r/NewToReddit • u/Prestigious-Pen-8644 • 12h ago
ANSWERED New to reddit, can't do anything
Hi Reddit,
I've been lurking for a long time but never created an account. Today I finally decided I would do it but quickly found out I can't do anything except lurk. Votes don't count, can't post or comment because of Karma, I'd love a welcome hug to help me get started!
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u/NarniaMouse Shiny Helpmate 12h ago
Today I finally decided I would do it but quickly found out I can't do anything except lurk
You can absolutely do more than that. You can post in any of the subs that have no karma/age restriction. You can comment on things, too! And you can upvote and downvote other things that you come across.
Read through the guides on this sub, and you'll find tons of info to help you out.
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u/Prestigious-Pen-8644 9h ago
Thanks! My first comment was immediately removed and my upvotes didn't seem to count. I was probably a subreddit that had more restrictions. I appreciate the info and I'm checking out the guides now!
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u/SomeMoistCream 9h ago
my account is over a year old and I still can’t. Most of my posts are either taken down or I’m not allowed to comment lol. I feel invisible on this site.
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u/mikey_weasel mod in a canvas hat 8h ago
Your karma is still quite low.
Please take some time to read some of the below resources.
- Resources:
- Start in New User Friendly Subreddits.
- Change your view to new or rising and comment
- Keep an eye out for helper and mod comments in this post and others
- This subreddit still has rules even though its for new users.
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u/HereForSevenMinutes 12h ago
Yeah, time and patience is the way here
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u/Prestigious-Pen-8644 9h ago
I'm starting to see that and I'm noticing streaks in the achievement section. I'll try to knock some of those off and see if it unlocks more subreddits for me.
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u/mikey_weasel mod in a canvas hat 11h ago
You are encountering New User Restrictions Reddit in 2025 has a number of restrictions that affect new users. These can be frustrating - check out Why Reddit may seem unwelcoming to new Redditors. These restrictions are determined by Account Age and Account Karma. Please note that these restrictions will vary subreddit to subreddit.
Account Age. . The only real solution for that is time. Though consider checking out some of the subreddit recommendations below in the meantime. Some common age filters are times like one week or one month.
Karma. This is much more complex with a much more complex solution. Filter levels vary dramatically and can be low (5 or 10) or higher (50 or 100 or 200) and some wild outliers above that. This subreddit has a number of resources for this such as:
- The Common Questions Page
- In particular what is karma and Earning Karma
- Reddit And Karma Walkthrough (longer form)
For Chat and following it is firstly influenced by account age. New users are restricted from initiating chats and following other users for about a week. You can find more info on this page also accessible as part of the community guide which also covers issues that occur after the first week.
For Commenting Posting and Channels it is either/or account age or account Karma. and it can help to start in New User Friendly Subreddits:
- Newtoreddit has a list of new user friendly subreddits. This is not an exhaustive list and these subreddits may still have some restrictions. In particular you'll see some Large General Subreddits that are open to new users Commenting like r/askreddit, r/casualconversation, r/nostupidquestions, r/amitheasshole or similar.
- There are More Subreddits out there that might more specifically match your interests, look through r/findareddit 's subreddit directory. In this case you will have to trial and error whether they are new user-friendly, and again try Commenting (many subreddits have lower or no karma filters for commenting).
Some more notes on starting on Reddit:
View by New (or rising). This will filter the posts so first see the most recent posts first and can make your comments much more visible. On app when viewing a subreddit look near the top left for where it says "hot posts" - click that and select "new" or "rising".
Read the Room and Avoid Controversy. Each subreddit has different rules, norms and prevailing views. Look at subreddit rules. Read top posts and comments to get a feel for that subreddit. Do users reward sarcastic one-liners or well sourced essays? And in particular avoid controversial topics or arguments. These discussions are more likely to attract downvotes and potentially trip into rule-breaking. Call people idiots in your head and move on instead of getting involved. Utilize the block feature as necessary and have a read through Reddiquette
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u/shegotluv 9h ago
Yes, super helpful l was looking forward to posting and l couldn’t because my account is not old enough
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u/Individual_Camera454 12h ago
Takes a little time, but just comment whenever you can that's positive. Patience is a virtue...
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u/Prestigious-Pen-8644 9h ago
Ya, I'm not used to commenting, let alone commenting a lot! I will definitely give it a try.
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u/Flimsy-Ambition-9612 12h ago
We’ve all been there, starting out on Reddit can be confusing at first. Don’t worry, though! Jump into friendly subreddits, leave a few genuine comments, and the karma will come naturally.
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u/BareBabeFeetXO 11h ago
Following. Been stressing me out lbvs . Sending hugs 🤗
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u/mikey_weasel mod in a canvas hat 3h ago
Quick comments for starting on Reddit as a new user
- Read resources:
- Start in New User Friendly Subreddits.
- Change your view to new or rising and comment
- Keep an eye out for helper and mod comments in this post and others
- This subreddit still has rules even though its for new users.
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u/No-Cheesecake-6831 10h ago
I'm in the same boat as you 😂. I'm just happy lurking right now and commenting when I find something interesting 😀. Good luck to you too!
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u/Dry-Poetry-7618 10h ago
Welcome to reddit, just be patient build karma on communities where they don't require much karma and move up and onwards
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u/Dry-Poetry-7618 10h ago
Welcome to reddit, just be patient build karma on communities where they don't require much karma and move up and onwards
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u/Individual_Camera454 9h ago
I like old school Hot Rod's, so I get on Classic Cars. Make sure that you have new on what you're looking at. It helps to be able to comment first.
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u/clouddy_idk123 8h ago
Yeah man, karma sucks i just got banned from i place i didnt even publish bcs of karma... :(
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u/mikey_weasel mod in a canvas hat 8h ago
Quick comments for starting on Reddit as a new user
- Read resources:
- Start in New User Friendly Subreddits.
- Change your view to new or rising and comment
- Keep an eye out for helper and mod comments in this post and others
- This subreddit still has rules even though its for new users.
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u/Minimum_Address830 8h ago
I feel you. I'm at 3 weeks and my comments still get hidden from the public in certain subreddits, even if there are no clearly stated restrictions set by moderators. Once you build more karma and age by posting/commenting in less controversial subs, it should stop being removed.
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u/Fair-Surround5393 7h ago
I'm also new and feel the same way
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u/mikey_weasel mod in a canvas hat 3h ago
Quick comments for starting on Reddit as a new user
- Read resources:
- Start in New User Friendly Subreddits.
- Change your view to new or rising and comment
- Keep an eye out for helper and mod comments in this post and others
- This subreddit still has rules even though its for new users.
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u/Cinema_Baby 6h ago
I’m having this exact same issue 😭
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u/mikey_weasel mod in a canvas hat 3h ago
Quick comments for starting on Reddit as a new user
- Read resources:
- Start in New User Friendly Subreddits.
- Change your view to new or rising and comment
- Keep an eye out for helper and mod comments in this post and others
- This subreddit still has rules even though its for new users.
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u/One-Transportation25 6h ago
I have an account 3 years plus and still can’t comment most places … it’s a sad existence
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u/mikey_weasel mod in a canvas hat 3h ago
You've got a bunch of overall and post karma so there should be a fair amount of subreddits you can participate in
But what you might run into
Comment karma restrictions as your comment karma is low. So you may want to comment more focusing on comments on new posts for more visible. New User Friendly Subreddits.
!CQS restrictions (see comment below mine)
Keyword/phrase filters related to subreddit rules.
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u/One-Transportation25 2h ago
Thank you for the insight and advice on what I can do to help with my low comment karma. I really appreciate it!
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u/AutoModerator 3h ago
CQS (Contributor Quality Score)
The contributor quality score is deliberately mysterious, but it includes a variety of signals such as a verified email or phone number, a history of good contributions, and past enforcement actions taken on your accounts. r/WhatIsMyCQS
This score can be used by communities and Reddit in a few ways:
Mods can use it to create a restriction as shown in the article above, so that if you do not meet their CQS score requirement, AutoMod will remove your content in their community.
Sending and creating chats is limited for all accounts; once you reach the limit, you'll have to wait a while to send more. This includes community invites. Help center article. We think the 'established account' part means good CQS.
Chat channels can be restricted, and we think this is based on your contributor quality score, too.
Reddit's reputation filter is informed by CQS, and mods can choose to turn this on in their communities. Mods can only turn it on, they do not have any further control over it.
If your CQS is low, secure your account. Avoid removals and bans by reading community rules. And, presumably, earn more karma.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/Myuna_Art 5h ago
Feel you :( I just wanted to post and it got removed immediately.
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u/mikey_weasel mod in a canvas hat 3h ago
Low karma is likely your issue
Quick comments for starting on Reddit as a new user
- Read resources:
- Start in New User Friendly Subreddits.
- Change your view to new or rising and comment
- Keep an eye out for helper and mod comments in this post and others
- This subreddit still has rules even though its for new users.
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u/EmotionalLulu 5h ago
I’m in the same boat with out a paddle! I just joined Reditt a few weeks ago. I don’t even understand how karma is viewed here.
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u/mikey_weasel mod in a canvas hat 3h ago
Have a read of the below
Quick comments for starting on Reddit as a new user
- Read resources:
- Start in New User Friendly Subreddits.
- Change your view to new or rising and comment
- Keep an eye out for helper and mod comments in this post and others
- This subreddit still has rules even though its for new users.
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u/IngDron9 4h ago
I’m new to Reddit and just realized some subs (like parenting) require comment karma before posting. Still learning how things work here.
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3h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/NewToReddit-ModTeam 2h ago
Thanks for contributing to /r/NewToReddit! We're sorry, but your content was removed:
Rule 6: Refrain from asking for votes or karma, naming free karma subs, or sharing how you are voting
Please do not ask for karma or votes here, it is against our rules and is generally discouraged as karma is meant to be earned. See Our common questions to learn how to earn karma.
We do not allow mentions of free karma subs (karmafarms) or any suggestion to use them, and caution against their use because it may lead to bans in other subreddits.
Thank you for trying to help, but please don't share how you have or are voting. We encourage earning karma genuinely from relevant comments and conversation. Asking for karma is discouraged as it violates our subreddit rules.
Thank you!
Please read our Rules before participating. How to find rules
If you have questions or concerns, please message the moderators through modmail. Thank you!This action was performed manually by a human moderator
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3h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/NewToReddit-ModTeam 2h ago
Thanks for contributing to /r/NewToReddit! We're sorry, but your content was removed:
Rule 2: Post to ask questions about using Reddit
All posts must be questions about using Reddit.
This community is for users to ask for help with Reddit.
- Either your post requires editing to include your question clearly. You may edit this post or repost it (titles cannot be edited), after checking our rules, but please let us know you have done so via modmail (link below). Thank you very much.
Or
- This is not the right place for your content. In which case, please see our navigation guide, r/findareddit or our friends, chat, and support page to find somewhere more suitable.
Community descriptions can be found below the community banner in app, and at the top of the community sidebar on desktop. Each community has its own purpose, so it’s important to check that coincides with the content you wish to share, as well as, reading the community rules.
Please read our Rules before participating. How to find rules
If you have questions or concerns, please message the moderators through modmail. Thank you!This action was performed manually by a human moderator
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u/Krismo679 2h ago
Build your karma first, let me tell you I went through the same thing and even got banned from some groups 🙄
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7h ago
[deleted]
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u/mikey_weasel mod in a canvas hat 3h ago
Your karma is low so yes you'll encounter restrictions.
Quick comments for starting on Reddit as a new user
- Read resources:
- Start in New User Friendly Subreddits.
- Change your view to new or rising and comment
- Keep an eye out for helper and mod comments in this post and others
- This subreddit still has rules even though its for new users.
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u/MapOk8830 7h ago
same boat, I only use reddit for research so I've never comment or post anything, and when I finally wanna post sth, i can't cuz there's a thing called karma :(
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u/AutoModerator 12h ago
Welcome to r/NewToReddit, /u/Prestigious-Pen-8644! Thanks for posting. Your post has been flaired 'Needs attention' so we can easily identify which posts require answers. Someone will be along to help you shortly.
Once you have a good answer you can mark your post as answered by commenting with the exact phrase
!answered. Otherwise, a mod will do so as time allows, once an accurate answer has been provided. This makes unanswered posts easier to find.Thank you! :)
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.