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Delete & Disable Comments

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Delete & Disable Comments

by Andreas Ostheimer

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Description

Delete & Disable Comments gives WordPress administrators a focused screen for comment cleanup and comment shutdown tasks. Open it under Tools Delete & Disable Comments.

Many older sites collect spam comments, unused discussion threads, or imported comment data that no longer belongs on the site. This plugin keeps those maintenance actions in one place without asking you to edit the database manually.

Why use it?

  • Delete all comments marked as spam after confirmation.
  • Delete all comments after confirmation.
  • Download a CSV backup before deleting all comments.
  • Open CSV backups in spreadsheet applications without executing formula-like comment values.
  • Disable comments site-wide with a single toggle.
  • Close comments and pings on existing posts when disable mode is active.
  • Use a standard WordPress admin screen available only to administrators.

Common use cases

  • Remove accumulated spam comments from a site.
  • Prepare a site that no longer accepts discussion.
  • Clean comments before a redesign, migration, or client handover.
  • Download a CSV copy of comment data before permanent deletion.
  • Close open comment status on existing posts without triggering save_post hooks.

What Disable Comments does

The Disable Comments toggle changes the site’s comment behavior. When enabled, it sets WordPress defaults for new content to closed, prevents new comment and ping submissions, hides front-end comment output, removes comment-related UI, blocks comment REST endpoints, unregisters comment-related blocks, and removes the recent comments widget.

It does not delete existing comments. It also does not run a scheduled cleanup. If existing posts still have open comment or ping status, the admin screen shows a maintenance notice with a Close all comments now button. That button performs one direct SQL update to close those fields and avoids per-post save_post hooks, which is useful for sites using WPML, Yoast SEO, Polylang, or other plugins that listen to post updates.

Translations

The plugin ships with gettext translation files for broad EU language support, including German and additional EU locales. WordPress loads the matching .mo file automatically based on the site language. Text domain: delete-disable-comments.

  1. Upload the plugin folder to /wp-content/plugins/delete-disable-comments, or install the ZIP via Plugins Add New Upload Plugin.
  2. Activate the plugin through the Plugins screen in WordPress.
  3. Open Tools Delete & Disable Comments to delete spam comments, download a CSV backup, delete all comments, or disable comments site-wide.
  1. Main panel with three sections: spam, delete all plus backup, disable toggle

    Main panel with three sections: spam, delete all plus backup, disable toggle

  2. Spam delete confirmation dialog with Yes and No

    Spam delete confirmation dialog with Yes and No

  3. Delete all warning plus backup reminder

    Delete all warning plus backup reminder

  4. Disable toggle ON plus yellow maintenance notice plus Close all comments now button

    Disable toggle ON plus yellow maintenance notice plus Close all comments now button

Can I back up comments before deleting them?

Yes. Use Download Backup before Delete All Comments. The backup is generated on demand and streamed as a protected administrator download.

Can the plugin restore deleted comments from a CSV backup?

No. The CSV backup is for safekeeping or manual import workflows. The plugin does not include a restore tool.

Why can some exported values start with an apostrophe?

Comment fields that look like spreadsheet formulas are prefixed with an apostrophe in the CSV. This keeps untrusted comment text visible while preventing common spreadsheet applications from evaluating it as a formula. Remove that protective prefix only in a trusted import workflow.

Does disabling comments delete existing comments?

No. The disable toggle prevents and hides comment functionality, but existing comment records stay in the database until you explicitly delete them.

What does “Close all comments now” do?

When disable mode is active, some existing posts may still have comment_status or ping_status set to open. The button closes those fields in one SQL update.

Is the close action safe with WPML, Yoast SEO, or Polylang?

The close action does not call wp_update_post() for every post and does not trigger save_post hooks. That keeps it suitable for sites using WPML, Yoast SEO, Polylang, and other plugins that react to post saves.

Who can use the plugin screen?

Only users with the manage_options capability, usually administrators. AJAX actions are protected with WordPress nonces and capability checks.

Does it support WordPress multisite?

No. This plugin is designed for single-site WordPress installations.

Does it run scheduled cleanup jobs?

No. Cleanup actions run only when an administrator clicks the relevant button.

Where are CSV backup files stored?

Backups are streamed through a protected administrator download. The plugin no longer leaves CSV files in the public uploads directory.

1.0.7

  • Export and delete comments with every status, including spam, trash, and custom statuses.
  • Verify complete deletion and report the number of comments actually removed.
  • Preserve the site-wide disable setting across plugin deactivation and reactivation.
  • Neutralize formula-like values in CSV backups before they reach spreadsheet applications.
  • Verify compatibility with WordPress 7.1 and add Plugin Check to continuous integration.

1.0.6

  • Changed CSV backups to stream through an authenticated administrator download instead of writing public files under wp-content/uploads/.
  • Removed stale backup object caching so downloads reflect the current comments table.

1.0.5

  • Added complete EU locale translation files and compiled .mo files for the admin UI.
  • Kept complete German translations (de_AT, de_DE) for admin UI, AJAX messages, and maintenance notices.
  • Updated the translation template (.pot) and fixed the hardcoded “Error loading status” JavaScript message.

1.0.4

  • Plugin Check compliance: Tested up to 7.0, sanitized toggle AJAX input, documented intentional bulk SQL queries.
  • Version bump for WordPress.org submission readiness.

1.0.3

  • Fixed the disable-comments toggle so it no longer runs a synchronous bulk update on wp_posts during AJAX.
  • Bulk-closing existing posts is now performed only through Close all comments now or on plugin activation when disable mode is already enabled.
  • Hardened toggle AJAX input handling and admin JavaScript error recovery.
  • Removed Cypress E2E tests from the repository; PHP smoke tests remain under tests/php/.

1.0.2

  • Fixed ddwpc_init() so it no longer iterates over every post on every page request.
  • Bulk close-comments now runs only when the administrator clicks Close all comments now.
  • Bulk close operation uses a single $wpdb update without triggering save_post, transition_post_status, or wp_after_insert_post.
  • Settings screen shows the count of posts with open comments or pings and provides a one-click close button.
  • Added helpers: ddwpc_is_disable_comments_enabled(), ddwpc_apply_disable_comments_defaults(), ddwpc_close_all_post_comments_in_db(), and ddwpc_count_posts_with_open_comments().

1.0.1

  • Renamed plugin prefixes from ddc_ to ddwpc_ across PHP and JavaScript.
  • Removed the manual load_plugin_textdomain() call because WordPress 4.6+ auto-loads plugin translations.
  • Removed direct core file loads.
  • Moved CSV backups under wp-content/uploads/delete-disable-comments/.

1.0.0

  • Initial release with spam deletion, delete-all with backup, and site-wide comment disable.
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