.

Why can’t I turn on comments on YouTube?

Can’t see or post comments as a viewer?

If you are watching someone else’s video and the comment box is missing, the cause is usually on your side or on the creator’s side:

• Restricted Mode is on. YouTube hides comments when Restricted Mode is enabled. It is set per browser or device, and schools or companies sometimes enforce it.

• The creator turned comments off or paused them. Only the channel owner can change that.

• Comments are limited to subscribers or members. Subscribe, and wait if a minimum subscription duration applies.

• You use a supervised or kids account. Comments are limited on those accounts.

Comments on Shorts and live streams

Shorts use the same comment settings as long videos: open the Short in YouTube Studio or tap Comments on the right of the Short in the app. Live streams are different, because viewers talk in live chat rather than in comments. Live chat has its own controls in the stream settings, such as slow mode (a delay between messages), subscribers-only or members-only chat, and the option to hold potentially inappropriate messages. Your blocked words and hidden users also apply to live chat, and moderators can remove messages in real time.

How to turn off or pause comments on YouTube

Follow the same path as above and choose Pause to freeze the thread while keeping existing comments, or Off to close it. Pausing is usually the better first step during a spike of abuse: the discussion stays readable and you can reopen it once things calm down. Our guide on dealing with bad comments helps decide when to reply and when to close.

Moderation tools to use once comments are on

Turning comments on is the easy part. These channel-level tools keep the thread usable:

• Blocked words: comments containing these words or phrases are held for review. Add insults, scam phrases and common misspellings.

• Block links: holds comments containing URLs, which stops most spam.

• Hidden users: hides a person’s comments across all your videos without notifying them.

• Approved users: their comments skip the filters.

• Moderators: trusted people who can review held comments and manage live chat.

Our YouTube comment moderation guide details each tool, and our YouTube Studio guide shows where they live. Once comments are open, the next step is getting viewers to use them: see how to get more comments on YouTube.

Where Blabla fits

YouTube’s filters hold suspicious comments, but someone still has to review the queue and answer the rest. Blabla connects to your YouTube channel through the official API and moderates comments automatically around the clock: spam, scam links, insults and competitor mentions are hidden based on your keyword lists and AI rules written in plain language. The same inbox gathers comments from Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, and AI replies can answer recurring questions in your tone. For a single channel with a few comments a day, YouTube Studio is enough. For a closer look at automating replies, read our guide to YouTube comment automation.

Conclusion

Turning on comments on YouTube takes a minute in YouTube Studio: Content, the video, Show more, Comments and ratings, On, Save. Set a default for new uploads, use bulk edit for old videos, and pick a moderation level that matches your spam risk. If the option is greyed out, check Made for kids, private status and supervised accounts first.