How to Turn On Comments on YouTube

There are different ways to manage the comment sections for your YouTube channel. You can turn the comments on every individual video or enable the comments for all videos on your channel by default.

In this article, we will cover the two ways to turn comments on YouTube. We will also talk about why you might want to turn the comments on and how you can moderate comments to keep everything neat and clean.

Let’s get started.

Why Enable Comments for YouTube Videos?

The pros and cons of the YouTube comment section have been in the talks for quite some time. Many people in the USA now create videos and upload them on YouTube.

They receive all types of comments from their viewers.

Some comments can be really negative, mean, and disrespectful – mostly made under the pretense of expressing opinions and providing criticism.

This is why new content creators think they are better off without comments on their videos.

However, everything has positive and negative aspects. In trying to avoid negativity, some creators miss out on many amazing benefits of allowing comments on their videos.

• Positive comments from viewers can light up your whole day. It can be a compliment, an appreciation message, a supportive note, or even a joke.
• Comments from viewers work as a super-effective source of motivation to do better. They not only make you feel loved and appreciated but also offer ideas on how to improve your videos. You also gradually learn to tackle hate comments and not let them affect you.
   Discussions in the comment sections can generate many valuable ideas for you to explore and work on. And what else can be better than ideas coming directly from your audience, right?
• Reading comments from people who watch your videos provides more insights into their likes and dislikes. These comments are a great tool to know your audience better and understand their expectations of your brand. Such audience insights also make it easier for you to record, edit and publish more relevant and improvised content on your channel.
• You can interact with your audience directly in your comment section to create a strong bond with them. The comment section also allows your viewers to talk and discuss with each other, establishing a community on your channel. So, turn on the comments immediately if you want your channel to grow into a community!

The type of videos you upload on YouTube also plays a huge role in your decision to turn the comments on.

For example, videos on controversial topics can make you the target of severe backlash. If you make such kinds of videos, it’s better to keep the comments turned off.

Also, allowing comments from random people on some specific type of videos unnecessarily floods your notification tab, which can be very annoying.

Hence, you must evaluate which of your videos can actually benefit from discussions in the comments.

Check out, YouTube Channel Ideas for IT Professionals

Methods Turn on Comments On YouTube Videos

There are two ways to turn on comments on YouTube: the first is to enable comments on individual videos, and the second is to change the default comment settings for all upcoming videos on your YouTube channel.

You can change these settings through any convenient medium, like desktop computers, laptops, tablets, or smartphones.

How to Turn On Comments on YouTube by Default

Comments on videos are turned on by default when you make your channel. You can change these settings at any time to enable and disable comments across all your upcoming videos.

However, the changed default comment settings only apply to the new videos you upload, not those already existing on your channel.

Changing default comment settings is a great option for people who make specific kinds of videos and are sure about wanting people to comment or not. But they can still choose different comment settings for each individual video if needed.

Here are the steps to turn on comments on Youtube by default.

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio
2. Look for the menu tab on the left and select Settings from that menu.
3. Check if you have the Community Tab.
   1. If you have the community tab, select ‘Comments on Your Channel’ to change your default settings.
   1. If you don’t have the Community Tab, choose ‘Comments on Your New Videos’ to select the default settings for your new video uploads.
4. Click on Save to lock in your changed settings.

How to Turn On Comments on YouTube for Individual Videos

Below are the steps to enable comments for an individual video on your channel. Please note that these steps will only change that particular video’s comment settings, not your channel’s default settings.

1. Visit YouTube Studio and Sign In
2. Check out the menu tab on the left and click on ‘Content.’
3. Select the thumbnail of the video on which you want to turn on the comments
4. Scroll below and select ‘Show More.’
5. Find the option of ‘Comments and Ratings.’
6. Click ‘Allow All Comments’ to turn on the comments on the selected video.

You can also utilize the bulk edit option to change the comment settings of more than one video at once.

Select the option of ‘Content’ from the menu tab on the left and check the boxes next to the videos you want to edit in bulk.

Then click on the ‘Edit’ to choose the type of change you would like to make. The last action required is to click on ‘Update Videos’ to see the changes in your video’s comment section.

Another important point to note here is that turning off comments on a particular video doesn’t delete its existing comments. You can easily enable comments on that video whenever you want.

Check out, YouTube Channel Ideas for Students in the USA

Options for Moderating Comments

The four main options to help you manage comments on your YouTube channel and videos are briefly explained below.

Allow All Comments

This option allows every comment from your viewers, no matter how inappropriate, disrespectful, or offensive.

Hold Potentially Inappropriate Comments for Review

This option allows only the comments that YouTube considers safe and appropriate.

Any comment containing slam, slang, or inappropriate words is put on hold for your review and posted under your videos only after you approve it.

You can choose this option to maintain a degree of control over what people say in your videos.

Hold All Comments for Review

This option holds off all comments made by viewers until you manually allow or disallow each of them to be published under your videos.

You can choose this option to exercise full control over what your audience says and sees in your comment section.

Disable Comments

No one can post a comment on your videos if you choose to disable them. You can use this option when you don’t want to get any kind of feedback or message on your videos.

You Can Also Change the Default Comment View!

YouTube also allows you to sort the comments on your video according to how recent or popular they are.

This option is really helpful when you don’t have enough time to go through all the comments or just want to see the most relevant comments on your videos.

1. Open YouTube Studio and Sign in to your channel
2. Select ‘Content’ from the menu bar on the left
3. Click the thumbnail of the video for which you want to change the comment settings
4. Tap the ‘More Options’ tab and click on ‘Comments and Ratings’.
5. Pick the ‘Sort By’ option
6. Select between Top and Newest and save your settings

Check out, YouTube Channel Ideas to Make Money Without Showing Your Face

When You Can’t Turn On Comments on YouTube

Here are a few cases where you won’t be able to turn on YouTube comments:

• When a channel’s audience or video is selected as ‘made for kids,’ all comments on that channel and video are permanently deleted after 30 days.
• You can’t turn on comments on YouTube for your private videos. You can post a video as unlisted to allow comments on a private video. An unlisted video can only be opened by the viewers with whom you share the link.
• Comments cannot be turned on through a supervised account. YouTube allows kids between 13 and 17 to create their own channels or accounts with parental supervision. This means parents can decide the settings of their children’s channels to control what they do and see.

How to Manage Comments on YouTube from a Phone

Your options to enable or disable comments are limited if you just have your mobile phone at hand, not a desktop computer.

This is because you can’t bulk edit comment settings on YouTube with a mobile phone. Similarly, you can’t change default settings for comments on your new uploads through a mobile.

However, you can enable, disable, and manage comments on your individual videos from the YouTube Creator Studio application.

1. Access the menu tab on the left and go to ‘Videos.’
2. Scroll to the video you want to enable comments for and select it.
3. Find the pencil icon at the top and tap on the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab
4. Scroll down to the ‘Comments’ option and enable or disable comments for that video on your channel
5. Don’t forget to save the changes

YouTube Studio mobile app also has other options to help you manage comments on your videos. Click the app’s menu and select ‘Go to Comments.’

The default setting for this option will be ‘Published Comments.’ You have the choice to perform the following actions.

• Filter: You can filter your comment section by specific text in comments, comments with questions, comments you haven’t responded to, etc.
• Reply: You can reply to the comments on your videos to interact with your audience. Also, you can see what other people have responded to a viewer’s comment on your video – just click ‘View Reply’ or ‘View All Replies’ to expand the list of replies on a comment.
• Heart or Like: Liked or loved a comment? Notify the commenter by reacting with a heart or a like on their comment.

You will find three dots next to each comment; click on them to reveal more available options.

• Remove a comment if it seems inappropriate
• Hide the user never to see their comments again
• Report a comment if you find it very offensive

Not all of your comments will be unfavorable. In fact, most of them may contain positive and uplifting messages from your viewers.

Hence, engaging with viewers through comments on your channel and videos can greatly benefit your content creation journey in the USA.

Check out, YouTube Channel Ideas to Make Money

Frequently Asked Questions

You may also like:

• Can We Earn Money from YouTube Live?
• YouTube vs Vimeo
• How to Use YouTube to Grow Your Email List