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How to Restore Comments After Using the Disable Comments Plugin

60 threads Sep 10, 2025 Plugin → Disable comments – remove comments & stop spam [multi-site support]

Content

Many WordPress users install the Disable Comments plugin to remove comment functionality from their site. However, a common and often confusing issue arises when they later decide to re-enable comments. Even after deactivating or deleting the plugin, the comment sections and settings may not reappear as expected. This troubleshooting guide will explain why this happens and walk you through the most effective solutions.

Why Comments Don't Immediately Return

Contrary to what some users believe, the standard mode of the Disable Comments plugin does not permanently alter your site's database or code. The issue is almost always one of the following:

  • Persistent Mode Was Used: The plugin has a 'persistent mode' feature, which is clearly marked with a warning. If this option was enabled, it explicitly sets the comment status for all posts to 'closed' directly in the database. This change is designed to remain even after the plugin is removed.
  • Theme or Plugin Conflict: Another plugin or your theme's own settings may be overriding the default WordPress comment behavior, keeping them disabled even after the Disable Comments plugin is deactivated.
  • Individual Post Settings: The comment status for individual posts or pages may have been changed and needs to be reset manually.

Step-by-Step Solutions

Solution 1: Check and Reset Individual Post Settings

This is the most common fix. The comment status for each post and page is controlled individually.

  1. Navigate to your WordPress admin dashboard and go to Posts or Pages.
  2. If you need to edit many items at once, use the Bulk Actions feature:
    1. Check the boxes next to all posts you want to edit.
    2. From the Bulk Actions dropdown, select Edit and click Apply.
    3. In the bulk edit menu that appears, find the Comments dropdown and select Allow.
    4. Click Update to save the changes for all selected posts.
  3. If you are editing a single post, ensure the Discussion meta box is visible on the edit screen. If you don't see it, click on Screen Options at the very top of the page and ensure the Discussion checkbox is ticked. In the Discussion box, make sure Allow comments is checked.

Solution 2: Investigate Your Theme and Other Plugins

If the above steps don't work, a conflict is likely preventing comments from reappearing.

  1. Check Your Theme Settings: Many themes have their own separate options for enabling or disabling comments globally. Carefully look through your theme's customizer settings or theme options panel for any toggle related to comments.
  2. Perform a Conflict Test:
    1. Temporarily switch your theme to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four.
    2. Deactivate all other plugins except Disable Comments (if still installed).
    3. Check if comments have returned. If they have, reactivate your plugins one-by-one and switch back to your theme, checking after each step to identify the culprit.

Solution 3: Clear Caching

If you use a caching plugin (e.g., WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache) or a server-side cache, clear all cached files after making these changes. Your browser cache can also sometimes show an old version of the page, so try a hard refresh (Ctrl+F5 on Windows, Cmd+Shift+R on Mac).

Important Note on Persistent Mode

As highlighted in the plugin's warnings, the 'persistent mode' option is designed to make permanent changes. If you used this mode, simply deactivating the plugin will not be enough. You must follow Solution 1 to manually re-open comments on your posts and pages, as the plugin has explicitly set their status to 'closed' in your database.

By methodically working through these steps, you should be able to successfully restore the native WordPress commenting system to your site.

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