How to Limit Comments on a TikTok Video

TikTok is all about community and engagement, but sometimes the comment section can feel like the wild west. Whether you're dealing with spam, negativity, or simply want to guide the conversation, knowing how to control your comments is a must. This guide will walk you through every option TikTok offers for managing your comments, from setting permissions before you post to filtering out specific keywords on your existing videos.

Why You’d Want to Limit Your TikTok Comments

Complete control over your comment section gives you the power to shape the community around your content. It’s not about silencing people, it’s about creating a safe and productive space for yourself and your audience. You aren't "being sensitive" - you're being a smart creator.

Here are a few common reasons creators choose to limit comments:

• To Curb Negativity and Trolls: The internet can be harsh. Limiting who can comment can be a powerful tool to protect your mental health and keep the vibe of your comment section positive. It prevents your space from becoming a free-for-all for anonymous trolls.
• To Prevent Spam: As your account grows, it can become a target for spambots posting irrelevant links or self-promotional messages. Restricting comments to followers or friends is a quick way to shut this down.
• To Manage Overwhelming Feedback: A viral video can generate thousands of comments, making it impossible to read and respond to them all. Turning comments off temporarily can give you a breather, or you can limit them to funnel the conversation in a more manageable way.
• For Sensitive or Controversial Topics: If you’re posting about a topic you know is polarizing, managing the comment section from the start is a good strategy to prevent the conversation from turning into a digital battlefield.

How to Limit Comments on a NEW TikTok Video (Before Posting)

The easiest way to manage your comments is to set your preferences before your video even goes live. This puts the guardrails in place from the very first minute. It’s a simple toggle on the "Post" screen that many people miss.

Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. Create Your Video: Go through your usual process of recording and editing your TikTok video from within the app. Add your sounds, effects, and text as you normally would.
2. Navigate to the Post Screen: After you finish editing, tap the "Next" button. This takes you to the final screen where you write your caption, add hashtags, and tag people.
3. Find "More Options": Look below the caption box. You'll see a line that says "More options." Tap on this to expand a menu of additional settings.
4. Toggle "Allow Comments": In the "More options" menu, you will see a toggle switch for "Allow Comments." By default, this is usually turned on (green). To turn off comments entirely, just tap the switch to turn it grey.
5. Post Your Video: Once you've made your selection, go back to the Post screen and hit "Post." Your video will go live with comments completely disabled.

This works great if you want a complete "no comments" policy on a specific video. But what if you don’t want to turn comments off entirely?

How to Limit Comments for a Specific TikTok Video (After Posting)

Sometimes you don't realize you need to manage your comments until after a video has been live for a while. A video might unexpectedly pick up steam, or a conversation in the comments section might take a turn. Don't worry, you can easily change the settings on an individual video at any time.

Follow these steps to adjust permissions on an already-published TikTok:

1. Go to your Profile and find the video: Open the TikTok app and tap on your "Profile" icon in the bottom-right corner. Scroll through your grid to find the video you want to edit.
2. Open the video options: Tap on the video to open it. On the right side of the screen, tap the three-dot icon (...) to open up a menu of options.
3. Open "Privacy settings": On the bottom row of icons (where you see "Save video," "Pin," etc.), swipe to the left until you see "Privacy settings." It has a little lock icon. Tap it.
4. Control your comments: In the Privacy settings for that video, you'll see a section called "Comments." You can tap the toggle next to "Allow comments" to turn them on or off completely.

This is where you can get more specific with your control, which is often a better approach than just turning comments off completely. You get to decide exactly who is allowed to participate in the conversation.

Setting Your Default Comment Preferences for All Videos

Don't want to adjust the settings every single time you post? TikTok lets you set your account-wide default for who can comment on your videos. This is a huge time-saver if you have a consistent moderation strategy.

Here’s how to set your global comment preferences:

1. Access Your Account's Privacy Settings

Open your TikTok app and head to your profile page. Tap the three horizontal lines (the "hamburger" menu) in the top-right corner. From the pop-up menu at the bottom, select "Settings and privacy." Then, tap on "Privacy."

2. Go to the "Comments" Menu

Within the "Privacy" menu, scroll down to the "Safety" section and tap on "Comments." This will take you to the control panel for all comment-related settings across your entire account.

3. Choose Who Can Comment On Your Videos

In this menu, you’ll see the "Comments" option at the top. Tapping it gives you different levels of control:

• Everyone: This is the default setting for most public accounts. Anyone on TikTok, whether they follow you or not, can leave a comment. This setting offers maximum engagement but also opens you up to the most spam and negativity.
• Followers that you follow back (Friends): This is the most restrictive option. Only people you follow who also follow you back (mutual followers) can comment. This is a great choice for a creator who wants to keep their comment section reserved for a smaller, trusted circle.
• Followers: A solid middle-ground option. Anyone who follows your account can comment. This helps filter out random spammers and fly-by trolls, as they usually don't bother to follow an account before leaving comments. It encourages people who are invested enough in your content to hit the "follow" button.
• No one: This turns off comments on all your new videos by default. You can still enable them on a post-by-post basis if you choose, but this sets the default to "off."

Advanced Comment Management: Filters and Moderation

Limiting who can comment is just one piece of the puzzle. TikTok also gives you powerful tools to filter what they can say. These features work automatically in the background, making your job as a community manager much easier.

You can find all of these options in the same place: Profile > Hamburger Menu > Settings and privacy > Privacy > Comments.

Filter Spam and Offensive Comments

This is an absolute must-have setting for every creator. When enabled, TikTok uses its own algorithm to automatically detect and hide common spammy and offensive comments (like hate speech or advertising). Hidden comments don't show up to anyone but the original poster. You can toggle this on and let it work for you.

Filter Keywords

This is where you get very specific. The "Filter keywords" toggle allows you to create your own custom list of forbidden words and phrases. If a comment contains any term from your list, TikTok will automatically hide it pending your review. This is incredibly useful for:

• Filtering out competitors' names.
• Blocking common insults or sensitive terms.
• Hiding off-topic discussions you don't want on your page.
• Preventing spoilers for movies or TV shows.

To use it, just switch the toggle on, tap "Add keywords," and enter the words or phrases you want to block. This is your personal moderation bot that works 24/7.

Filter All Comments

If you want the ultimate level of control, turn on the "Filter All Comments" setting. With this enabled, no comment will appear publicly on your video until you have manually approved it. Comments sit in a private, pending queue for you to review.

This setting is perfect for:

• Brands running contests or promotions needing to monitor entries closely.
• Creators discussing highly sensitive mental health or personal topics.
• Anyone who wants to ensure their comment section remains 100% on-topic and positive.

Be aware that this can be time-consuming for videos that get a lot of feedback, as you'll have to approve every single one. But for peace of mind, it’s unbeatable.

Final Thoughts

Managing the comment section on TikTok is a core skill for any creator looking to build a sustainable and positive community. By using the app’s built-in tools, you can control who comments, filter out unwanted negativity, and ultimately create a space that feels safe and supportive for both you and your real audience.

And when you're managing comments across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and more, the back-and-forth between apps can be draining. We built Postbase with a unified inbox that brings all your conversations - comments and DMs from every platform - into one single stream. This helps our users reply faster, miss fewer important messages, and turn community management from a chore into a simple, organized task.