Turning Off Comments in WordPress

One of the comments I'm frequently asked is "How do I turn off comments on my WordPress website?"  Along with that comes the frequently asked, "Should I turn them off?"

Should They Be On or Off?

Since it's less straightforward, I'll answer the second question first. The answer is, "It depends."

You should probably turn them on when:

• You want people to comment on the post (yes, it seems obvious)
• You're asking a question and you want an answer
• You're looking for direction (maybe for future posts or a new path to take for some project that you're blogging about)

You should probably turn them off when:

• You have a static page (like my About page) that doesn't call for comments
• You've collected some argumentative followers and you don't want that
• Your comments have become a haven for spam (it happens to everyone sooner or later)

I Want Them Off!  How Does That Work?

As you are creating a new post or page, look up in the top-right corner just below the Admin Bar.  You'll see a screen options dropdown.  Click on that to reveal the screen options.

Screen Options Button

From here, check the Discussion option if it is not already checked.

Choose Discussions

Now that Discussions is checked (or already was checked), scroll to the bottom of your post/page editing screen and choose to allow/disallow comments or trackbacks and pingbacks.

Allow/Disallow Trackbacks and/or Pingbacks

Now "Publish" or "Update" your page and you're all set.