A few comments on your site will never be worth your time. WordPress lets you sweep them out of the way in a single click — one at a time, or a whole batch at once.

## Before you start

- An account that can moderate comments — an Administrator or Editor on your site.
- At least one comment in your comments list to work with.

## Steps

### Step 1: Open the Comments screen

In the left sidebar of your dashboard, click **Comments**. Your comments load newest first, and any comment still waiting for you to moderate has a red bar down its left side.

![Open the Comments screen](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6OTk3NSwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--60c4ef5024ead0aa8097212e134ea6b505a57245/block_open-comments.png)

### Step 2: Mark a single comment as spam

Hover over the comment you want to get rid of. A row of action links appears underneath it. Click **Spam**, and the comment drops straight out of your list.

![Mark a single comment as spam](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6OTk3NiwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--165633c5c4c65271769aa610dd8aece679ff4806/block_mark-a-comment-as-spam.png)

### Step 3: Mark several comments as spam at once

Tick the checkbox beside each comment you don't want. Open **Bulk actions** above the list, choose **Mark as spam**, then click **Apply**. They'll all be cleared in one go.

![Mark several comments as spam at once](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6OTk4NiwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--3813541532aac8707cfdfab43650d87cbbe8310d/block_mark-several-comments-as-spam.png)

### Step 4: Move a comment to the Trash instead

When you're not sure a comment deserves to be spam, hover over it and click **Trash** — or tick several and choose **Move to Trash** from **Bulk actions**. Trashed comments disappear from your site but stay put for 30 days, so you can change your mind.

![Move a comment to the Trash instead](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6OTk3OCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--98ca548221b57ff64a11ec957607bf4f51348eed/block_move-comments-to-the-trash.png)

### Step 5: Empty the Trash when you're sure

Click **Trash** at the top of the Comments screen to see everything you've thrown away. Nothing there worth rescuing? Click **Empty Trash** to remove it for good.

![Empty the Trash when you're sure](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6OTk3OSwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--d983a19aaa6575fb737ab8c9fb8b0260696287f5/block_empty-the-trash.png)

## Tips

- Changed your mind? Open **Spam**, hover the comment and click **Not Spam** to bring it back.
- Spam comments never show up on your site, so there's no hurry to empty them.
- The **Comments** item in your sidebar carries a red bubble with the number of comments waiting for moderation.

## Summary

Marking spam takes one hover and one click: **Spam** for a single comment, **Mark as spam** for a batch. And when you're certain nothing needs rescuing, **Empty Trash** clears the last of it away.