How to Avoid Getting Banned on Reddit

Avoiding Bans By Examining The Rules

Check the rules wiki of the subreddit you are visiting. Most subreddits have a dedicated page where they discuss their rules. Make sure what you are posting does not violate the rules. Rule violating posts are certain to be removed. Don't think you are safe breaking a rule or two. Subreddit moderators have been known to ban people for even a slight rule break, regardless of whether it's fair. Not all moderators are nice all of the time. In fact, Reddit now allows users to report bad moderators because they are so common. A bad moderator is someone who bans not to preserve a subreddit, but just to irritate people.

Look carefully. Sometimes, you may not see a rule if you don't look carefully enough. That is normal, and is one of the main reasons people get banned on Reddit. Always examine rules thoroughly and don't make assumptions. Making assumptions may result in the moderators believing you have broke the rules. If the moderators tell you doing something will result in a permanent ban, it will. Don't underestimate them. They have the power to do what they would like and often, Reddit will not attempt to interfere with moderators.

Know whether the ban is a shadow ban. A shadow ban is one of the hardest bans to notice, and it's likely if you don't see any upvotes no matter what you post. Log out and check your user page to make sure your posts are visible. If you appear to have no user page when logged out, no one can see what you are posting on any Subreddit. Unfortunately, the only way to get around this type of ban is by changing your IP address, and that isn't always easy. However, this will be covered later in the article using methods like VPNs or proxies.

Don't upvote your posts on a second account. One way to get banned from all of Reddit, while unlikely, is to upvote your post on another account. Upvoting your posts may make you feel better, but remember that in reality it is not a fair upvote. Reddit is aware that people do this and does not tolerate it. That is because of upvoting schemes used by spammers. This includes people who ask for upvotes or engage in vote manipulation.

Avoid harassment. Digital harassment is obviously not something worthy of doing, and Reddit agrees. If you are caught harassing someone on Reddit, you are likely to be banned, to protect whoever you were harassing. Reddit admins are extremely sensitive to this type of behavior, so avoid it at all costs. Some people even argue that moderators are banning people for harassment too often. Remember who you are affecting by doing this. The other person who you were doing this to would probably appreciate them banning you. They may not be happy about your comments.

Wait out temporary bans. Contacting the moderators to complain about your ban will almost certainly make the situation worst. Instead of attempting to contact the people who gave you the ban, it is often better to simply wait it out. You should apologize, but don't say you feel the ban is wrong. Blatantly arguing about your ban to the moderators could easily make it permanent. Apologizing is okay, but arguing is not. Arguing will just make you seem like you don't agree with the ban.

Don't make a link submission as your first post. If the first thing you ever post on a Subreddit is a link to something else, then that will appear very suspicious to admins. Reddit prefers original uploaded content. The admins may suspend your account if they don't want to take chances. This includes to something like a Youtube video, or even an image.

Deciding the Cause of Your Ban

Decide whether you truly deserved to be banned. We all make mistakes, and sometimes we do things on the internet that are extremely rude or affect people in a negative way. In that case, your ban may be to preserve the integrity of Reddit. Don't repeat your actions. For example, if you got banned because you impersonated someone and tried to pass as them, you threatened or bullied someone intensely, you spammed a Subreddit, or even did something illegal, the ban probably made sense. Try asking why you were banned if you don't know.

Explain why you were banned and why you believe your ban is no longer necessary. Moderators only ban users when there are serious or egregious violations of the rules. For example, posting disturbing content in a subreddit about a video game is one way to get banned.

Report bad moderators. The fact is that some moderators, especially on lesser known subreddits, may be people just venting their anger and frustration by imposing bans. In that case you can report the moderator, if you believe they are acting unfairly. Reddit has a form you can find here. Submit the name of the Moderator and your username.