Reddit is one of the most used social media platforms globally, with several hundred million users. As such, Reddit is particular about ensuring the platform is safe and free of harassment for its users. To this end, the platform introduced the blocking – and unblocking feature to curb the then rising spates of harassment.
Unblocking a Reddit user
Unblocking a user on Reddit may take different steps, depending on the platform you use to browse Reddit. Nevertheless, the steps are simple and straightforward, and here they are:
Desktop browser
New design
Unblocking a previously blocked user on the Reddit desktop website is simple. First, you locate the dropdown icon at the top right corner of the screen, next to your username icon. Clicking on the dropdown will reveal a series of links, including your “online status,” your profile, and a link to your avatar.
Below these links is the “user settings” link. Clicking on user settings will take you to a page with multiple options, including “account,” “profile,” “safety and privacy,” “feed settings,” “notifications,” “subscriptions,” and “chat and messaging.” Ideally, you will arrive at the “account” section, so you should navigate to “safety and privacy.”
Under “safety and privacy,” find the “people you’ve blocked” category. Under it, you would find the list of users you have blocked on your account. Identify the particular user you want to unblock and simply click on “remove” to unblock them.
Old design
On the old Reddit desktop version, you can also unblock a user. It is very much similar to the new Reddit design. You start by selecting “Preferences” at the top-right corner of your screen.
The window you arrive at will have several options at the top, including “option,” “apps,” “RSS,” “feeds,” “friends,” “blocked,” “password/email,” and “delete.” Select “blocked” to see the users you have blocked. Click on “remove” next to the blocked user to unblock such user.
Mobile app
Unblocking a user on the mobile app is also simple, regardless of its varied steps. Click your image icon at the top right corner of the screen to begin. This will reveal a panel that displays “my profile,” “create a community,” and others. Click on “Settings” at the bottom of the panel.
Under settings, click on your username under account settings. This will direct you to some settings related to your account. Scroll down to look for “Manage blocked accounts” and click on it to access your blocked users. Simply click on “unblock” when you find the user you wish to unblock.
Mobile website
You can also unblock users on the mobile website version of Reddit. You can do it by clicking on the three-line icon on the top right corner of your screen. It will reveal a panel that discloses your user name, link to your inbox, coins, premium, powerups, and your communities. Under these, you will find “settings.” Clicking on this will subsequently reveal a dropdown, including “dark mode,” “ask to open app,” “language,” and “request desktop site.”
Clicking on account settings will take you to a page with multiple options, including “account,” “profile,” “safety and privacy,” “feed settings,” “notifications,” “subscriptions,” and “chat and messaging.” Ideally, you will arrive at the “account” section, so you should navigate to “safety and privacy.”
Under “safety and privacy,” find the “people you’ve blocked” category. Under it, you would find the list of users you have blocked on your account. Identify the particular user you want to unblock and simply click on “remove” to unblock them.
How to block a user
It is much easier to block a user than to unblock as you do not have to go deep into settings to access the functionality. On the desktop website, you can block a user by clicking on such user’s username, which is usually above their posts.
Click on it to go to such a user’s profile. Here you will see several options on the right-side panel, including following and chatting with the user. Click on “more options” to reveal the block feature. Selecting it will promptly block the user. The steps are very similar on the old Reddit website version as well.
You can also follow the same steps on the mobile app to block a user. Click on the user’s username above their post to view their profile. Select the three-dot icon at the top-right corner of the user’s profile. A panel at the screen’s bottom will pop up with different options. Select block user to block the user.
The steps are slightly different on the mobile website version as a user’s username is not above the post. Instead, you click on the three-dot icon at the top-left corner of the post. This will reveal options, including a link to the user’s profile. Click on the three-dot icon next to the “Follow” icon on the profile. This will disclose the “permalink” and “block” features. Select block to block the user.
You can also access a user’s profile by searching for it via the search bar. The search bar is commonly at the top of your Reddit homepage. The bar on the old desktop website is on the right corner of your homepage. On the other hand, you may have to click on the three-line icon at the top right corner of the mobile website’s homepage to access the search bar.
Users will be unable to contact you If you block them on Reddit. Furthermore, the account will stay blocked until you manually unblock them from any device you are logged in to.
To prevent abuse of the block and unblock feature, Reddit only allows you to block a user you have previously unblocked after 24 hours have elapsed since you unblocked such a user. Nevertheless, Reddit allows users to block a user even after unblocking them.
Reddit will also not communicate to the blocked or unblocked user that they have been blocked or unblocked. However, if the user tries to search for your account on Reddit actively, they will be able to see that you blocked or unblocked them on the platform.