Decide whether to close one old article, a reviewed group of posts or future posts by default. A general discussion setting can govern new content or age-based closure, while existing posts may retain their own settings.

If the reason is abuse, keep relevant evidence and review the wider anti-spam setup. Closing one form may not address another public form or API route receiving the same unwanted traffic.

1. Open the intended post and find its Discussion settings, or use the supported Quick Edit controls in the post list.
2. Disable the option allowing comments and save the change.
3. For several posts, use a carefully reviewed bulk-edit selection rather than assuming the current checkbox selects the entire archive.
4. Open the public post while signed out and confirm that new comment submission is unavailable.

Existing approved comments can remain visible after new comments are closed. Decide separately whether those comments should be retained, moderated or removed. A theme may show a Comments are closed message, while another simply omits the form.

If the site uses a third-party discussion service, its own controls may determine whether visitors can continue posting. Review that integration rather than relying only on the WordPress checkbox.

Create a temporary draft if you changed defaults and inspect its initial discussion setting. Do not publish the test unless needed. Check age-based closure rules against the publication date when comments seem to close unexpectedly.

If the form remains after the setting is saved, clear the relevant page cache and inspect the template or discussion plugin. If the form disappears but submissions still arrive, collect the affected post and submission route for investigation.

When reopening comments, restore the intended setting and test the moderation path as well. Reopening should not accidentally bypass an approval policy established while the discussion was closed.

• Moderating comments before publication
• Preventing comment form abuse without blocking all visitors
• Customising the single-post template
• Distinguishing spam comments from genuine customer feedback

• WordPress: Settings Discussion Screen
• WordPress: Posts Screen
• WordPress: Comments In WordPress