So, you’ve uploaded a video. You spent hours editing, color grading, and obsessing over the thumbnail. You hit publish, wait for the praise to roll in, and then—nothing. Silence. You realize the comment section is a ghost town, not because people aren't watching, but because the box is literally gone. It says "Comments are turned off." Frustrating, right? Honestly, figuring out how do i enable comments on youtube should be a one-click fix, but Google has tucked the settings behind several layers of menus that change depending on whether you're using a phone or a desktop.
YouTube is a social platform, and without a comment section, you’re basically shouting into a void. Feedback is the lifeblood of growth. If people can’t tell you that your audio is too quiet or that your cat is adorable, the algorithm starts to think your content isn't engaging.
There are actually four different reasons why your comments might be disabled. Sometimes it's a setting you accidentally toggled. Other times, it's YouTube’s automated system protecting "Made for Kids" content. We need to look at both the individual video level and the channel-wide defaults to make sure this stays fixed for good.
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The Quick Fix for a Single Video
Let’s say you have one specific video where the comments are missing. This is the most common scenario. You probably didn't do anything wrong; YouTube just defaults to certain safety settings.
To fix this on a computer, head to the YouTube Studio. Click on "Content" in the left-hand sidebar. Find the video that's giving you trouble and click the little pencil icon to edit the details. Now, scroll all the way down. You’ll see a button that says "SHOW MORE." Click it. Keep scrolling past the tags and the language settings until you hit the "Comments and ratings" section.
Here is the magic spot. You'll see a dropdown menu. If it says "Disable comments," well, there's your problem. Switch it to "Allow all comments" or, if you're worried about spam, "Hold potentially inappropriate comments for review." Save the changes. Boom. Done.
If you’re on your phone, it’s a bit different. You need the YouTube Studio app, not the regular YouTube app. Tap on "Content," pick your video, tap the pencil icon at the top, and then tap "More options" at the bottom. You’ll find the comment visibility settings there. It's tucked away, but it works exactly the same way.
The "Made for Kids" Trap
This is the big one. If you’re asking how do i enable comments on youtube and the steps above didn’t work, it’s almost certainly because of COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act).
In 2019, YouTube had to pay a massive fine to the FTC. Since then, they are terrifyingly strict about content intended for children. If you mark a video as "Made for Kids," YouTube legally has to disable comments. Period. There is no workaround. There is no "pretty please."
Sometimes, YouTube’s AI scans your video and decides it's for kids even if you didn't mark it that way. If your video features bright colors, cartoons, or toys, the system might auto-toggle that "Made for Kids" setting. You’ll see a note in your Studio saying the setting was applied by the system.
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If your content genuinely isn't for children—maybe you're a collector of vintage toys or a high-level animator—you can appeal this or change the setting back to "No, it's not made for kids." Just be careful. If you mislabel your content to bypass the comment ban, YouTube can actually penalize your channel.
Changing Your Channel-Wide Defaults
It is incredibly annoying to have to enable comments every single time you upload. If you find yourself doing this repeatedly, you need to change your global settings.
Go to your YouTube Studio on a desktop. Look at the very bottom of the left sidebar for the gear icon labeled "Settings." Click that, then go to "Community" and then the "Defaults" tab. This is where you set the rules for your entire channel.
You can choose to have comments enabled by default for all new uploads. I usually recommend the "Hold potentially inappropriate comments" setting. It uses Google’s AI to filter out the most obvious "Check out my profile for crypto" spam while letting your actual fans talk to you. It's a lifesaver for your mental health.
Why Comments Stay Disabled (The Technical Glitches)
Sometimes, technology just breaks. You’ve checked the "Made for Kids" setting. You’ve toggled the "Allow all comments" box. You’ve cleared your cache. And yet, the box still isn't there.
Check your Restricted Mode. If you are on a school or work computer, or if you have a filter enabled on your home network, YouTube might be hiding comments globally. This isn't a setting on your video; it’s a setting on the viewer's browser. To check this, click your profile picture on the main YouTube site and look at the very bottom of the menu for "Restricted Mode." If it’s on, turn it off.
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Another weird quirk? Channel permissions. If you are part of a Brand Account and have "Managers" or "Editors," someone else might be changing these settings. YouTube keeps an audit log of changes in the "Settings" > "Permissions" area, though it won't always show you every single toggle switch movement.
Dealing with the "Hold for Review" Queue
Once you've figured out how do i enable comments on youtube, you actually have to manage them. Enabling them is only half the battle.
If you chose the "Hold for review" option, those comments don't just appear. They sit in a hidden folder. You need to go to Studio > Comments > Held for review. If you don't check this every few days, your fans will think you’re ignoring them or that their comments are being deleted.
I’ve seen creators get discouraged because they think no one is commenting, only to find 500 messages sitting in the review queue. Don't let that be you.
Taking Action to Restore Engagement
Enabling your community to speak is the fastest way to improve your video's "stickiness." When people argue or praise you in the comments, they stay on the page longer. That signal tells YouTube, "Hey, this video is interesting," which leads to more views.
To ensure your comments stay active and healthy:
- Verify your channel settings immediately to ensure you aren't accidentally labeled as a "Kids" channel if you aren't one.
- Update your upload defaults in the Studio settings so you never have to think about this again for future videos.
- Check the "Held for Review" tab at least once a week to rescue legitimate comments that the spam filter might have caught by mistake.
- Pin a comment of your own once you've enabled them. Ask a specific question to get the ball rolling. People are more likely to comment if there is already a conversation happening.
Setting this up takes about three minutes if you know where to look. Now that the technical barriers are out of the way, you can get back to the actual work of making content and talking to the people who watch it.