How to Get Around a Reddit Ban

Reddit is a fascinating place. The website hosts forums for practically every subject imaginable, giving users an open space to exchange opinions, share news, and, often, get into heated arguments.

But some of those arguments can cause you to be temporarily banned. If you’re an avid Redditor, getting a ban can be soul-crushing, especially if you don’t know why it happened. But, regardless of the cause, you can continue participating in your favorite subreddits by employing certain techniques.

This article will tell you how to get around a Reddit ban, outline the possible reasons you got banned, and discuss the Reddit banning system in detail.

Getting Around a Reddit Ban

If you’ve been banned from Reddit, you can get around that unfortunate predicament. But before we get to the potentially successful methods, let’s see what won’t work.

You can’t circumvent a permanent Reddit ban by creating a new account. When a Redditor gets banned, the original account doesn’t take the blame – the person owning the account does. In other words, a permanent Reddit ban is serious business and carries consequences that won’t go away on their own.

On that note, let’s move on to the tried-and-true ban-removal methods.

Appealing to Site Authorities

The first and most direct method is to try to get in touch with a subreddit moderator. Once you explain the issue to them, the moderator might be willing to lift the ban. This approach will be efficient if you’ve been banned from a particular subreddit.

Alternatively, you can submit an appeal to a site administrator using the appeal form. According to Reddit, every appeal will be reviewed, although that doesn’t mean your ban will be lifted.

If those methods are unsuccessful, here’s how to get around a Reddit ban using alternative techniques.

Using a VPN

If neither of the legitimate methods works, you can try to get back on Reddit by masking your IP address. However, note that these methods aren’t in line with Reddit’s terms of use. Circumventing a ban without permission can result in a permanent, site-wide ban.

Virtual private networks (VPNs) allow you to connect to the internet using a server that’s located somewhere else in the world. Changing the server means changing your IP address. Furthermore, a VPN can completely mask your device online, making it harder for Reddit to figure out you’re the same user who got banned earlier.

Some of the best VPNs all but guarantee data safety, which makes this method the most secure option for getting around a Reddit ban.

Using a Proxy

You can reroute your internet traffic via a proxy. Like a VPN, a proxy will utilize a different server, changing your IP address. In terms of Reddit access, the result will be the same: you’ll probably be able to use the website again.

Yet, a proxy doesn’t have the robust security infrastructure of a VPN. In other words, your data passing through a proxy server could be compromised, making this solution less than ideal.

Changing the DNS Server

The Domain Name System (DNS) is responsible for assigning an IP address to the appropriate domain name. Thus, changing your DNS server will effectively modify how your device communicates with the Reddit website.

You can modify the DNS settings yourself or find a dedicated service for that purpose. The latter option will be costlier but may offer more security. On the other hand, switching to a different DNS server on your own can cause serious security issues.

The DNS service monitors your entire traffic, which means you’re sharing data with unknown third parties. Worse yet, DNS servers can be compromised by hacking attacks, which puts you at risk of data theft, phishing, and similar forms of cybercrime.

We should point out that going to a Reddit official is the only legitimate way to lift a Reddit ban. The next best alternative is using a VPN, which can be useful for other purposes besides Reddit access.

While the proxy and DNS techniques might be efficient in getting you back on the site, we would recommend those only to expert users who know what they’re doing. Regaining Reddit privileges isn’t worth losing personal data or jeopardizing your system.

Potential Reasons for Banning

If you decide to apply for a ban lift through a moderator or administrator, the reason you got banned in the first place will be the most important piece of information.

Reddit can ban users (or moderators, for that matter) due to two reasons: Content Policy violation or suspicious activity.

Content Policy Violations

If your account is responsible for a Content Policy violation, you can be banned from a particular subreddit or have your account suspended across the entire site. A subreddit ban will prevent you from posting content, although you’ll still be able to see what others are posting.

In some cases, such as trying to circumvent a subreddit ban, the account could be suspended sitewide. Such a suspension will block you from Reddit completely.

Violations of Reddit’s Content Policy may include:

• Bullying, hate speech, or other forms of online violence.
• Ban evasion, spamming, fraud, and other content manipulation techniques.
• Endangering the privacy of other users.
• Posting explicit content that involves or targets minors.
• Misleading others by posing as another real person, authority figure, or a legal entity.
• Using Reddit for illegal activities.
• Attempting to compromise the Reddit website.

Suspicious Activity

Reddit may deny access to users if the site notices unusual traffic related to the user’s IP address. Accessing your account from a suspicious location or using a previously unknown IP can raise a red flag.

However, the suspicious activity won’t get you genuinely banned. Instead, Reddit will lock your account and prompt you to change your password.

Once you submit a new password and log into Reddit with it, the site will unlock your account. At that point, it would be best to check your account activity and try to determine what caused the issue. For instance, you might’ve given another app permission to access your Reddit account, which you can revoke to prevent further locking.

How Long Do Reddit Bans Last?

The usual Reddit ban is temporary and doesn’t last very long. A temporary ban could limit your access to the site for as little as several hours. At the longest, the ban might last two or three weeks or, in exceptional circumstances, up to a month.

On the other hand, permanent bans are, as the name suggests, permanent. This type of ban rarely happens on Reddit since it’s a signal that the user is no longer welcome on the site. If you’ve received a permanent ban, you won’t be able to file an appeal – it’s a one-way track.

How Does a Reddit Ban Work?

Reddit uses several methods to impose and ensure bans. Firstly, the site uses cookies that remain on your system when you’re not on Reddit. Cookies help the website connect an account with a particular device as a means of identifying individual users.

Next, Reddit tracks banned IP addresses. Once you’re banned, your IP address is blacklisted, which means that no device using the same IP can access the site.

Lastly, AI technologies like machine learning employ advanced algorithms to catch potential ban evaders. The more people attempt to bypass a Reddit ban, the better the AI becomes at preventing such attempts.

Restore Your Access to “The Front Page of the Internet”

Regardless of why you were banned from Reddit, applying to site authorities will be your best shot at regaining access in a way that doesn’t violate Reddit’s policies. Before taking any other steps, consider the reasons for your ban and determine if you’ve got a legitimate claim for your appeal. If you do, chances are everything will turn out well.

Did you manage to get around a Reddit ban? Why were you banned? Let us know in the comments below.