Struggling With Deleted Reddit Posts? Try These Tips

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You’re browsing Reddit, scrolling through a thread, when you come across a block of text that simply says [deleted]. It could be your post, or someone else’s, but naturally, you’re curious how to access it. Deleted Reddit posts happen more often than people realize. If you’re a Reddit user and notice your content getting removed frequently, what can you do? Or if there’s a thread you want to read but some comments are nowhere to be found, what are your options? Here’s what.

Become Familiar With Reddit’s Site-Wide Rules

The best starting point for minimizing your deleted Reddit posts is to learn about the policies enforced across the site. Many relate to things you probably already knew are not okay to do. For example, you can’t post content showing inappropriate behavior toward minors. It’s also not okay to post sexually explicit material about someone without consent.

However, Reddit has other rules that might not immediately come to mind, especially because you could unintentionally break them. One is that users cannot post information that reveals others’ personal information, including screenshots. However, since Reddit is full of information found on the internet, someone could easily share something and forget to remove identifying details. 

There are also rules against using Reddit to facilitate certain transactions. You can’t use the site to buy or sell alcohol, cigarettes or 3D printing files to make firearms. The third item makes the most sense of the three. But if you’re of age and regularly drink or smoke, you may not think you’re doing anything wrong. Imagine trying to sell a bottle of wine on Reddit that you got as a Christmas gift and know you won’t like. 

Reddit has millions of users worldwide, and the huge user base is likely one of the reasons for prohibiting some transactions. Age requirements for alcohol and tobacco use differ worldwide. Plus, since Reddit is a text-based platform, it’s relatively easy for people to lie about their locations or ages. Forbidding some transactions is a broad but necessary way to increase safety. 

Spend time understanding the rules applying to everyone who uses Reddit. That’s a practical way to reduce the chances of seeing some deleted Reddit posts within the content you share through the platform.

Read the Subreddit-Associated Policies

Each discussion forum on Reddit is called a subreddit, referred to as r/[subreddit name]. Every subreddit has specific rules in addition to the site-wide policies. Some are highly specific. For example, r/borrow allows people to request loans from other Reddit users. However, people cannot request money more than once every 24 hours. Other subreddits involving loans or gifts require people to have consistently posted on Reddit before asking for help.

Users of r/Ireland cannot post about visiting the country or coming to study there. That’s because other subreddits exist that are devoted to those subjects. If you share news stories on r/entertainment, they might end up as deleted Reddit posts because the moderators consider them editorialized content. 

Of course, some subreddit policies hardly need mentioning. When responding to someone’s question on r/legaladvice, you can’t provide suggestions involving illegal activity. 

The main thing to remember is not to make assumptions, especially when exploring subreddits new to you. Take the time to read a subreddit’s rules before trying to post there for the first time. It’s also a good idea to refer to them again with each new attempt, just to cover your bases. 

All subreddit moderation happens on a voluntary basis, and posts stay up despite violating policies. However, Reddit also offers a tool called AutoModerator. It can automatically tell moderators about potential developing issues or post replies asking users to review certain community policies. AutoModerator also detects whether posts have required words in them. Some moderators set up such parameters to keep the content on-topic and relevant.

Communicate With Moderators to Avoid Deleted Reddit Posts

Sometimes, moderators will make exceptions to subreddit rules, but that most often happens if Reddit users contact them first. You can do that through the Modmail feature. That’s also the preferred communication method for appealing a subreddit ban. The methods of accessing Modmail vary depending on how you use Reddit. 

Getting in touch with them to clarify things or ask permission for something could help you avoid deleted Reddit posts. Being proactive is important because there’s no way to restore Reddit posts once you or a moderator deletes them.

Depending on the subreddit and nature of your content, you may need to communicate with the moderators before posting it. Imagine you want to start an “ask me anything” post related to your career or field. The moderators may — rightfully — want proof of your background before allowing you to publish it. 

Moderator communication is also helpful if you’ve had several deleted Reddit posts in the same subreddit but are genuinely perplexed about the reasons. Speak to them honestly and show you want to follow the rules. You may find that the post removals happened because of a misunderstanding.

Some Reddit users perceive the moderators as abusing their authority and going on power trips. Although moderators aren’t perfect and they may make some wrong decisions, don’t automatically assume they’re out to penalize you. Try communicating as a first step, and see what happens from there.

How to See Deleted Reddit Posts

Several third-party apps like Apollo, Sync and Narwhal used to allow people to see deleted posts. However, most stopped operating or transitioned to subscription models in 2023. That’s because Reddit established API changes that placed it behind a paywall, limiting free access to apps making fewer than 100 queries per minute with OAuth authentication. It’s now too expensive for most third-party apps to remain available at no charge.

If you’re looking to recover what you lost, here are ways to do it. 

Try Archive-and-Recovery Tools

Certain web services let you inspect content that was removed. For example, Reveddit lets you paste a post link or search a subreddit or user name and see if a version still exists. Another option, Unddit, works by replacing “reddit.com” in the URL with “unddit.com” and may show comments or posts captured before deletion.

Use Web Archives

If a post gained enough exposure before removal, the Wayback Machine might have saved a snapshot.  This digital archive serves as the world’s largest public record of the internet, with over a trillion web pages preserved so far.

Paste the full URL into the site’s search bar, look for saved timestamps, and view what was captured. Since some pages have multiple snapshots, you can browse through them to see how the thread looked at different points and possibly recover posts that were later deleted or changed.

Through Google Cache

When something is deleted from Reddit, it might still appear in cached search engine results for a while afterward. This happens because of how search engines operate, and it’s not something Reddit can control or speed up especially if the deletion was very recent.

Simply search the post’s URL on Google, click the small arrow next to the result, and choose “Cached.” Over time, the deleted information will disappear from search results, but there’s no reliable way to predict exactly when that will happen.

These methods are helpful, but they won’t always work. If a user deleted their own post before any tool archived it, it may be gone. Likewise, most tools struggle when the post was removed almost immediately.

Edit Your Reddit Posts Instead of Deleting Them

Times may arise when you want to delete your Reddit post history or even close your account. However, you’ll probably have more frequent occasions where you want to delete single posts. Perhaps your tone came across harsher than you’d like, or you realized another user’s sentiment was almost identical to yours, making your content redundant. People commonly find that something they’ve posted has spelling or grammar errors that they want to correct. 

In such cases, it may seem like the best approach is to delete the posts. Reddit does give users that option. However, most moderators and fellow users prefer you edit the posts instead and provide a short description of the reason. For example, you could type: “Edit: I added a word and corrected a spelling mistake.” in your original post’s body.

Another best practice is to think carefully before posting anything you don’t want to broadcast to all other Reddit users. All another site user needs to do is click on your username to see other posts made across the site. Reddit can be a fantastic resource for getting support about a health condition, venting about a terrible boss or asking questions about the legality of your grumpy landlord’s demand. However, stay aware of how easily strangers can find out about you by simply reading what you’ve posted. 

Before you hit the button to submit a post, ask yourself how you feel about publicizing the information across Reddit. Is there anything in the content that could make you want to delete the post later? Know, too, that Reddit posts appear in Google search results, broadening their potential reach.

Reduce Your Number of Deleted Reddit Posts

Deleted posts and comments on Reddit can be frustrating, whether it’s your own content or a discussion you were eager to follow. You can’t always stop your Reddit posts from getting deleted. While you can’t completely prevent removals, understanding why they happen and applying practical tips will go a long way in making that possibility much less likely, so you to continue engaging with content that matters.

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Original Publish Date 1/11/2024 — Updated 10/29/2025