Can’t Comment on Facebook, or Comments Not Showing? Why and How to Fix It

Meta lets people choose who can comment on each public post. The options are Public, Friends and established followers (followers of more than 24 hours), Friends of friends, Friends, and Profiles and Pages you mention.

1. Look below the post. Meta says if you’re not in the comment audience, you won’t see Comment, and you’ll see that the person has limited who can comment.
2. This isn’t an error and there’s nothing to reset on your side. It’s the poster’s choice.
3. If the person chose Friends and established followers and you only just followed them, you may be able to comment once you’ve followed for more than 24 hours.

Meta says a setting on one post applies to that post only. The same person’s other posts may allow your comments.

Profile pictures and cover photos follow a separate setting. Meta says that by default, only friends (and friends of anyone tagged) can like or comment on public profile information.

1. If you’re not friends with the person, you may not be able to like or comment on their profile photos and videos, cover photos, featured photos or updates about their basic info. That’s the default, not an error.
2. They can widen it themselves; it isn’t something you can change from your side.

Want more people to comment on yours? Meta’s steps: Settings & privacy > Settings > Followers and public content. Set Who Can Follow Me to Public, then under Public Profile Info choose Public, Friends of friends or Friends. Meta says follower settings are changing, and that to let anyone on Facebook like or comment on this information you need to turn on pro mode (external site, opens in a new tab).

Group admins have their own tools for comments, and Meta explains each one.

1. Slowed comments: Meta says admins and moderators can slow comments on a post so each person can comment only once every five minutes. Wait five minutes, then try again.
2. Activity limits: an admin can cap how many comments you make per hour, for a time they choose.
3. Suspension: an admin can temporarily stop you posting, commenting and reacting in the group.
4. Limited membership: in some large private groups you can see and react but can’t comment until an admin approves you to participate.
5. Facebook restriction: Meta says Facebook can also temporarily turn off your ability to post or comment in groups. Check your Support Inbox and Profile status.
6. Using another profile? Meta says only one profile can interact with a single group post. If you posted with one profile, you can’t comment on that post with another.

Each of these is explained in full, with Meta’s steps, in can’t post or comment in a Facebook group and can’t join a Facebook group.

If commenting is blocked on every post, across groups and profiles, Facebook may have restricted your account. Meta restricts features such as posting and commenting as strikes add up.

1. Open Profile status. In the app: your profile > ⋯ > Profile settings > Profile status. On a computer: your profile > Options > Profile Status (where to find it).
2. Look for a limited feature and its end date, and for Content removed.
3. If you think a removal was wrong, request a review from Profile status, where it’s offered.
4. For how long restrictions last, see Facebook jail.

If comments fail to open on every post, but nothing says you’re limited, the problem is usually the app, the browser or the connection. These are general troubleshooting steps.

If you see an error such as “Something went wrong”, follow Facebook “Something went wrong”. If the whole app is down for many people at once, waiting is usually the only fix.

Meta says by default everyone can comment on your public posts, even people who don’t follow you. You can change that for all your public posts, or for one post or reel.

For a single post or reel, Meta lists five audiences: Public, Friends and established followers (friends, and people who’ve followed for more than 24 hours), Friends of friends, Friends, and Profiles and Pages you mention. A choice for one post or reel applies to that one only. On an iPad, in Facebook Lite or in a mobile browser, Meta says to change a single post’s comment audience from a computer. Meta also says changing a reel’s comment audience isn’t available to everyone yet; if you can’t, try the iPhone or Android app.

If a comment you wrote is gone, Facebook may have removed it for going against its Community Standards, or, in a group, it may be waiting for admin approval.

1. Check your notifications and Profile status > Content removed.
2. If Facebook removed it, see Facebook removed your post for what it means and how to request a review.
3. In a group where you’re a limited member, Meta says comments are only published once an admin approves you to participate.