{"id":2643,"date":"2007-10-31T20:18:50","date_gmt":"2007-10-31T14:48:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/10\/how-to-turn-on-off-comments-and-pings-for-multiple-previous-posts\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T09:54:58","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T04:24:58","slug":"how-to-turn-on-off-comments-and-pings-for-multiple-previous-posts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/10\/how-to-turn-on-off-comments-and-pings-for-multiple-previous-posts\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Turn Comments On or Off for Multiple Posts in WordPress"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>How do you turn comments on or off for multiple previous posts in WordPress? When I started our short-tips tumblelog years ago, I disabled comments and trackbacks for every post. Hundreds of posts later I decided to open comments up, and found that changing the global setting only affects new posts; every existing post keeps its own setting. Back then a plugin saved the day. Today WordPress can do it built in. Here is how to <strong>turn comments on or off for multiple posts<\/strong> at once in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-64178\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/bulk-turn-comments-on-off-wordpress-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"Turn comments on or off for multiple WordPress posts\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/bulk-turn-comments-on-off-wordpress-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/bulk-turn-comments-on-off-wordpress-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/bulk-turn-comments-on-off-wordpress-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/bulk-turn-comments-on-off-wordpress-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/bulk-turn-comments-on-off-wordpress.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Go to Posts &gt; All Posts, tick the posts (set &#8220;Number of items per page&#8221; in Screen Options higher to select more), choose <strong>Bulk actions &gt; Edit<\/strong>, then set <strong>Comments<\/strong> to Allow or Do not allow and <strong>Pings<\/strong> to Allow or Do not allow, and click Update. For thousands of posts, use WP-CLI, the Disable Comments plugin, or the &#8220;automatically close comments&#8221; setting.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ae09104cd26b\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ae09104cd26b\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/10\/how-to-turn-on-off-comments-and-pings-for-multiple-previous-posts\/#Why_the_Discussion_setting_isnt_enough\" >Why the Discussion setting isn&#8217;t enough<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/10\/how-to-turn-on-off-comments-and-pings-for-multiple-previous-posts\/#Method_1_Bulk_Edit_in_WordPress_no_plugin\" >Method 1: Bulk Edit in WordPress (no plugin)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/10\/how-to-turn-on-off-comments-and-pings-for-multiple-previous-posts\/#Method_2_WP-CLI_thousands_of_posts\" >Method 2: WP-CLI (thousands of posts)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/10\/how-to-turn-on-off-comments-and-pings-for-multiple-previous-posts\/#Method_3_Disable_Comments_plugin\" >Method 3: Disable Comments plugin<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/10\/how-to-turn-on-off-comments-and-pings-for-multiple-previous-posts\/#Method_4_Close_comments_on_old_posts_automatically\" >Method 4: Close comments on old posts automatically<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/10\/how-to-turn-on-off-comments-and-pings-for-multiple-previous-posts\/#Should_you_turn_pings_and_trackbacks_off\" >Should you turn pings and trackbacks off?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/10\/how-to-turn-on-off-comments-and-pings-for-multiple-previous-posts\/#Our_experience\" >Our experience<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/10\/how-to-turn-on-off-comments-and-pings-for-multiple-previous-posts\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/10\/how-to-turn-on-off-comments-and-pings-for-multiple-previous-posts\/#Does_turning_comments_off_delete_existing_comments\" >Does turning comments off delete existing comments?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/10\/how-to-turn-on-off-comments-and-pings-for-multiple-previous-posts\/#Can_I_turn_off_comments_on_pages_but_not_posts\" >Can I turn off comments on pages but not posts?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2007\/10\/how-to-turn-on-off-comments-and-pings-for-multiple-previous-posts\/#Why_are_comments_still_closed_after_I_allowed_them\" >Why are comments still closed after I allowed them?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_the_Discussion_setting_isnt_enough\"><\/span>Why the Discussion setting isn&#8217;t enough<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Under <strong>Settings &gt; Discussion<\/strong>, &#8220;Allow people to submit comments on new posts&#8221; and &#8220;Allow link notifications from other blogs (pingbacks and trackbacks)&#8221; only set the default for posts you create from then on. Older posts keep whatever they were published with, which is why you need a bulk change.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_1_Bulk_Edit_in_WordPress_no_plugin\"><\/span>Method 1: Bulk Edit in WordPress (no plugin)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Open <strong>Posts &gt; All Posts<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Screen Options<\/strong> at the top right and raise <em>Number of items per page<\/em> (for example to 200). Very high numbers can time out on cheap hosting.<\/li>\n<li>Filter by category or date if you only want some posts, then tick the select-all box.<\/li>\n<li>Choose <strong>Bulk actions &gt; Edit<\/strong> and click <strong>Apply<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Set <strong>Comments<\/strong> and <strong>Pings<\/strong> to <em>Allow<\/em> or <em>Do not allow<\/em>. Leave other fields as &#8220;No change&#8221;.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Update<\/strong>, then repeat for the next page.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_2_WP-CLI_thousands_of_posts\"><\/span>Method 2: WP-CLI (thousands of posts)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you have SSH access, this opens comments on every published post:<\/p>\n<pre><code>wp post list --post_type=post --post_status=publish --format=ids | xargs -n 50 wp post update --comment_status=open<\/code><\/pre>\n<p>Use <code>--comment_status=closed<\/code> to close them, and <code>--ping_status=closed<\/code> to turn off pings. Back up the database first.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_3_Disable_Comments_plugin\"><\/span>Method 3: Disable Comments plugin<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To switch comments off everywhere, or for a whole post type, the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/disable-comments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Disable Comments<\/a><\/strong> plugin does it in one click and can also delete existing comments. The old Extended Comment Options plugin from the original post is no longer maintained.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_4_Close_comments_on_old_posts_automatically\"><\/span>Method 4: Close comments on old posts automatically<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In <strong>Settings &gt; Discussion<\/strong>, tick <em>Automatically close comments on posts older than X days<\/em>. This cuts spam on old posts without touching each one, and can be reversed anytime.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_you_turn_pings_and_trackbacks_off\"><\/span>Should you turn pings and trackbacks off?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For most blogs, yes. Pingbacks and trackbacks are now mostly spam, and turning them off on all posts is safe. Keep comments open where you want reader discussion, and use good spam protection. Here are the best <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2014\/09\/4-best-wordpress-plugins-to-stop-comment-spam\/\">WordPress plugins to stop comment spam<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Our_experience\"><\/span>Our experience<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We have switched comments on and off across QuickOnlineTips more than once, closing them when spam got out of hand and reopening them on all posts in 2026 with stricter moderation. Bulk Edit handled it in minutes. If you have many comments, you can also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/01\/lazy-load-comments-in-wordpress-blogs\/\">lazy load comments<\/a> to keep pages fast.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_turning_comments_off_delete_existing_comments\"><\/span>Does turning comments off delete existing comments?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. Existing comments stay visible unless your theme hides them or you delete them.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_turn_off_comments_on_pages_but_not_posts\"><\/span>Can I turn off comments on pages but not posts?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Filter Pages in Bulk Edit, or choose the post types in Disable Comments.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_are_comments_still_closed_after_I_allowed_them\"><\/span>Why are comments still closed after I allowed them?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Check the &#8220;automatically close comments&#8221; setting and your theme or plugins, which can override per-post settings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How do you turn comments on or off for multiple previous posts in WordPress? When I started our short-tips tumblelog&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":64178,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[49,17],"class_list":["post-2643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging","tag-tutorials","tag-wordpress"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2643"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64179,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643\/revisions\/64179"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}