The Real Reason Your Squarespace Comments Aren’t Showing (And How to Fix It Fast)

Unlocking the mystery behind missing comments can breathe life into your blog. Let’s troubleshoot the settings and engage your readers.

What to do if your Squarespace comments aren’t displaying

What to do if your Squarespace comments aren’t displaying

Why This Matters

Picture this: you’ve spent hours crafting a killer blog post, you’ve lined up your supporting images, finally hit publish, and then… crickets. No comments. Not even the obligatory “Great post!” from your most reliable mate. At first, you wonder if everyone’s simply too captivated for words. Eventually, you realise something’s off: your readers are sending you confused emails (“Where’s the comment box gone?”), but there’s not a squawk beneath your masterpiece.

Why does this matter? Comments breathe life into your blog. Without them, your site feels less like a friendly neighbourhood café and more like a dusty museum exhibit. Comments help reassure readers they’re not alone, make debates lively, tell Google your content isn’t being ignored, and, crucially, spark those rare gems of community wisdom you never expected. When comments aren’t showing, you lose engagement, your SEO can take a hit, your bounce rate gets worse, and your credibility can start to wither.

Worst of all, half the time the solution is a quick two-minute bit of admin hidden somewhere in the Squarespace dashboard. You can save hours of desperate clicking by following the steps below and getting your comment section working again quickly.

Common Pitfalls

If we had a fiver for every time someone changed a setting, previewed their post, and expected comments to reappear instantly, we’d have a Pixelhaze-branded yacht by now.

Here’s what most people stumble over:

  • Assuming comments are enabled site-wide: You might flick the switch on one post, but forgot there’s a separate global setting. Just like making tea without boiling the kettle.
  • Overzealous permissions: Sometimes, you’re so protective of your community that you lock everyone out, including yourself.
  • Not saving changes properly: Sounds daft, but after you tinker, always hit that save button. Otherwise, nothing sticks.
  • Relying on cached pages: Your browser loves to serve you old versions, especially if you’re trying to check changes. It’s the digital equivalent of your mum still calling you by your sibling’s name.
  • Confusing display settings: There’s a difference between “pending”, “approved”, and “everyone can see”. Get this wrong and your readers’ pearls of wisdom are hidden in the admin underbelly.

These slip-ups can make your site look broken and leave readers feeling unwelcome.

Step-by-Step Fix

Ready? Put the kettle on, roll up your sleeves, and follow these proper, grown-up instructions. We’ll even sprinkle in some tried-and-tested Pixelhaze wisdom after each step.

Step 1: Check the Global Comments Setting

Squarespace likes to keep certain levers hidden deep in the dashboard. If you skip this bit, nothing else works, no matter how many hoops you jump through.

  1. Log in to your Squarespace site.
  2. From the main dashboard, click 'Settings'.
  3. Scroll down and select 'Blogging' (they like to keep it vague, don’t they?).
  4. Choose 'Comments Settings'.
  5. Double-check that ‘Enable Comments Globally’ is on. If it’s off, flick it on and save.

Pixelhaze Tip:
It’s always the simple things. We’ve had clients convinced their site needed a fresh theme when the real culprit was this one unticked box. Always, always start here before blaming the universe.
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Step 2: Update Post-Specific Comment Settings

Even with global comments enabled, each blog post (or product, or portfolio page) has its own setting. Think of it like locking all your doors, then forgetting to unlock the front one.

  1. Open the blog section of your site.
  2. Find a recent post (or the one suffering from silence).
  3. Click 'Edit'.
  4. In the settings sidebar, look for 'Comments'. Make sure it says ‘Enabled’.
  5. If it’s disabled, switch it on and hit save.

Pixelhaze Tip:
Batch-action fans: You can turn comments on for multiple posts at once. Head to your blog page, select multiple posts, and ‘edit’ in bulk to save time.
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Step 3: Adjust Permissions so Real People Can Comment

By default, Squarespace tries to protect you from spam (cheers, Squarespace). But sometimes it goes too far, shutting out everyone except yourself and an imaginary friend.

  1. In ‘Comment Settings’, look for the permissions options.
  2. Set who can comment. Choices usually include ‘Anyone’, ‘Site Members’, or ‘No One’. Avoid ‘No One’; it tends to backfire.
  3. Pick the most open option you’re comfortable with. We usually recommend ‘Anyone’, but if your ego can’t handle trollish behaviour, try ‘Site Members’.
  4. Save your changes.

Pixelhaze Tip:
Worried about spam? Enable auto-approval for known users but set first time commenters to need approval. You get quieter nights, less spam, and more genuine chat.
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Step 4: Tweak How Comments Are Displayed

Nobody likes talking into the void. If comments need reviewing before going live, you could be the bottleneck without realising.

  1. Still in the ‘Comments Settings’ section, look for moderation options.
  2. Choose whether comments appear instantly or only after your say-so.
  3. For growing communities or solo bloggers, instant publish can spark lively conversations. For sensitive topics, moderation’s your friend.

Pixelhaze Tip:
You can get an email every time someone comments. No more missing out on reader gold. Check your site notifications and make sure they’re coming to an inbox you check more than once a century.
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Step 5: Clear Cache, Cookies and Preview As a Visitor

After all that tweaking, your browser may still show you the pre-fix version of your page. Very on brand for most browsers, that.

  1. Close all editor tabs.
  2. Clear your browser’s cache and cookies. (Google this with your browser of choice if you’re not sure how. No shame, honest.)
  3. Open your site in an ‘incognito’ or ‘private browsing’ window. Navigate to your blog post.
  4. Check if comments are there, and try leaving one yourself.

Pixelhaze Tip:
Have a trusted friend or fellow staff member try to comment as well. You might think everything’s perfect, but feedback from someone outside your bubble is priceless (and likely more honest).
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Step 6: Check for Third-Party Code Conflicts

Have you installed any fancy plugins or custom code recently? Sometimes that adorable emoji picker you found can mess with basic features like comments.

  1. Remove (temporarily) any recent custom code, especially if it relates to blog posts, popups or forms.
  2. Test again. If comments suddenly reappear, it’s time to use a different plugin, or contact its creator for a fix.

Pixelhaze Tip:
Keep a note of any changes you make. Our team keeps a digital diary for every client site. Nothing fancy: just a good old doc with dates, details, and the odd “tried this, didn’t work”.
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What Most People Miss

The obvious settings are only half the story. Many seasoned Squarespace users forget to test the comment system as if they’re a total stranger.

It’s easy to sign in as an admin, press a bunch of buttons, and assume it’s sorted. But your visitors aren’t administrators. They’re clicking around with none of your magical powers. Log out. Use a different device, or better, ask your least techy mate to give it a try.

Also, always check mobile. Blog comment issues often appear only on smaller screens, and you could be missing out on input from half your readers.

Remember as well, Squarespace sometimes runs platform-wide updates that can reset or alter comment behaviour. If you find things have changed overnight, check their official status page or user forums. Identifying a bug early is always helpful.

Jargon Buster

We keep things plain at Pixelhaze, but here’s a quick cheat sheet in case Squarespace’s naming leaves you befuddled:

  • Comments Settings: The control panel for toggling, moderating, and customising how comments appear across your site.
  • Permissions: Who’s allowed to post (anyone, site members, or just you). If you choose the wrong setting, you’re blogging in an echo chamber.
  • Cache and Cookies: Browser technology that saves old versions of a page for quick loading. Great for speed, but useless for seeing updates.
  • Moderation Setting: Lets you approve comments before they’re visible. Acts as an automatic spam shield, but can hold back conversation if you forget to check.
  • Incognito/Private Browsing: A clever trick to pretend you’re a fresh visitor, unburdened by the ghosts of sessions past.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why aren’t my comments displaying after I enabled them?
A: Check both the global and post-specific settings, and review your permissions. Most issues come from a missed setting.

Q: Can I turn comments on for every post at once?
A: Sort of. You can batch-edit comments for multiple posts (“select all” in your blog’s back-end, hit “edit”), but for very old posts you may need to do a bit of manual work.

Q: How do I reduce spam without scaring off real people?
A: Use moderation for first-time commenters, and allow subsequent posts automatically. You don’t need to overdo the restrictions.

Q: Why do comments appear on desktop but not on mobile?
A: This is usually a responsive design bug, often caused by mismatched display settings or a troublesome third-party plugin. Test on several devices to spot these issues.

Q: My readers say they can’t see the “leave a comment” box. What gives?
A: This usually comes down to permissions or a template issue. Double-check you haven’t set comments to ‘off’ for that page or hidden the section with custom CSS.

Q: Is it possible to get email alerts for every comment?
A: Yes! Just adjust your notification preferences in Comments Settings and make sure the emails land in an inbox you actually check.

The Bigger Picture

Getting your comments up and running means creating a space where people can join in, build trust, and keep coming back. A working comments system becomes a feedback channel, a customer support line, and a marketing asset, all without further work once it’s set up.

Over time, an active comment section helps boost your site’s authority. Genuine interaction shows clients, employers, and Google’s algorithms that your site is active and trustworthy. The strongest online communities are built on real back-and-forth. When you encourage this, your blog shifts from being just a stack of articles to becoming a genuine conversation.

If you run into trouble, knowing how to troubleshoot these basics frees up your time and energy for actually enjoying your own blog.

Wrap-Up

To sum up: comments matter. When yours aren’t showing, you miss out on insight, engagement, and the sense of community that makes your hard work worthwhile. Go through the steps: check global and post settings, fix permissions, moderate sensibly, clear your cache, and always test as your readers would. Keep a record of changes for next time, and you’ll solve these issues more quickly in the future.

Want more practical systems like this? Join Pixelhaze Academy for free at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership.

If you’ve still got questions, pop into the community forum, or give us a shout. Our team has probably seen your scenario before.

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