Guide to Modify Comment Accessibility on YouTube

How to Turn on or off Comments on YouTube

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

YouTube comments are enabled by default, and if they aren’t, learning how to turn on comments on YouTube is extremely simple. One of the major benefits of having the comments enabled on your YouTube videos is that you get genuine feedback from your audiences.

As a brand, it is imperative to thoroughly read all the comments that your YouTube videos receive. This not only helps you do sentimental analysis; it also enables you to understand what the viewers expect from you, and where should you focus more while recording and editing your footage.

Keeping all these points in mind, the following sections explain how to enable comments on YouTube and how to turn off comments on YouTube. Here you will also get to know what other types of security and privacy options are there that you can use to filter the comments posted by the disturbing elements.

Part 1: How to Turn on or Turn off Comments for YouTube Channel

If you don’t want any comments on any of the videos that you publish, you must learn how to disable comments on the YouTube channel. The process of doing so is explained below:

Step 1: Get to YouTube Studio

Use your favorite web browser to go to YouTube and sign in to your Google account. Click your profile picture from the top-right corner of the webpage, and click YouTube Studio from the menu that appears.

Step 2: Go to Channel’s Advanced Settings

From the bottom of the left pane, click the Settings icon, click Channel from the Settings box that comes up next, and go to Advanced settings from the right window.

Step 3: Turn Off Comments

From the Audience section in the right pane itself, click to select the Yes, set this channel as made for kids. I always upload content that’s made for kids radio button. Click SAVE from the bottom-right corner to save the changes in order to turn off comments on all the videos on your YouTube channel.

To turn on comments on all the videos on your YouTube channel, you can follow the instructions given below:

1. Set Channel Videos as Not Made for Kids

Use the method explained above to get to the channel’s Advanced settings box. Select the No, set this channel as not made for kids. I never upload content that’s made for kids radio button. Click SAVE to save the changes.

2. Define Acceptable Comment Types

Click the Settings icon from the bottom of the left pane one more time. On the Settings box, go to the Upload defaults category from the left pane, and go to Advanced settings from the right. From the Comment visibility drop-down list under the Comments section in the right, choose your preferred comment allowance type, and click SAVE to allow the comments on the videos the channel has.

3. Set Comment Allowance for Videos

Back on the YouTube Studio page, click Content from the left pane. From the right section, check the Video box at the top of the list to select all the videos the channel has. Click Edit from the column header, and click Comments from the menu that comes up. From the New value drop-down list, choose your preferred allowance option for the comments, click UPDATE VIDEOS from the upper-right area, check the I understand the implications of this action box, and click UPDATE VIDEOS to allow comments on all the videos of the channel.

Additional Info about Comments Options

The four options that become available when you allow the comments on your YouTube channel along with their meaning are:

• Allow all comments

When you choose this option, YouTube allows everyone to post any kind of comment, irrespective of how inappropriate or unacceptable the text is.

• Hold potentially inappropriate comments for review

This option allows all the comments from all the users only if YouTube assumes that the text is safe, and doesn’t contain any inappropriate words. In case YouTube detects some objectionable content such as spam or slang, the comment is not published, until you review the text, and approve it manually.

• Hold all comments for review

Selecting this option holds all the comments from all the users, and waits for you to review and allow or disallow each of them manually.

• Disable comments

When this option is selected, no one can post a comment to the video(s) whatsoever.

Part 2: Turn on or Turn off Comments for Specific Videos

As you might have noticed, any video that is marked as ‘Made for kids’ doesn’t allow users to post comments. You can exploit this feature to enable or disable commenting on specific YouTube videos as well.

To learn how to turn on comments on YouTube for a specific video, you can follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Go to the Content Page

Use the method explained earlier to go to YouTube Studio, and click Content from the navigation bar in the left.

Step 2: Go to the Target Video’s Details Page

Hover the mouse over the target video in the right window, and click the Details icon.

Step 3: Turn on Comments

From under the Audience section in the right window of the Video details page, select the No, it’s not made for kids radio button. Next, click SHOW MORE, scroll down to the Comments and ratings section, and choose your preferred privacy option from the Comment visibility drop-down list. Click SAVE from the upper-right area to save the changes.

Note: To learn how to disable comments on YouTube for specific video, you can repeat the above steps, and choose the Yes, it’s made for kids radio button from the Audience section when you are on the Video details page.

FAQs About YouTube Comments

1. Why can’t I comment on the YouTube video?

There could be several reasons for this. For instance, the video or the entire channel is configured as ‘Made for kids’ by the owner, comments are disabled for the video or the channel by the owner, you are using some inappropriate words in the comment that have been temporarily blocked by YouTube, and the text requires to be reviewed and approved by the owner before it becomes visible, etc.

2. I want people to comment on my Private video. What should I do?

At the time of this writing, YouTube doesn’t allow anyone to post a comment on any video that has been set as ‘Private’. If your video is configured that way, you must change its nature to ‘Unlisted’, and share its link to the users before they can post a comment.

3. How can I block certain words and links on the YouTube comments?

You can go to YouTube Studio > Settings > Community, and on the Automated Filters tab in the right window, add the words to block in the Blocked words field. You can add multiple words by separating them with commas. To block the comments with links, check the Block links box. Click SAVE to save the changes.

4. If I turn comments off and back on again, will the old comments come back?

Yes. When you turn off the comments, the existing comments disappear. When you turn them back on, all the previous comments reappear, and become visible to the audience.

5. If I change my comment settings, will the existing comments be impacted?

That depends on the nature of the comments. For instance, if you modify the settings, the changes are reflected on the comments posted on the new videos, and the new comments on your channel homepage. However, there will be no impact on the existing comments on the existing videos, new comments on the existing videos, and the existing comments on your channel’s homepage.

Conclusion

It is easy to understand how to turn on comments on YouTube. The best thing is, the comments are enabled by default, and if you don’t need them, you can simply disable them by configuring the videos or the entire channel as ‘Made for kids’. If the comments on any video were enabled previously, and are disabled later on, the existing comments automatically disappear. They reappear when the comments on the video are reenabled.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Shot Selection Mastery: Making Every Frame Count on YouTube

10 Tips For Shooting Profesional YouTube Videos

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

We have mentioned before about the equipment you should have to start your YouTube video shooting , however, being methodical in your approach to the video making process and knowing exactly what and where you are going to stage and record will increase the quality of the content. Focus on the technical aspects of your YouTube video before you actually start shooting and strive to be well prepared for all the challenges a day on the set may bring.

These and other useful tips may help you make better videos for your YouTube channel, so let’s explore different ways of improving your video making skills.

10 Tips for Shooting Better YouTube Videos

All videographers agree that you shouldn’t come to the set unprepared. Everything has to be in its place, no matter how insignificant it may seem, because a tiny detail can completely ruin the shot or even an entire day of work. These tips are going to help you avoid common mistakes, inexperienced video producers often make.

1. Write the Script

Everything starts with a script, at least in the cinematography world. You don’t have to write long, detailed descriptions of all scenes, just make a short note of every scene, what is being said in the shot, on-screen actions, camera positions, and so on. By doing this, you’ll save yourself a lot of valuable time, you can then dedicate to other burning issues on the set. Besides, knowing what you are going to say throughout the video so you don’t have to improvise all the time is going to help you feel more relaxed in front of a camera.

2. Build the Set (Lighting included)

Don’t leave anything to chance. You should control everything that is going to be in the shot, so avoid working at locations you can’t at least partially control. Shooting in studio-like conditions will enable you to carefully select the scenography and to design light so it matches the scene perfectly. The actors must always be clearly visible to the audience, which is why you need to pay attention to where they are located in the shot and how much light you have in that part of the shot.

3. Keep Your Batteries Charged

There is nothing more frustrating than arriving at the set anxious to start shooting just to find out that the batteries are empty. Charge the batteries at the end of each day on the set, because the chances are that you are going to need them early in the morning. Always have several spare batteries with you, so even if one battery is empty you have the replacement ready. You can also prolong the battery life by switching the camera off when you are not recording.

4. Do a Microphone Check

Capturing audio with an external microphone drastically increases the quality of the sound in your videos. That’s why making absolutely sure that all cables are connected and that the microphone is perfectly placed is paramount if you want to get the sound right. The host or the hosts of the video must be at the right distance from the microphone, usually, the length of their fist with the thumb and pinky finger extended, but this can vary a few inches to either side.

Check out the best microphone for YouTuber in 2018

5. Pay Attention to The Shot Composition

The rule of thirds is a common composition principle used by videographers to create balanced and unified images. The rule suggests that the subjects in a shot should be placed at the intersections of the lines that divide the screen. Most digital cameras have a grid that makes using the rule of thirds quite simple because you can easily see when the subjects in the shot are not positioned correctly.

This is just one of many shot composition techniques you have at your disposal, and as you gain more experience you’ll learn how to combine them and get aesthetically pleasing results.

6. Always Record Videos in Landscape Mode

Posting vertically oriented videos to your YouTube channel will make you look unprofessional because portrait mode is never used for capturing videos. YouTubers who record their videos with Smartphones are more likely to fall into this trap, but all you need to do to avoid this is remember to hold the device horizontally.

By switching to portrait mode, you’ll be cropping the frame in a way, so you might unknowingly end up removing parts of the shot you wanted to record.

In case that you want to convert your portrait video to landscape, do not miss this article about How to Convert A Portrait Video to Landscape.

7. Eliminate The Background Noises

Professional microphones can pick up even the softest sounds, that might prove difficult to remove in the post-production. You can reduce the noise levels in your videos by using shotgun microphones that only capture sounds that come directly into the microphone, or by using the omnidirectional mic to eliminate the wind if you’re shooting on an outdoor location.

Background noises can be particularly unpleasant when recording narration, because the viewers of the video may not want to watch it until the end if they can’t hear what the person in the video is saying.

If it is hard for you to record your YouTube video in quite environment, you can remove the background noise by using some video editing software. For YouTubers, we recommend you to try Wondershare Filmora to de-noise. Check the video below about how to remove background noise with one click.

8. Keep The Shot in Focus

You can always keep the shot in focus by simply enabling the autofocus feature, but if you do so you won’t be able to control where the focus is going to be. Pulling focus manually is an art that takes years to master, and you have to keep practicing it as much as you can in order to become good at it.

The best way to deal with out of focus shots is to avoid shooting scenes that include a lot of action because you won’t have to pull focus that often.

9. Put The Camera on a Tripod

The footage you produce should be smooth and free of camera shakes. All video cameras pick up vibrations easily, so even the slightest movement or impact can ruin a shot. Putting the camera on a tripod is one of the best ways to stabilize the shot and avoid camera shaking.

In addition, a tripod enables you to maintain image stability even when shooting form lower or upper angles, something that cannot be achieved by simply holding the camera.

We have chosen some of the best tripods that you can use for starting a YouTube vlogging Video shooting . If you are using a 4K camera, here are some tripods that you can use for your 4K Cameras .

10. Find The Best Angle

Every scene has its perfect angle, you just have to find it. This job is much easier if you have already built the set and adjusted the lighting before approaching the shot selection process because it will allow you to know exactly where the camera should be.

The camera position depends on a number of factors, including the video’s aesthetics or the action that takes place in the shot, and you have to go through this process for each shot in your video.

Read More to Get : How to Download YouTube Videos without Any Software Easily >>

Conclusion

Hopefully, the tips we provided in this article are going to help you create better YouTube videos. There are hundreds of tricks you’ll have to learn as your skills become more polished, but sometimes just paying attention to the basic rules of videography is more than enough to create a stunning video.

Leave a comment and let us know which tips helped you the most or tell us which useful tips we failed to mention in this article.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett