Wordpress Disable Comments (add to function.php)

function.php

<?php

add_action('admin_init', function () {
    // Redirect any user trying to access comments page
    global $pagenow;
    
    if ($pagenow === 'edit-comments.php') {
        wp_redirect(admin_url());
        exit;
    }

    // Remove comments metabox from dashboard
    remove_meta_box('dashboard_recent_comments', 'dashboard', 'normal');

    // Disable support for comments and trackbacks in post types
    foreach (get_post_types() as $post_type) {
        if (post_type_supports($post_type, 'comments')) {
            remove_post_type_support($post_type, 'comments');
            remove_post_type_support($post_type, 'trackbacks');
        }
    }
});

// Close comments on the front-end
add_filter('comments_open', '__return_false', 20, 2);
add_filter('pings_open', '__return_false', 20, 2);

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

// Remove comments page in menu
add_action('admin_menu', function () {
    remove_menu_page('edit-comments.php');
});

// Remove comments links from admin bar
add_action('init', function () {
    if (is_admin_bar_showing()) {
        remove_action('admin_bar_menu', 'wp_admin_bar_comments_menu', 60);
    }
});

Thanks, @mattclements and, @danielpost too.

Can anyone tell me why the following line is not removed or hide existing comments?

// Hide existing comments
function df_disable_comments_hide_existing_comments($comments) {
$comments = array();
return $comments;
}
add_filter('comments_array', 'df_disable_comments_hide_existing_comments', 10, 2);

Your code has a flaw! It does not remove existing comment count in admin bar.

function df_disable_comments_admin_menu() {
remove_menu_page('edit-comments.php');
}
add_action('init', 'df_disable_comments_admin_menu');

This code is not working and is broken. init should be admin-init.

See working code...

function df_disable_comments_admin_bar() {
if (is_admin_bar_showing()) {
remove_action('admin_bar_menu', 'wp_admin_bar_comments_menu', 60);
}
}
add_action('admin_init', 'df_disable_comments_admin_bar');

Thanks @danielpost!

I have updated the very old version that I had to yours, much cleaner and I think it covers all the other flaws that others have commented on.

1. Change setting in Settings > Discussion.
2. Disable Comments section in Admin by adding this code to functions.php

function remove_menus() {
    remove_menu_page( 'edit-comments.php' );
}
add_action( 'admin_menu', 'remove_menus' );

Thank you.

For a class that can be included then initialised with \x\Comments::initialise(); try this gist:
https://gist.github.com/EarthlingDavey/bc72015b23449a10e4476c2fe6a63fec

Still shows in the admin bar. Updating that portion to this and appears to work: https://www.isitwp.com/remove-comments-link-from-admin-bar/.

Works perfectly, thanks!

Thank you 👍

Thank you works great!

Nice one - 👍

Thanks million :D

It works!

thanks!

Does this function prevent comment spam as well?

Does this function prevent comment spam as well?
yes

Thanks, but the last part Remove comments links from admin bar doesn't work for me. Comment icon is still showing in Admin Bar.

Wordpress 5.7.2

You could also remove the submenu page Settings > Discussion from admin as no longer needed.

I updated @danielpost clean code, reflecting those changes :

<?php

/**
 * For example, copy the following to "wp-content/mu-plugins/disable-comments.php"
 * to use it as a "must-use plugin" (always-on and before "normals" plugins)
 */ 

add_action('admin_init', function () {
    // Redirect any user trying to access comments page
    global $pagenow;
    
    if ($pagenow === 'edit-comments.php' || $pagenow === 'options-discussion.php') {
        wp_redirect(admin_url());
        exit;
    }

    // Remove comments metabox from dashboard
    remove_meta_box('dashboard_recent_comments', 'dashboard', 'normal');

    // Disable support for comments and trackbacks in post types
    foreach (get_post_types() as $post_type) {
        if (post_type_supports($post_type, 'comments')) {
            remove_post_type_support($post_type, 'comments');
            remove_post_type_support($post_type, 'trackbacks');
        }
    }
});

// Close comments on the front-end
add_filter('comments_open', '__return_false', 20, 2);
add_filter('pings_open', '__return_false', 20, 2);

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

// Remove comments page and option page in menu 
add_action('admin_menu', function () {
    remove_menu_page('edit-comments.php');
    remove_submenu_page('options-general.php', 'options-discussion.php');
});

// Remove comments links from admin bar
add_action('init', function () {
    if (is_admin_bar_showing()) {
        remove_action('admin_bar_menu', 'wp_admin_bar_comments_menu', 60);
    }
});

Thanks you.
I want to disable my wordpress comment on my site.

Thank @glafarge and @danielpost!

Thanks, it worked 😄

Thanks, however the code to remove the comments menu from the admin bar doesn't work as the call to add_action wp_admin_bar_comments_menu doesn't happen until after the init hook. The correct hook to use is add_admin_bar_menus, which runs just after all the actions for the admin bar menus are added.

// Remove comments links from admin bar
add_action('add_admin_bar_menus', function () {
    remove_action('admin_bar_menu', 'wp_admin_bar_comments_menu', 60);
});

Thank you!

If anyone uses a Multsite... they will notice the 'manage comments' are still in the top admin bar.

add_action( 'admin_bar_menu', 'remove_toolbar_items', PHP_INT_MAX -1 );
function remove_toolbar_items( $bar )
{
	// global $wp_admin_bar;
	// $wp_admin_bar->remove_node( 'blog-1-c' );
		
    $sites = get_blogs_of_user( get_current_user_id() );
    foreach ( $sites as $site )
    {
        $bar->remove_node( "blog-{$site->userblog_id}-c" );
    }
}

Worked for me to remove it. Comments is an example if you just wanted one...

We also need to hide this info.

Nice ! Thx :)

I need this for my site

@jack-fdrv You may have already found an answer but thought I'd comment in case. This does depend on the theme used but the following code works in many cases.

// Return a comment count of zero to hide existing comment entry link.
function zero_comment_count($count){
     return 0;
}
add_filter('get_comments_number', 'zero_comment_count');

Here's the collective code from this thread to date, as it worked for me...

<?php

add_action('admin_init', function () {
	// Redirect any user trying to access comments page
	global $pagenow;

	if ($pagenow === 'edit-comments.php' || $pagenow === 'options-discussion.php') {
		wp_redirect(admin_url());
		exit;
	}

	// Remove comments metabox from dashboard
	remove_meta_box('dashboard_recent_comments', 'dashboard', 'normal');

	// Disable support for comments and trackbacks in post types
	foreach (get_post_types() as $post_type) {
		if (post_type_supports($post_type, 'comments')) {
			remove_post_type_support($post_type, 'comments');
			remove_post_type_support($post_type, 'trackbacks');
		}
	}
});

// Close comments on the front-end
add_filter('comments_open', '__return_false', 20, 2);
add_filter('pings_open', '__return_false', 20, 2);

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

// Remove comments page in menu
add_action('admin_menu', function () {
  remove_menu_page('edit-comments.php');
	remove_submenu_page('options-general.php', 'options-discussion.php');
});

// Remove comments links from admin bar
add_action('init', function () {
	if (is_admin_bar_showing()) {
		remove_action('admin_bar_menu', 'wp_admin_bar_comments_menu', 60);
	}
});

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

// Return a comment count of zero to hide existing comment entry link.
function zero_comment_count($count){
	return 0;
}
add_filter('get_comments_number', 'zero_comment_count');

// Multisite - Remove manage comments from admin bar
add_action( 'admin_bar_menu', 'remove_toolbar_items', PHP_INT_MAX -1 );
function remove_toolbar_items( $bar )
{
	$sites = get_blogs_of_user( get_current_user_id() );
	foreach ( $sites as $site )
	{
		$bar->remove_node( "blog-{$site->userblog_id}-c" );
	}
}

I put mine in a separate file disable-comments.php and included it in functions.php, to make it more portable moving forward...

// Disable Comments
include('inc/disable-comments.php');

Nice work by this thread, so here's an additional improvement you might like.

I noticed 5 queries on wp_comments were running for each admin page, which can be removed. I put this in the "init" hook where I already have code inside an is_admin() test, but you don't need this test. Also, the filter can't go in the "admin_init" hook as that is too late as the queries will have already run.

add_action('init', function () {
	if (is_admin()) {
		// stop queries to count comments, which are called when the admin menu is displayed
		add_filter('wp_count_comments', function() {
			return (object) [
				'approved'       => 0,
				'moderated'      => 0,
				'spam'           => 0,
				'trash'          => 0,
				'post-trashed'   => 0,
				'total_comments' => 0,
				'all'            => 0,
			];
		});
	}
});