How to Completely Disable Comments in WordPress with PHP

If you want to disable comments in WordPress entirely, whether for security reasons, performance, or to keep your site cleaner, the following PHP snippet provides a complete solution. This code removes all traces of comments from both the WordPress admin panel and the front-end.

<?php

add_action('admin_init', function () {
    // Redirect users trying to access comment-related pages
    global $current_page;
    
    if ($current_page === 'edit-comments.php' || $current_page === 'options-discussion.php') {
        wp_redirect(admin_url());
        exit;
    }

    // Remove comment widget from the dashboard
    remove_meta_box('dashboard_recent_comments', 'dashboard', 'normal');

    // Disable comment and trackback support for all post types
    foreach (get_post_types() as $content_type) {
        if (post_type_supports($content_type, 'comments')) {
            remove_post_type_support($content_type, 'comments');
            remove_post_type_support($content_type, 'trackbacks');
        }
    }
});

// Prevent comments from being opened on the front-end
add_filter('comments_open', '__return_false', 20, 2);
add_filter('pings_open', '__return_false', 20, 2);

// Hide existing comments from displaying
add_filter('comments_array', '__return_empty_array', 10, 2);

// Remove comment menu and discussion settings from the admin panel
add_action('admin_menu', function () {
    remove_menu_page('edit-comments.php');
    remove_submenu_page('options-general.php', 'options-discussion.php');
});

// Eliminate comment section from the admin toolbar
add_action('init', function () {
    if (is_admin_bar_showing()) {
        remove_action('admin_bar_menu', 'wp_admin_bar_comments_menu', 60);
    }
});

// Remove comments icon from the WordPress admin bar
function remove_admin_bar_comment_icon() {
    global $wp_admin_bar;
    $wp_admin_bar->remove_menu('comments');
}
add_action('wp_before_admin_bar_render', 'remove_admin_bar_comment_icon');

What Does This Code Do?

  1. Redirects Users from Comment Pages
    • If an admin tries to access the comments management page (edit-comments.php) or discussion settings page (options-discussion.php), they are redirected to the dashboard.
  2. Removes Comments Metabox from the Dashboard
    • The “Recent Comments” widget is removed from the WordPress dashboard.
  3. Disables Comments and Trackbacks
    • Removes support for comments and trackbacks on all post types.
  4. Closes Comments on Front-End
    • The comments_open and pings_open filters are set to false, preventing new comments from being added.
  5. Hides Existing Comments
    • The comments_array filter is set to return an empty array, effectively hiding all previously posted comments.
  6. Removes Comments Menu Items
    • The “Comments” menu in the admin panel is removed.
    • The discussion settings submenu under “Settings” is removed.
  7. Removes Comment Links from the Admin Bar
    • The comment bubble icon in the top admin bar is removed.

How to Use It

Simply add this code to your theme’s functions.php file or include it in a custom plugin to disable comments completely on your WordPress site.

By implementing this code, your WordPress site will function as if the comments feature never existed, providing a cleaner and distraction-free experience for both admins and users.