How to turn on YouTube comments as a viewer

Sure, there are haters out there. But what would YouTube be without comments? Exchanging ideas and growing a community are only two reasons why it’s worth turning on comments and letting viewers share their minds below your videos. Here is how it works.

How to turn on YouTube comments as a viewer

Why Turn on Comments for YouTube Videos? 

Comments from viewers can be a great way to get to know your audience better. You learn what people think about your videos and you gain insights about topics people want to know more about. 

Sometimes viewers have questions you might not have anticipated. Besides the opportunity to answer them directly, you probably generate lots of topic ideas from reading through the comment section.  

Interacting with your audience in the comments will help you grow a community and thus grow your channel faster. For this reason, it's important to know how to turn on comments for  YouTube videos. 

How to Turn on Comments for YouTube Videos

You have two options when it comes to turning on comments on videos. You can enable comments by default for all videos or you enable/disable comments on individual videos. 

How to enable comments by default

  1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
  2. From the left menu, select Settings.
  3. Select Community and then Defaults.
  4. Select your default settings:
    - If you have the Community tab: Choose your default settings under “Comments on your channel."
    - If you don’t have the Community tab: Choose your default setting for new video uploads under “Comments on your new videos."
  5. Select Save

How to turn on/off comments for an individual video

If you don’t want people to comment under a particular video, change comment settings on your content page. The same applies if you want to turn on comments for selected videos.

  1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
  2. From the left menu, select Content.
  3. Click a video’s thumbnail.
  4. Scroll down and then click SHOW MORE.
  5. Under “Comments and ratings," choose your comment settings.
  6. Click Save.

Why can’t I turn on comments on YouTube?

In the following cases, you won’t be able to turn on your YouTube comments:

  1. ​​A channel/video audience is set as “made for kids.” According to Google Help Center, comments are permanently deleted 30 days from when a channel or video is set as made for kids.
  2. A video is private. If you want to have comments, but still keep your video private, post it an unlisted video instead.
  3. You're experiencing YouTube through a supervised account. 

Did you manage to turn on your YouTube comments? If you have any questions left, make sure to reach us at . We’re happy to help.

How to turn on YouTube comments as a viewer

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Do you need to disable or enable YouTube comments? If all you have on hand is a mobile phone, don't worry; that's all you need!

It's a wonderful feeling when subscribers comment on your videos. A message of support, or even a hilarious joke, can really make a creator's day.

Read More: The Secret to YouTube Success - Reply to More Comments!

But not all YouTube viewers are nice. Some will post mean or disrespectful comments for no apparent reason. Rather than absorbing negativity, it's better to turn off comments when the hate gets too real.

Luckily, you don't need a desktop computer to do this. With an Android or iOS mobile device, you can enable or disable YouTube comments – fast.

How to Turn YouTube Comments On or Off on Mobile

  1. Open the YouTube Studio app and tap the menu in the upper-left corner.
  2. Select Videos.
  3. Tap the video for which you want to disable or enable comments.
  4. Tap the pencil icon at the top of the screen.
  5. Swipe over to the Advanced Settings tab.
  6. Swipe down until you see the comments option, which allows you to turn comments on or off for the video. Tap Save.

Check out the screenshots below to see each step:

Step 1: Go to the menu.

Step 2: Tap videos.

Step 3: Swipe to advanced settings.

Step 4: Tap the video you want to edit.

Step 5: Tap the pencil icon.

Step 6: Choose a comments option and tap save.

Important note: Turning comments off won't delete existing comments from your video. You can see them again whenever you decide to enable comments.

Watch our tutorial below for more details.

Managing YouTube Comments From a Phone

When it comes to disabling YouTube comments from a phone, there aren't many options. If you want to bulk disable comments, for example, you have to do that on a desktop computer. The same goes for automatically disabling comments on new uploads; it's impossible to do from a phone.

But if you want to do those things on desktop, here's a full tutorial.

If you don't want to completely disable comments for a video, there are some limited options in the YouTube Studio app.

Just tap the menu in the app, and go to comments. Next to each comment, tap the three dots, which reveals the option to:

  • Remove a comment.
  • Report a comment to YouTube.
  • Hide the user so you NEVER see their comments again.

But to really moderate your comments, you'll need to do it on a computer. If your YouTube channel is made for kids, then you have no choice; comments will be disabled for your videos automatically.

Chances are, your comments aren't 100% negative. We're willing to bet most of your content has uplifting messages of support underneath. That's why you should leave comments on when you can. Engage with viewers.

And when you're ready to find your absolute super fans, read this post to discover who comments on your videos the most.

Blog Manager at vidIQ

Lydia Sweatt is a writer who loves balancing her article/blog time indoors with a healthy dose of nature. She bikes, hikes, and identifies edible plants along the way.

How do you view YouTube comments as a viewer?

To view comments on a video, scroll on the video's page. Replies are threaded to make it easy to follow conversations. YouTube comments are public and anyone can reply to a comment that you post.

Why can't I turn on comments on YouTube?

Click a video's thumbnail. Scroll down and then click SHOW MORE. Under “Comments and ratings," choose your comment settings. Click Save.

How do you turn YouTube comments on?

Tap the video for which you want to disable or enable comments. Tap the pencil icon at the top of the screen. Swipe over to the Advanced Settings tab. Swipe down until you see the comments option, which allows you to turn comments on or off for the video.

Can you turn comments off as a YouTube viewer?

Tap on the pencil icon on the top of the screen to open “Advanced Settings.” Swipe right to get to “Advances Settings.” Scroll down to find “Comments” options. Toggle to turn on or off comments for the video.