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Reddit users have been clamoring for the ability to search comments for years, and now the social media website has rolled out the feature site-wide. Filtering searches by comment means less time scrolling results and more efficient searches.
Using Reddit Comment Search
In the early stages of the rollout, comment search is limited to the desktop website and is unavailable via mobile apps on iPhone and Android. The feature has been rolled into the standard Reddit search engine, which you can access at the top of the page at Reddit.com.
To use the feature, open Reddit in your browser and enter a keyword into the search field provided. Hit Enter to search, then use the "Comments" button at the top of the page to limit results to comments made on the site.
You can also filter by subreddit using the magnifying glass to the left of the search field. You'll see your chosen subreddit appear in the box. Type your query next to it and hit enter, then use the "Comments" button to limit your search. That's all there is to it!
You can't use some of Reddit's advanced search terms (like "user:[u/username]" or "title:[post title]") to refine your search (yet, anyway).
Can You Search Reddit By User?
Unfortunately, you can't use Reddit's comment search tool to filter by user, but you can try a third-party service like Reddit Comment Search to unlock this feature. Because the site isn't run by Reddit, it tends to not be very reliable.
While Reddit's comment search is indexed on the server-side, third-party services have to trawl the website with each search. This often fails or takes a long time, since it's impractical for an external service to keep comments archived.
There's every chance that Reddit will expand its comment search in the future. The feature is (at the time of writing) in its infancy, but over time it will hopefully appear on mobile apps and be even more powerful.
Making Good Use of Comment Search
If you're smart about how you use comment search you can use it to find threads full of relevant information. For example, if you want to find music that's similar to one of your favorite bands, head over to a relevant subreddit (like r/blackmetal or r/dnb), search for a band, filter by comment, and jump to any relevant threads.
Many people create threads asking for specific recommendations which can be hard to track down. You can use this to find all sorts of things like video games, movies, restaurants, and more.
Since you'll be using Reddit's desktop site for your comment search needs, you might be interested in disabling the "Open in App" pop-up too. And for sensitive searches, learn how to delete your Reddit history.