Some people might not realize that WordPress was created as a blogging platform and, if you pay close attention you can still see remnants of the original design – the special “Post” post-type and the comments enabled by default on every site.
Today, not many of the websites are primarily blog oriented and very few actively solicit comments on articles, posts, or products. Comments, especially if not monitored properly, are a source of spam and a potential entry point for malware. If you are not interested in including visitor comments on your website, you should take steps to disable their creation.
Comments on Posts and Pages
In your WordPress Dashboard, under Settings -> Discussion you can uncheck the “Allow people to submit comments” box.
This setting will not disable or remove any existing comments on the site. It will also not change the settings on any of your existing posts and pages. It only applies to content created after the checkbox was saved.
To disable comments on your existing Posts or Pages you have to navigate the Post/Page list in the WordPress Dashboard, click on the “Quick Edit” link and uncheck the “Allow Comments” box.
WooCommerce Product Reviews
Another common feature in WordPress are WooCommerce stores. Here the users might be able to submit product reviews, which are a type of a comment. To disable product reviews navigate to WooCommerce -> Settings -> Products and uncheck the “Enable Product Reviews” box.
Comments on Media Files
This feature is not easily accessible for a casual website visitor but can be exploited by hackers and other spammers. To disable comments on a media file in the Media Library, click on the “Edit more details” link.
Now you should be able to see a “Screen Options” tab on the top of the screen and disable the comments for this specific attachment post.
Deleting existing WordPress comments
If you already have comments on your website, you can delete them using the “Comments” section in your WordPress Dashboard. The bulk “move to trash” feature and emptying the trash will remove all the comments from the database.
Still not not sure how to purge comments from your website? Contact our team and we will be happy to assist you.
Photo by Min An: https://www.pexels.com/photo/sticky-note-lot-1629212/