There are a few reasons why you may not be able to turn off comments on Facebook:
Facebook’s Default Settings
Facebook’s default settings allow comments on posts by default. This means that when you make a post, comments will be enabled unless you specifically disable them. Many users don’t realize they need to manually turn off comments for each individual post.
How to Turn Off Comments on Individual Facebook Posts
To turn off comments on a specific post on Facebook:
- Click the three dots in the upper right corner of the post
- Select “Turn off commenting” from the dropdown menu
- Confirm that you want to turn off commenting by clicking “Turn Off Commenting” in the dialog box
Once you’ve turned off commenting, no one will be able to comment on that post.
Turning Off Comments for Your Facebook Page
You can also choose to disable comments by default for your entire Facebook page:
- Go to your page and click “Settings” at the top
- Click “Posts” on the left sidebar
- Deselect the “Allow Comments On Page” checkbox
- Click “Save Changes” at the bottom
This will make all future posts have comments disabled by default. However, it will not affect existing posts, you’ll still need to turn off commenting for them individually.
Post Privacy Settings
The privacy settings for your post can impact whether comments can be turned off as well. For example:
- Public posts – anyone can comment
- Friends only posts – only your friends can comment
- Friends except acquaintances – only close friends can comment
- Specific friends list – only people on a custom list can comment
If you limit who can see the post using privacy settings, it will also limit who can comment. However, there is no setting to disable commenting entirely for a particular privacy setting.
How Post Privacy Settings Affect Comments
| Privacy Setting | Who Can See Post | Who Can Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Public | Anyone | Anyone |
| Friends Only | Your friends | Your friends |
| Friends Except Acquaintances | Close friends only | Close friends only |
| Specific Friends List | Only people on custom list | Only people on custom list |
So limiting the audience for your post does also limit who can comment, but does not allow you to disable commenting entirely.
Post and Comment Approval
Facebook Pages with large audiences often use post and comment moderation tools to control commenting:
- Post Approval – Page admins can choose to manually approve all posts before they are visible. This can prevent unwanted or spammy posts.
- Comment Moderation – Admins can choose to manually approve comments before they appear. This allows filtering out inappropriate comments.
Enabling these settings can be done globally for a Page or on a per-post basis. While not the same as disabling comments entirely, it does allow strict control over what comments get posted.
How to Enable Comment Approval for a Facebook Page
Here are the steps to require comment approval for all posts on a Facebook Page:
- Go to your Facebook Page
- Click “Settings” at the top
- Click “Page Moderation” on the left sidebar
- Check the box next to “Comments Must Be Approved Before They Are Visible”
- Click “Save Changes” at the bottom
Once enabled, all new comments will need to be approved before anyone can see them. Admins can delete unwanted comments rather than approving them.
Limitations for Certain Post Types
For certain types of posts, the ability to turn off commenting may be limited:
- Group Posts – Comments cannot be disabled on posts made in Facebook Groups.
- Marketplace Listings – Comments are always enabled on Facebook Marketplace listings.
- Ads – Comments cannot be turned off for Facebook ads or Page posts boosted as ads.
- Live Videos – Comments are always on for Facebook Live videos.
So the post type can also impact whether comments can be disabled or not. For regular status updates and photos posted to your Timeline, you can control comments, but for other types there are restrictions.
Post Types Where Comment Disabling is Limited
| Post Type | Can Comments Be Disabled? |
|---|---|
| Regular Posts (status updates, photos, etc) | Yes |
| Group Posts | No |
| Marketplace Listings | No |
| Ads and Boosted Posts | No |
| Live Videos | No |
Bugs and Errors
In some cases, the inability to turn off Facebook comments could also be due to a bug or error:
- The settings not saving properly when you try to disable comments
- The turn off commenting option being unclickable or greyed out
- Comments getting turned back on without you toggling the setting
Issues like these are usually temporary and can often be fixed by trying the steps again, doing a quick refresh of the page, or giving it some time and trying again later.
Troubleshooting Tips for Facebook Comment Issues
- Refresh the page and try again
- Log out and log back into Facebook
- Clear cookies and cache from your browser
- Try in a different web browser
- Update to the latest version of Facebook
- Check for any Facebook platform issues or bugs
If the problem persists for more than a few hours, you may need to contact Facebook support for additional troubleshooting.
Pages You Don’t Own
Lastly, you can only turn off commenting on your own Facebook posts and Page. For posts on Pages that you do not own, there is no way to disable comments as you don’t have admin access.
The only option would be to contact the Page admin and ask them to turn off commenting on their posts. But for Pages you don’t own or manage, you cannot directly control the comment settings.
No Comment Control on Facebook Pages You Don’t Own
- Can only turn off commenting on your own Facebook posts/Page
- For posts on Pages you don’t own, must ask Page admin to disable
- No way to directly control comment settings for Pages you don’t manage
So in summary, there are a few main reasons why you may be unable to turn off comments on Facebook:
- Not changing the default commenting options for individual posts or your Page
- Privacy settings limiting but not disabling comments
- Certain post types having mandatory commenting
- Bugs or technical issues
- Trying to control comments on Pages or posts you don’t own
Checking these potential issues can help identify why the option may be unavailable. With user error and technical issues ruled out, commenting can typically be disabled for regular posts and Pages through the proper settings.
Conclusion
Facebook commenting is enabled by default for user posts and Pages, so turning it off requires proactively changing the settings. Comment controls can also be limited based on how you’ve configured privacy and posting permissions. Checking that you own the Page, clearing up any technical issues, and choosing the right settings for each specific post allows disabling comments in most cases. But certain post types have mandatory commenting that cannot be turned off. Understanding the nuances of Facebook’s commenting controls can help troubleshoot issues with turning off comments on posts when desired.