There are a few potential reasons why Facebook may not be showing all comments on a post:
The post has too many comments
Facebook limits the number of comments that are initially visible on a post. For posts with a very large number of comments, Facebook will only show a subset of the most recent or relevant comments. This is done to manage server load and improve performance. Typically, only the 1500-2000 most recent comments are shown.
If a post has more comments than the limit, you’ll see a link that says “View more comments” or “View previous comments.” Clicking this link will load older comments in batches of around 200.
So if you’re noticing that a post has way more comments listed than are actually visible, it’s likely because Facebook is only displaying a portion of them. The rest can be viewed by clicking the link to see more.
Comment filters and moderation
Facebook uses automatic filters to detect and hide comments that may violate its Community Standards. This includes comments that contain harassment, hate speech, nudity, or spam.
Page admins can also manually moderate comments on their posts by hiding or deleting them. You won’t see comments that have been hidden or deleted by a page admin.
Filtered or moderated comments are only hidden from public view. The user who posted the comment can still see it on their own activity log, but it won’t be visible to others.
Network connectivity issues
Sometimes comments may fail to load due to problems with your internet connection. If your network connectivity is spotty or slow, Facebook may have trouble retrieving all comments on a post.
Try refreshing the page or reloading the app and see if more comments appear after a few seconds. If they do, the issue was likely temporary network problems on your end.
Also make sure you have the latest version of the Facebook app installed, or try viewing the post on a desktop computer instead of mobile to rule out app-specific bugs.
Banned or blocked users
If you have banned or blocked another Facebook user, you won’t be able to see any of their comments on posts.
Page admins can ban or block users from commenting on their page as well. So if you’re viewing a post on a page, any comments from banned users will be hidden.
You can disable the ability for a page to block you in their Page Settings. However, personal bans by page admins will still apply.
Location and age restrictions
Some comments may be hidden based on your location or age.
Facebook complies with each country’s laws regarding content restrictions. Comments containing material illegal in your region will be hidden by default.
Likewise, pages and posts can be age-gated, so comments may be hidden if the content is deemed inappropriate for viewers under 18.
Trying viewing the post while connected to a VPN in another country or after updating your birthdate in your Facebook profile to bypass these types of restrictions.
Glitches and bugs
In rare cases, a technical glitch on Facebook’s end could cause comments to disappear or fail to load properly.
Try checking if others can see the missing comments by asking a friend to look at the post. If they can’t see the comments either, it’s likely a temporary bug.
Report the issue to Facebook through their Help Center. Facebook engineers can then investigate and fix any technical problems.
How to troubleshoot missing comments on Facebook
Here are some steps to troubleshoot missing or hidden Facebook comments:
- Refresh the page/app and check if more comments load
- Click “View more comments” to load all available comments
- Check your internet connection speed and reliability
- Update the Facebook app or view the post on desktop site
- Check if you have the user or page blocked
- Try viewing the post from another region using a VPN
- Ask a friend to check if they can see the missing comments
- Check the page/post for age or location restrictions
- Report ongoing issues through Facebook’s Help Center
Ways to access hidden Facebook comments
If you suspect comments are being hidden on a post, here are some options to try accessing them:
- Temporarily disable comment filters in your News Feed Settings
- View the post while logged out of your account
- Check for the comments on the desktop site if on mobile
- Connect through a VPN or proxy service to change regions
- Clear cookies and cache to load the page fresh
- Use a secondary browser or incognito/private mode window
- View the post on an alternate Facebook account
Why Facebook hides some comments
In summary, here are some of the main reasons Facebook may hide comments on posts:
- Too many comments – only a subset are shown
- Violate Facebook’s policies – detected by filters
- Manually hidden by page admins
- User account bans or blocks
- Age or location restrictions
- Technical glitches
Understanding the various factors that affect comment visibility can help troubleshoot problems accessing hidden Facebook comments on posts that appear truncated or incomplete.
Conclusion
Facebook limits the number of comments shown on posts and uses filters to hide inappropriate content. Page admins also moderate comments. Technical issues can sometimes lead to comments not loading properly. If you suspect Facebook is hiding comments on a particular post, try refreshing, clicking to view more comments, using a VPN, clearing your browser cache, or viewing the post from another account. Report ongoing problems to Facebook for further investigation.