If a comment isn't showing up on your site, it's almost always sitting in one of three places in your dashboard. Here's how to find it and get it published.

## Checks and fixes

### Check 1: Check for comments waiting for approval

Open **Comments** in your dashboard and click the **Pending** tab. If your missing comment is sitting in that list, hover over it and click **Approve** — it appears on your site straight away.

![Check for comments waiting for approval](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTEyMjcsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--a9f2616bbd587a1c7153780c9025b491dc4c4cd2/block_check-pending.png)

### Check 2: Check whether the comment was marked as spam

Back on the **Comments** screen, click the **Spam** tab. If the comment landed there by mistake, hover over it and click **Not Spam** to move it back into your approved comments.

![Check whether the comment was marked as spam](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTEyNjQsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--1d70222682a1c0ede73c5e02b4a629ac3a1b5d30/block_check-spam.png)

### Check 3: Check whether comments are closed

Open **Settings** → **Discussion**. Under **Default post settings**, make sure **Allow people to submit comments on new posts** is ticked — that's the switch that lets new comments through at all. Then look at **Automatically close comments on old posts** under **Other comment settings**, which shuts comments off on anything older than the number of days beside it.

![Check whether comments are closed](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTEyNjUsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--8574576fd007169038b55237cd609dae7dc8b977/block_check-comments-open.png)

## Tips

- If **Comment must be manually approved** is ticked on the **Discussion** screen, every new comment waits for you — expect to find them in **Pending** from then on.
- **Comment author must have a previously approved comment** holds back first-time commenters only, so regulars sail straight through.
- A single post can close its own comments, and that always wins over what you choose in **Discussion**.
- WordPress clears the **Trash** automatically after a set number of days, so restore anything you want to keep before then.

## Summary

Most of the time the missing comment is in **Pending** or **Spam**, and one click puts it back on your site. If both queues are empty, the answer is on the **Discussion** screen.