Reddit Sitewide Rules: Complete 2026 Breakdown

Every Reddit user agrees to the same rules. Most never read them. And then they're surprised when their account gets suspended for violating a rule they didn't know existed.

Reddit's sitewide rules apply everywhere, override subreddit-specific rules, and result in permanent bans when violated seriously. Here's the complete breakdown.

The Eight Sitewide Rules

Reddit's Content Policy contains eight fundamental rules that apply across the entire platform:

Rule 1: No Personal Information

You cannot share someone's personal information without consent. This includes:

• Real names connected to usernames
• Addresses, phone numbers, or workplaces
• Social media accounts that reveal identity
• Any information that could enable harassment offline

Why it matters: Doxxing has been used to harass Reddit users in real life. This rule exists because people have been seriously harmed.

Common violations: Screenshotting social media that shows real names, sharing news articles to identify anonymous users, posting someone's workplace after a disagreement.

Rule 2: No Harassment

Targeting individuals or groups with abuse, threats, or persistent unwanted contact violates this rule.

What counts as harassment:

• Following someone across subreddits to argue with them
• Creating posts or comments attacking specific users
• Organizing groups to target individuals
• Threatening violence or harm

What doesn't count: Vigorous disagreement, criticism of public figures in their public roles, downvoting content you dislike.

Rule 3: No Bullying or Threatening Violence

Beyond harassment, explicit threats or content that glorifies violence against people or groups is prohibited.

Zero tolerance violations:

• Explicit threats, even if "joking"
• Content celebrating violence against individuals
• Detailed descriptions encouraging harm

This rule has expanded to include content that could inspire violence, not just explicit threats.

Rule 4: No Sharing Intimate Content Without Consent

Non-consensual intimate imagery is strictly prohibited, whether the subject is a public figure or private individual.

Includes:

• Stolen or leaked intimate images
• Revenge content
• Deepfakes or AI-generated intimate content
• "Upskirt" or similar non-consensual photography

Consequences: Immediate permanent ban, potential legal referrals.

Rule 5: No Impersonation

Pretending to be someone else, especially in misleading ways, violates this rule.

Clear violations:

• Creating accounts pretending to be celebrities or companies
• Impersonating Reddit administrators
• Pretending to be the subject of a news story

Gray areas: Parody accounts that are clearly labeled as parody may be acceptable. Satire subreddits that mock but don't genuinely impersonate are generally allowed.

Rule 6: No Spam

This is the rule that catches most business users. Reddit's spam definition is broader than most expect:

What counts as spam:

• Repeatedly posting the same link or content
• Using Reddit primarily for self-promotion
• Manipulating votes or engagement artificially
• Creating multiple accounts to evade restrictions

The 10% guideline: Reddit historically suggested that no more than 10% of your submissions should be self-promotional. While not strictly enforced, accounts that primarily exist for promotion face spam classification.

Rule 7: Respect Community Rules

While subreddit rules aren't sitewide, repeatedly violating community rules or deliberately disrupting communities can result in sitewide action.

What triggers escalation:

• Getting banned from many subreddits for similar behavior
• Evading subreddit bans with alt accounts
• Deliberately trolling or disrupting communities

Rule 8: No Illegal Activity

Reddit doesn't allow using the platform to facilitate illegal activity.

Examples:

• Soliciting illegal transactions
• Sharing copyrighted content
• Coordinating illegal activities
• Fraud or scam operations

Jurisdiction matters: What's illegal varies by location. Reddit generally applies US law but considers the laws of other countries for content targeting those regions.

Hidden Rules and Enforcement

Beyond the explicit eight rules, Reddit enforces additional policies:

Ban Evasion

Creating new accounts to circumvent bans is prohibited. This applies to both subreddit bans and sitewide suspensions.

Detection methods: Reddit links accounts through IP addresses, device fingerprints, behavioral analysis, and account recovery information.

Vote Manipulation

Using multiple accounts to vote, coordinating votes, or buying/selling votes violates platform rules even though it's not one of the explicit eight.

Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior

Organized campaigns to manipulate discussions, whether political, commercial, or ideological, face enforcement even when individual posts don't violate rules.

How Enforcement Actually Works

Reddit uses tiered enforcement:

Automated systems catch obvious violations instantly. Spam patterns, prohibited keywords, and known manipulation patterns trigger immediate action.

User reports surface content for review. Heavy reporting accelerates review even for content that doesn't trigger automated systems.

Trust and Safety teams review flagged content and make decisions about edge cases.

Admin investigation handles complex cases involving coordinated behavior or sophisticated evasion.

Appeal Process

Most enforcement actions can be appealed. Success rates vary by violation type:

• Mistaken identity or false positives: High success rate with clear explanation
• Technical violations without bad intent: Sometimes successful
• Clear policy violations: Rarely overturned
• Severe violations: Almost never overturned

The Reality About Account Safety

Understanding sitewide rules reveals why account age and history matter for safety.

New accounts face intense scrutiny. Any promotional activity looks like spam. Any vigorous debate looks like harassment. Systems are tuned to assume the worst about accounts without established track records.

Established accounts have demonstrated compliance over time. They've built credibility that provides buffer for edge cases. A comment that might get a new account suspended might get a warning for an account with years of positive history.

This isn't about circumventing rules. It's about having the benefit of context when borderline situations arise. Established accounts get that context. New accounts don't.

Final Thoughts

Reddit's sitewide rules are comprehensive but not unreasonable. Most users never violate them because the rules align with basic decent behavior online.

The users who run into problems are typically those using Reddit for business purposes who don't realize how broad the spam and manipulation rules are, or those whose vigor in debates crosses lines they didn't see.

Understanding these rules is essential for anyone serious about maintaining Reddit presence. And having an established account with demonstrated compliance history provides meaningful protection when enforcement decisions are made.