Instantly check if your account is visible to the Reddit community. Don't let your hard work go unseen.
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Create viral content that's safe to post.
Learn the rules before you break them.
We check your account status using official Reddit data points.
We simulate a logged out visit to your profile. If it returns a 404 error but works for you, you are shadowbanned.
We analyze your last 10 posts. If they are removed instantly without notice, it is a strong sign of a ban.
We check if your comments are invisible to other users in the threads you participate in.
Reddit uses automated bots to catch spam. Sometimes they make mistakes. Common reasons include:
Yes. You can message the Reddit admins at reddit.com/appeals. Be honest and polite. Assuming you are not a bot, they often lift the ban within a few days.
Open an incognito browser window and go to your profile URL (reddit.com/user/yourname). If it says "User not found" or "Suspended", you are definitely banned.
100% safe. We only use public data available to any logged-out user. We do not ask for your password or access your account directly.
MediaFast is a marketing tool that helps you schedule Reddit posts safely. It helps you grow your business without triggering Reddit's spam filters.
A shadowban means every post, comment, and link you share is invisible. Weeks of work, gone. Most marketers do not even know it happened.
Unlike a regular ban, Reddit never tells you about a shadowban. You keep posting and nobody sees it. You only find out when engagement drops to zero.
Even after a successful appeal, rebuilding trust with Reddit's spam filters takes time. Your posting frequency and engagement patterns must change completely.
Following safe posting patterns from day one is dramatically easier than recovering from a shadowban. One spammy post can trigger it.
Never post the same link to multiple subreddits
Maintain a healthy comment-to-post ratio (10:1 minimum)
Avoid posting immediately after creating your account
Do not use VPNs or multiple accounts for the same purpose
Build genuine karma before any promotional activity
Use this detector tool. Check if your profile is visible when logged out. Test in an incognito window. If your posts get zero engagement for days, something is wrong.
Go to reddit.com/appeal. Be honest about what you did. Explain that it was unintentional if true. Response typically takes 3-7 days.
Whether you get unbanned or start a new account, use safe posting patterns from day one. MediaFast automates this so you never trigger spam filters again.
Not every account problem is a shadowban. Here is how to tell them apart so you use the right fix.
| Restriction | What it is | Can you see your own content | Who notices | How to confirm | How to fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadowban | Site-wide spam filter applied silently by Reddit admins. All your posts and comments are hidden from everyone except you. | Yes. You see everything as normal which is why it is so easy to miss. | Nobody. That is the point. Other users, mods, and even you get no notification. | Check your profile URL while logged out or in incognito. If it returns 404 or shows no posts, you are shadowbanned. | Submit an appeal at reddit.com/appeal. Wait 3-7 days for a response. |
| Subreddit ban | A specific subreddit mod bans your account from that community only. You can still post everywhere else. | No. You get an error message when you try to post in that subreddit. | You receive a ban notification from the subreddit mod team via Reddit inbox. | Try posting or commenting in that subreddit. You will see an explicit ban message. | Message the mod team of that subreddit to appeal. Subreddit-level, so Reddit admins cannot help. |
| Account suspension | A site-wide ban issued by Reddit admins for serious rule violations. Your account is publicly marked as suspended. | No. You cannot log in or use the account at all. | Everyone. Your profile page shows a suspension banner to all visitors. | Visit your profile while logged out. A banner reading "this account has been suspended" appears. | Appeal at reddit.com/appeal. Permanent suspensions are rarely reversed unless an error was made. |
| Spam filter / removal | AutoModerator or a mod manually removes a specific post or comment for breaking a subreddit rule. Your account itself is fine. | Yes, with a "removed" label visible only to you. Others cannot see the post. | Mods see the removed content in the mod queue. You may get a removal notification. | Check that specific post URL while logged out. It shows removed or simply does not appear in the feed. | Repost after fixing what triggered the rule. Or message mods to request the post be approved. |
Every result the detector can return, what it means, and the exact next step you should take.
| Signal (what the tool sees) | What it means | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Profile loads normally when logged out | Account is not shadowbanned. Your content is publicly visible to everyone. | No action needed. If engagement is still low, the issue is content quality or subreddit fit, not a ban. |
| Profile returns 404 when logged out but is visible to you | Classic shadowban. Reddit's public API returns "not found" for your username, meaning other users cannot see your account or posts. | Stop posting immediately. Submit an appeal at reddit.com/appeal. Review the 7 common causes listed below. |
| Posts appear in /new of a subreddit when logged out | Your account is fine and those specific posts are not filtered. AutoModerator has not removed them. | Continue posting. Monitor post performance. If posts show up in /new but vanish within minutes, a mod may be manually removing them. |
| Posts missing from /new and not visible in incognito | That specific post was removed or filtered, either by AutoModerator or a mod. Your account itself may still be healthy. | Check the subreddit's AutoModerator rules and repost after adjusting. If this happens across multiple subreddits, run the full shadowban check. |
| Profile visible logged out but shows "suspended" banner | Account suspension, not a shadowban. This is a harder penalty and is visible to the public. | Appeal at reddit.com/appeal. Suspensions are harder to reverse than shadowbans. Create a new account only as a last resort and follow all rules. |
| Username not found (account does not exist) | Either the username was typed incorrectly, the account was deleted, or it was never created. | Double-check the spelling of the username and run the test again. |
Reddit's spam detection is algorithmic. Knowing which signals trigger it lets you avoid every one of them.
Posting the same link to multiple subreddits. Reddit's spam model treats cross-posting identical URLs as link spam, especially within a 24-hour window. The threshold is roughly 3 or more subreddits with the same URL in a short period. Fix: vary your landing page URLs or add unique query parameters, and space posts at least 48 hours apart across different subreddits.
Bad comment-to-post ratio. Accounts that only post links and never comment or engage look like bots. Reddit expects a ratio closer to 10 comments for every 1 self-promotional post. Fix: genuinely participate in communities before and between any promotional posts. Comment on threads that have nothing to do with your product.
Using a VPN or shared IP address. Reddit flags IPs associated with datacenter ranges, known VPN providers, and Tor exit nodes. If your IP was previously used by a banned account, your new posts get extra scrutiny. Fix: post from your home or office IP. If a VPN is necessary for privacy, use a residential proxy and avoid the same IP as any banned account.
Duplicate link submissions. Submitting a URL that has already been posted to the same subreddit, especially recently, triggers an automatic spam flag. Fix: search the subreddit for your URL before posting. If the link exists, contribute to that thread as a comment rather than creating a new post.
Low karma on a new account. Many large subreddits require minimum karma thresholds (often 50 to 500 combined karma) before allowing any posts. Accounts that try to post before meeting those thresholds get auto-removed repeatedly, and repeated removals increase spam score. Fix: spend at least two to four weeks building karma organically in lower-traffic subreddits before targeting major communities.
Posting velocity spikes. Going from 0 posts per day to 10 posts per day in 24 hours is a bot-like pattern. Reddit's classifier weighs posting rate heavily for new accounts. Fix: ramp up slowly. Start with 1 to 2 posts per day, then increase over several weeks as your karma and account age grow.
Linking to banned or flagged domains. Reddit maintains an internal list of spammy or abusive domains. If your website domain has been reported by moderators across multiple subreddits, any post containing that link gets auto-filtered. Fix: check if your domain is already filtered by searching it on Reddit. If it is, contact Reddit support. For new projects, avoid using the same domain as a previous account that was banned.
Submit this at reddit.com/appeal. Fill in the brackets. Keep it short and honest. Appeals longer than 3 paragraphs tend to perform worse.
Subject: Shadowban appeal - u/[your_username] Hi Reddit, My account u/[your_username] appears to have been shadowbanned. I noticed because my posts stopped receiving any engagement and my profile does not load when I check it logged out. I believe this happened because [brief honest reason, e.g.: "I posted the same link to several subreddits on the same day" or "I was using a VPN that may have been flagged"]. I was not aware this violated the spam policy. I have now read the Reddit Content Policy in full and understand what I did wrong. Going forward, I will [specific change, e.g.: "space my posts at least 48 hours apart and engage in comments before posting any links"]. I have been a genuine member of [1-2 subreddits you participate in] and I would like to continue contributing. I am not a bot and I am not affiliated with any vote manipulation network. Please consider lifting the shadowban. I am happy to answer any questions you have about my posting history. Thank you, u/[your_username]
What works: Specific, honest explanation. Acknowledgment of the exact rule broken. A concrete change you will make. Under 200 words.
What kills appeals: Denying anything happened. Blaming Reddit. Vague promises like "I will follow the rules." Copy-pasted templates without personalization.
Wait time: Most responses arrive in 3 to 7 business days. If you hear nothing after 14 days, you can send one follow-up. Do not send multiple appeals for the same account as this lowers your chances.
Mods, admins, and Reddit's help center use these terms inconsistently. Here is what each one actually means.
A site-wide, silent restriction applied by Reddit admins. Your account remains technically active but all posts and comments are invisible to logged-out users and most logged-in users. You never receive a notification. This is the most damaging ban type for marketers and content creators because it wastes time and effort without any warning.
A less severe form of restriction where only certain types of content, usually link posts or specific post formats, are filtered. The account is not fully shadowbanned but promotional content may be silently removed. Often caused by a single subreddit's AutoModerator rather than Reddit admins.
A bot built into every subreddit that moderators configure to automatically remove or report posts and comments matching certain rules. It is subreddit-specific, not account-wide. Common triggers include minimum karma requirements, account age requirements, specific keyword filters, and link domain blacklists. AutoModerator removals are not shadowbans but they look identical from your perspective.
The point system Reddit uses to measure account credibility. Comment karma comes from upvotes on comments; post karma comes from upvotes on link and text posts. Higher karma signals a legitimate, established user. Most large subreddits use minimum karma thresholds to block spammers. Low karma plus high posting frequency is the single fastest path to a shadowban.
Creating or using a new or alternate Reddit account after your main account was banned, in order to continue activity in subreddits or on the platform where you were banned. This is a direct violation of Reddit's rules and, if detected, leads to the new account being banned immediately, often with a permanent suspension. Reddit links accounts by IP, browser fingerprint, and posting patterns.
A removed post was taken down by a moderator or AutoModerator. It stays in the mod queue but is invisible to other users. A deleted post was removed by the author themselves. Both show as missing from the public feed, but they mean very different things: removed content often indicates a rule violation, while deleted content was a voluntary user action and has no impact on your account standing.
If you want to avoid triggering any of these filters in the first place, tools like MediaFast are built around Reddit-safe posting patterns, so you spend time on content strategy instead of manually tracking karma thresholds and posting cooldowns.
Everything you need to know about Reddit account visibility.
A shadowban is a restriction where your posts and comments are automatically marked as spam by Reddit's filters. You can still see your own content, but it's invisible to everyone else on the platform.
Our tool checks your profile's publicly accessible data and simulates how Reddit's servers respond to requests for your user information. If the profile appears 'not found' while logged out, but exists for you, you're likely shadowbanned.
Common reasons include posting the same link too many times, using a VPN while posting, having a low karma-to-post ratio, or being mistaken for a bot by Reddit's automated spam filters.
The only official way to fix a shadowban is to submit an appeal to the Reddit admins via reddit.com/appeal. Be honest and explain if you think it was a mistake.
The fastest way to check if a Reddit account is shadowbanned in 2026 is to paste the username into a shadowban test tool like this one. The detector queries the public Reddit endpoint without authentication, mirroring what every other user sees. If the profile returns as 'not found' while you can still see it logged in, the account is shadowbanned. The test is instant and free.
This tool uses the same detection method as the most reliable shadowban checkers: a logged-out request to the Reddit public profile endpoint. Many older shadowban testers stopped working when Reddit changed its API in 2024 to 2025. The MediaFast shadowban detector is updated for the current Reddit API behavior and runs in real time, with no signup, no API key, and no rate limits for normal use.
Shadowban detector, shadowban tester, shadowban check, and shadowban test tool all refer to the same kind of utility: a service that queries Reddit’s public-facing data to determine whether a username’s posts and comments are silently hidden. This tool covers all those use cases in one place.
Anecdotally, success rates for shadowban appeals through reddit.com/appeal sit around 30 to 50 percent for accounts with no prior strikes, dropping significantly for accounts with prior warnings, vote manipulation history, or ban evasion flags. Appeals that include a clear, honest explanation, no defensiveness, and a specific intent to follow Reddit’s rules going forward succeed more often than templated appeals.
Most third-party Reddit shadowban detection tools use the same underlying technique (public endpoint query). The differentiators are speed, reliability after Reddit API changes, and whether the tool also explains why a shadowban likely happened and what to do next. MediaFast’s detector pairs the test with a step-by-step recovery checklist tailored to the most common shadowban causes.
MediaFast helps founders grow on Reddit safely with built-in ban prevention.
