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You are shadowbanned on Reddit if your profile loads for you but shows "page not found" to anyone logged out. Paste a username and this free checker tests it through Reddit's official API in seconds.
Enter username without 'u/'
Public data only. We never ask for your password and never log in to your account.
Live API Check
Waiting for Input
Enter a username to start the check.
Read your result
Every result, the rule behind it, and your next step. Suspensions show up too, so it doubles as a Reddit ban checker.
Reddit's API answers "not found" for the username.
Stop posting, confirm in an incognito window, then appeal at reddit.com/appeal.
The profile comes back flagged as suspended.
Read the inbox message, then appeal within six months of it.
Under 10 total karma, zero visible posts or comments, account older than 30 days.
Open one of your recent comments while logged out. Missing means filtered.
3 or more recent posts averaging under 1 point.
Check each post in the subreddit's /new feed while logged out.
Email not verified and under 10 total karma.
Verify your email and earn karma with comments before you post links.
Profile loads, recent activity is public, no warning signs.
Message that subreddit's mods. Admins cannot lift a local filter.
A not-found or empty profile is a strong signal, not proof. Rule these out first, it takes about a minute.
Still not found after all five? Treat it as a shadowban and jump to the recovery plan.
Local filters never hide your profile, so the verdict stays clean.
Subreddit banShows only when you post there
AutoModerator ruleRemoves posts in one community
Safety FilterHolds content for one mod teamHow to check
Fastest first. Two matching results are enough to act on.
Reads your profile, 5 newest posts and 5 newest comments in seconds.
Posts load: you are fine. Page not found: shadowban.
Good standing says you cannot appeal at this time.
I built a free tool for tracking subreddit rules
0 commentsWhat finally fixed my onboarding drop-off
0 commentsShow and tell: my first 100 users
0 commentsPage not found
Same URL, same minute. Visitors get nothing, and you get no message about it.
Your profile, karma and posts look normal to you.
Every post sits at 1 point with 0 comments, the only vote is your own.
The same URL in an incognito window says the page was not found.
Illustration. Usernames and posts are made up.
Spotting a hidden profile and comments, and how to recover.
No single Reddit shadow ban check catches everything. Profile checks see sitewide problems, item checks see subreddit removals.
| Method | What it detects | Needs your login | Sees subreddit filters | Speed | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This checker | Not-found profiles, suspensions, and low-signal accounts from your 5 newest posts and comments | No | No | Seconds | |
| Incognito profile visit | A 404 profile or a public suspension banner | No | No | 1 minute | |
| reddit.com/appeal while logged in | Whether there is an admin action on the account you can appeal | Yes | No | 1 minute | |
| Logged-out /new check | Whether one specific post made it into a subreddit's feed | No | Yes | 1 minute | |
| Reveddit lookup | Which of your posts and comments mods removed, leaving out ones you deleted | No | Yes, per item | Seconds | |
| Fresh-subreddit test comment | Comment where you never posted, then view it logged out. Visible there but hidden in your usual subs points to a local filter | Yes | Yes | Minutes |
Both sides of the screen
Reddit sends no message for a spam flag, so the only clue is in the threads. Same comments, your side and everyone else's.
How did you find your first 10 paying customers?
Cold DMs to people already complaining about the problem.
41 points, ReplyPosting in niche subreddits where the problem comes up every week.
1 point, ReplyOur first ten came from one podcast interview.
17 points, ReplyHow did you find your first 10 paying customers?
Cold DMs to people already complaining about the problem.
41 points, ReplyOur first ten came from one podcast interview.
17 points, ReplyYour comment posts fine and stays at 1 point. Nobody ever replies.
Other readers usually see the thread without it, often with no gap or tag at all.
Illustration. Usernames and comments are made up.
Your account has been suspended
The violation, plus the steps to appeal.
You know what happened and what to do.
No new messages
Posts sit at 1 point, nobody replies.
Silence plus a flat score is the pattern to watch.
Comparison
Two are sitewide, three are local to one subreddit, and one is a privacy setting you may have turned on yourself.
Sitewide
Hits everything you post, in every subreddit.
Shadowban (spam flag)
Account suspensionReddit admins, at reddit.com/appeal
One subreddit
Only one community holds or removes your posts.
Subreddit ban
AutoModerator removal
Safety Filters and Crowd ControlThat community's mods, via modmail
Your own setting
A privacy choice that makes your profile look empty.
Curated (hidden) profileNobody. Settings, Content and Activity
| Restriction | Can you see your own content | Who gets told | How to fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadowban (spam flag) | Yes. Everything looks normal to you. | Nobody. There is no message for this case. | Appeal at reddit.com/appeal. |
| Account suspension | You can log in but cannot post, or cannot log in at all. | You get an inbox message with the reason and appeal steps. | Appeal within six months of the notification. |
| Subreddit ban | You see an error when you try to post there. | You get a ban message from that mod team. | Modmail that subreddit. Admins cannot help. |
| AutoModerator removal | Yes, and only you see it. | Mods see it in the queue. You may get a removal comment. | Fix the trigger and repost, or ask mods to approve it. |
| Safety Filters and Crowd Control | Yes. Others see it collapsed or not at all. | Only that community's mods. | Build karma there, or ask to be added as an approved user. |
| Curated (hidden) profile | Yes, on your side everything is there. | Visitors see an emptier profile. Your posts still show in their communities. | Nothing to fix. Change it under Settings, Content and Activity. |
Shadowban (spam flag)Yes. Everything looks normal to you.
Nobody. There is no message for this case.
Appeal at reddit.com/appeal.
Account suspensionYou can log in but cannot post, or cannot log in at all.
You get an inbox message with the reason and appeal steps.
Appeal within six months of the notification.
Subreddit banYou see an error when you try to post there.
You get a ban message from that mod team.
Modmail that subreddit. Admins cannot help.
AutoModerator removalYes, and only you see it.
Mods see it in the queue. You may get a removal comment.
Fix the trigger and repost, or ask mods to approve it.
Safety Filters and Crowd ControlYes. Others see it collapsed or not at all.
Only that community's mods.
Build karma there, or ask to be added as an approved user.
Curated (hidden) profileYes, on your side everything is there.
Visitors see an emptier profile. Your posts still show in their communities.
Nothing to fix. Change it under Settings, Content and Activity.
Swipe for all 6
Sources: Reddit's Safety Filters and Crowd Control pages. Profile curation (June 2025) via TechCrunch.
Crowd Control: 3 levels, one subreddit at a time
Decision tree
Four yes or no questions, built on the r/ShadowBan wiki detection steps. Stop at the first box that matches.
Is the problem in every subreddit, or only one?
Subreddit ban, AutoModerator or a Safety Filter. Message that community's mods.
Keep going to step 2.
Open reddit.com/user/yourname logged out. Does it say page not found?
No shadowban signature. Go to step 3.
Shadowban signature. Run the checker above to confirm, then appeal.
Does the logged-out profile show a suspended banner?
Go to step 4.
Suspension. Read your inbox message, appeal within six months.
Logged in, does reddit.com/appeal say you cannot appeal at this time?
There is an action on the account. Appeal now with the template below.
Good standing. The issue is content or subreddit fit, not a ban.
Source: r/ShadowBan detection wiki. The wiki notes the appeal page check can be buggy, so pair step 4 with steps 2 and 3.
The data
No shadowban count exists. The July to December 2025 transparency report shows how much enforcement is spam.
Who removed the 154.2M posts and comments
Why admins removed the 54.4M
A shadowban is the silent case. Open action follows a fixed escalation with a six-month appeal window.
Step 1Warning
The strike is on record, the account keeps working.
Step 23-day ban
Temporary ban with an inbox message and appeal steps.
Step 37-day ban
Longer temporary ban for a repeat violation.
Step 4Permanent ban
Final step. Some violations skip straight here.
Bar shows position on Reddit's escalation, not time. A shadowban is a spam flag and sits outside this ladder.
Source: Content Moderation, Enforcement, and Appeals, last edited August 6, 2026.
Founders who grew on Reddit
Real posts from founders who used Reddit to find their first users without burning their accounts.
"haha i've tried reddit a few times and always got banned or just nowhere productive. only a few days in with mediafast but no bans! (knock on wood)"
"I was suspended multiple times, but now with MediaFast i finally got on a right path! I used it for my CookFast SaaS."
"Reddit has insane potential for founders. But most posts get removed. Most accounts get banned. Most strategies are guesswork. I've been using @mediafa_st to plan posts, find the right communities, and avoid bans."
Root causes
Reddit's spam detection is automated and sometimes wrong. These are the patterns it reacts to.
Shadowban triggers, ranked by risk
Risk ratings are our editorial read of how often each pattern shows up in shadowban reports. Reddit does not publish trigger weights.
Fix the pattern before you appeal. The same habits get a cleared account flagged again.
Most bad shadowban advice predates Reddit's Safety Filters. Each fact links to the page it comes from.
Recovery plan
From confirmed to cleared. Reddit publishes no response time, so the plan is one good appeal and patience.
Subject: Shadowban appeal, u/[your_username] Hi Reddit, My account u/[your_username] appears to be flagged. My posts stopped getting any engagement and my profile does not load when I check it logged out. I think this happened because [one honest reason, e.g. "I posted the same link to several subreddits on the same day" or "I was posting through a shared VPN"]. I have now read the Reddit Rules and understand what I did wrong. From now on I will [one specific change, e.g. "space posts at least 48 hours apart and comment before I post links"]. I take part in [1-2 subreddits you use] and want to keep contributing. I am not a bot and I am not part of any vote manipulation. Please review the flag. I am happy to answer any questions about my posting history. Thank you, u/[your_username]
Submit it at reddit.com/appeal while logged in, or let the Reddit ban appeal generator fill in the brackets.
One honest reason. The rule you broke. A concrete change. Under 200 words.
Denying anything happened. Blaming Reddit. Vague promises. A template sent without your own details.
Follow-ups, 24h minimum gap: several attempts over days or weeks are common, at most one every 24 hours, per the r/ShadowBan appealing guide. Stay well under that, Reddit can stop processing appeals from people who file too many.
Prevention
Recovery takes weeks. Prevention takes habits.
Karma minimums and link rules differ by community. MediaFast finds subreddits that fit your product and checks their rules, while you write your own comments. Full playbook: how to not get shadowbanned on Reddit, or the story I got shadowbanned twice on Reddit.
The same demo as our home page: find subreddits that fit, check their rules, and draft posts you edit and publish yourself.
MediaFast checks each subreddit's rules before you post and gives you a Daily Action Plan of what to post and where, about 10 minutes a day, backed by a refund guarantee.
Keep checking
A shadowban is one account health signal. These cover the rest, from account age to appeals.
Make sure a name exists before you read a not-found result as a ban.
Account age gates many AutoModerator rules. Check yours before posting in a new subreddit.
Turns the appeal template on this page into a personal draft in seconds.
Mods, admins and Reddit's help center use these words loosely. Each one tagged by where it applies.
Background on the term: what a Reddit shadowban is.
We link Reddit's own help pages and reports wherever we can, and say so when a claim comes from the community instead.
Tips on staying unbanned, avoiding shadowbans, and keeping your Reddit account in good standing. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Free. No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.
Straight answers on shadowbans, filters, appeals, and what this checker can and cannot see.
Paste your username into the Reddit shadowban checker at the top of this page and press Check Status. It is free and needs no signup. If the result says the profile was not found, or you are flagged with high confidence, you are very likely shadowbanned. Confirm it by opening reddit.com/user/yourname in an incognito window: if it says the page was not found there but works when you are logged in, that is the shadowban signature.
It is the common name for an account Reddit has flagged for spam or inauthentic activity. Your posts, comments and profile keep showing for you but stop showing for everyone else, and Reddit sends no message for this case. Open bans are different: a suspension comes with an inbox message and appeal steps.
It asks Reddit's official API for the public profile as an outside app, never logged in as you. It then reads up to 5 of your newest posts and 5 of your newest comments. A not-found profile means probable shadowban, a suspended flag means suspension, and the rest is scored on karma, account age and recent activity. Results are cached for 5 minutes.
The not-found signal is the strongest one, but a typo and a deleted account look exactly the same as a shadowban, so retype the name from your own profile before you trust it. A suspended flag is clear-cut. For visible accounts the score is an estimate from karma, account age and recent activity, not a Reddit verdict. The checker also cannot see filters inside one subreddit, such as AutoModerator, Crowd Control or the reputation filter, which hide posts there while your profile stays public.
Probably, but check two things first. A typo and a deleted account both return not found, the same as a shadowban. Copy the name from your own profile and run the check again. If it still says not found, open your profile in an incognito window. Page not found there, while it works logged in, confirms the shadowban.
Use a private or incognito window where you are not logged in and open reddit.com/user/yourname. If your posts load, you are fine. If Reddit says the page was not found, you are shadowbanned. You can also log in and open reddit.com/appeal. The r/ShadowBan wiki says an account in good standing sees a message that it cannot appeal at this time.
Yes, for sitewide problems. The checker tells you if the account is visible, not found (probable shadowban) or suspended. It cannot see a ban from a single subreddit, because that only shows when you try to post in that community. You get an explicit ban message there, which is how you check a subreddit ban.
Try to comment or post in it. A subreddit ban shows an explicit message, and the mod team usually sends a ban notice to your inbox. If you can post but your posts never appear in the subreddit's /new feed when you look logged out, that is a removal or a Safety Filter, not a ban. Message the mods in both cases.
No public tool can check an IP ban, because Reddit does not expose that data. What Reddit does document is the ban evasion filter, which links accounts using signals about how they connect to Reddit. If a new account gets filtered everywhere right away, a link to a banned account is a likely reason. Do not route around it with a VPN.
There is no fixed length. The r/ShadowBan wiki says a shadowban is permanent until the admins lift it, so waiting it out does not work. Temporary suspensions are different: Reddit's policy uses 3-day and 7-day bans before a permanent one, and the inbox message tells you which one you got.
Log in and submit one appeal at reddit.com/appeal. Be specific about what happened and what you will change, and keep it short. Reddit's policy allows appeals within six months of a notification and may cap repeat appeals. If you hear nothing, the r/ShadowBan wiki says following up at most once every 24 hours is fine.
Reddit does not publish an approval rate. Its July to December 2025 transparency report says admins received 499,515 appeals of account-level sanctions, 4.4% of the total, and that granted appeals went down as automated detection got more precise. Treat any success percentage you see elsewhere as a guess.
Not for the silent case. Reddit's account status page says a banned account gets an inbox message with the reason and appeal steps, but an account flagged for spam or inauthentic activity just stops showing up as expected. That gap is why a shadowban test tool exists.
That is a subreddit-level filter, not a shadowban. AutoModerator, Crowd Control, the reputation filter and the ban evasion filter all hold content in one community while your profile stays public. Message that subreddit's mods instead of filing a sitewide appeal.
A manual incognito check can look empty, because Reddit's profile curation setting from June 2025 lets you hide posts and comments from your profile. Your posts still show in their communities. To test, open one post link directly while logged out instead of your profile.
Yes. It reads public data through Reddit's official API. It never asks for your password and never logs in to your account. You can check any username, not only your own.
None. Reddit shadowban checker, shadowban tester, shadowban test tool and sb checker all describe the same thing: a tool that looks at a username from the outside to see if its posts and comments are hidden. This page does all of it in one check.
MediaFast is a Reddit marketing tool. It finds subreddits that fit your product, checks their rules, drafts posts for you to edit, and flags threads worth commenting in. You write and post your own comments, which keeps your account activity genuine.
If you are here to promote a product, use a rules-first playbook built for the kind of offer you are taking to Reddit.
Promote a SaaS on Reddit
