Key Takeaways

• Despite changes to Reddit's API in 2023, there are still ways to view deleted threads and comments on the platform using tools like Reveddit, Resavr, the Wayback Machine, and Google Cache.
• Reveddit allows users to search for deleted threads and comments by entering a username, subreddit name, or thread link, but it only displays comments deleted by moderators.
• The Wayback Machine and Google Cache can also be used to access deleted Reddit content, but they may not always have archived the specific threads or comments a user is looking for. Proper cleaning of the URL is necessary when using the Wayback Machine.

When you're browsing Reddit, finding a deleted post with tons of upvotes is annoying. A brief look at the thread title and your curiosity takes control, leading you to wonder how great it would be if you could just time-travel to the past and see what the deleted thread was all about.

Well, that's not possible—only the time travel part. We'll show you four different ways to see old, deleted Reddit posts and comments so you can satisfy your curious mind.

Can You Still View Deleted Reddit Threads?

In April 2023, Reddit introduced some significant changes to how developers interact with their API, essentially attaching a price to their earlier free API. Disapproving Reddit's decision, several major subreddits went dark as a form of community protest.

This pricing change caused many third-party apps, including ones that allow you to view deleted Reddit threads, to shut down. Therefore, many of these apps may not work now, and the ones that do, will only fetch comments and threads published before the API change came into effect, i.e. June 2023.

Don't be discouraged, though. There are still ways to view deleted Reddit posts, including the Wayback Machine and Google cache. Short answer? Yes, it is still possible to see deleted Reddit threads and comments.

1. Reveddit

When you visit reveddit.com, you'll find only a single text field where you can enter the username, subreddit name, or link to the thread.

On specifying a subreddit name, Reveddit will list all the deleted threads and comments posted under that subreddit. You can then browse through the results to find anything that catches your eye or simply search for what you want using other search options.

You can input URLs for both posts and specific threads. Alternatively, you can simply replace "reddit" in a thread URL with "reveddit" and it'll take you to the same Reveddit web page.

Reveddit fetches the data from the Pushshift archive and presents it in an old Reddit-like interface. Pushshift is a social media data collection and tracking platform that's been archiving Reddit data since 2015.

If you want to view all the deleted comments of a post, you'll have to wait for some time as Reveddit loads the data. There's a quick way if you want to directly view a particular comment in a thread, however. You can specify the direct link to the thread containing the deleted comment and Reveddit will only fetch and load that thread from the archive.

The only drawback? Reveddit doesn't display comments deleted by users. You can only view comments deleted by the moderator of the subreddit.

2. Resavr

Resavr might not be the best website to search for deleted Reddit content as it doesn't allow you to view removed posts. It's a website completely dedicated to viewing deleted comments. Another issue is that you can't search for a specific thread using its link to view the deleted comment you're looking for.

The resavr.com interface is quite simple. It lists recently deleted Reddit comments and is a great website for those who just want to pass some time by reading deleted comments. It links back to the original deleted Reddit thread so you can go ahead and view the entire post to understand the context behind it.

3. The Wayback Machine

Also known as the Internet Archive, the Wayback Machine archives the entire internet, including Reddit. If the aforementioned tools fail to display the deleted Reddit content, you can visit the Wayback Machine in hopes that it might have archived the comment you're longing to read.

To start, visit web.archive.org and enter the URL of the Reddit post you want to view. Make sure to clean the URL first by removing any trailing, unnecessary HTTP parameters.

The website will display recorded snapshots spread across a calendar. If there's a relevant snapshot, you can click on the day the snapshot was recorded and view the web page.

If a user/moderator deletes a comment or thread before the Wayback Machine can archive it, it'll display the comments as deleted.

4. Google Cache

Similar to the Wayback Machine, Google also indexes web pages and saves a cached version of those pages to display to the users. You can also view deleted Reddit comments and posts using Google's cache.

To begin, search for the Reddit post using the title of the thread. When you find the post on the search engine results page, click on the three-dots icon next to the result. Click the downward arrow to expand the More options list. If you find an option labeled Cached, it means that Google has a cached version of that page and you can view it by clicking it.

If you're lucky, the deleted thread or comment you want to view will still be there and you'll be able to read it before Google re-crawls and saves a new version of the page. Obviously, this only works with recently deleted comments, as Reddit is a popular social media website, and Google crawls it at an overwhelming rate and updates the cached pages quite frequently.

Reddit Is Home to Some Great Conversations!

Viewing deleted Reddit comments and posts might seem inappropriate at first, considering someone removed them for a reason. Tons of websites let you dig into the data and bring removed Reddit threads back to life. It's helpful when you want to recover a deleted Reddit comment that you accidentally removed.

Given how rudimentary Reddit's search function is, it's highly likely that you've spent hours searching for a thread you read earlier, only to never find it again. A user might have deleted the post or maybe you're not browsing the website properly. Therefore, learning how to browse the internet is crucial, especially on a platform like Reddit, where thousands of new threads are published each hour.