How do reply controls work on Threads?

The three audiences you can pick

Meta's Help Center says that when you write a thread, you can click Anyone can reply in the bottom left and limit replies to Profiles you follow or Mentioned only. The default is anyone.

Meta's developer documentation lists five values for the reply_control parameter used when a post is created through the API: everyone, accounts_you_follow, mentioned_only, parent_post_author_only and followers_only. The app article names three audiences. The extra API values are relevant to tools and replies, so expect the three audiences in the Threads composer.

A private profile has an extra condition. The replies article says the limit setting is not available to private profiles replying to a person who does not follow them.

Changing the setting after you post

If your post is not also shared to the fediverse, the Help Center says you can manage who can reply and quote it at any time. The steps on the web: open your profile, click Options at the top right of the post, click Reply options, pick an audience under Who can reply and quote, and click Update.

Three notes from the same article. Existing replies and quotes are not deleted when you change the setting. The change applies to that post only, so each post needs its own update. And limiting who can reply and quote also limits who can reuse the media in your post.

The developer reference describes reply_control as set during post creation, so a tool that publishes through the API chooses the audience at that moment, and later changes happen in the Threads app.

If you build or choose a scheduling tool, check which of these controls it can set at publish time. Meta documents reply_control and enable_reply_approvals as creation-time parameters in its API, so a tool can offer them and set the audience at publish time. Otherwise you set it by hand in the Threads app after the post goes live.

Approvals: review replies before anyone sees them

Approvals are a separate control. The Help Center says you can review and approve replies to your post before others see them, and that you manage the setting for each post. To turn it on for a new post, click New post, click Reply options in the bottom left, and switch on Review and approve replies. For a post already shared, use Options, then Reply options.

With approvals on, you are notified in Activity when a reply needs review. Open the post and click Pending replies. You can approve a reply to make it visible, ignore it to hide it, or use the more menu to mute, restrict, block or report the profile. There are also buttons to approve or ignore all pending replies.

Rules worth knowing: once approved, a reply cannot go back to pending, though you can hide it. Ignored replies stay hidden until you approve them. The API mirrors this: enable_reply_approvals on create, a pending_replies list filtered by pending or ignored, and a manage_pending_reply call to approve or ignore. The reference says approvals are not available for ghost posts.

Hiding replies

The API reference has a manage_reply endpoint that hides or unhides top-level replies with a hide value of true or false. Nested replies follow their parent, and the page says replies nested deeper than the top level cannot be targeted alone.

In practice, hiding is the light option for a reply that is off-topic or unkind but does not justify blocking. Approvals are the heavy option for a post you expect to draw trouble, such as a post about a charged topic or a post that went viral.

A cleanup routine that takes five minutes a day: open Activity, scan the newest replies, hide the ones that add nothing, and answer the ones that ask a question. If you use approvals, add the Pending replies list to that pass. Doing it at a fixed time keeps moderation from taking over the day.

Interactions with fediverse sharing

If you share to the fediverse, two limits apply. The replies article says limiting replies means your thread will not be shared with your fediverse followers. The approvals article says posts that require approval are not shared to the fediverse, and if a post was already shared you cannot turn approvals on.

So a profile that relies on fediverse reach has a real tradeoff. See Threads and the fediverse before you restrict replies on those posts.

Choosing a setting

For an ordinary post meant to start a conversation, leave replies open. Open replies feed the habits that help an account grow, as covered in how to grow on Threads.

For a post that announces a price, a product launch or a controversial opinion, consider mentioned only or approvals. Both let you answer chosen people without a pile of strangers appearing under the post.

If you manage a brand account, write down the default and who changes it. A setting nobody owns gets left on its default, which means anyone can reply under every post.

A worked example. You post a launch announcement for a new app at 9 AM. Your options: leave replies open and answer fast; limit to profiles you follow, which keeps strangers out but also keeps most new people out; or turn on approvals, which lets everyone write a reply and lets you decide what appears. For a small account, approvals cost the most time, because every reply waits for you, and they protect you the most. For a launch you plan to watch closely for the first hour, open replies with a quick scan is usually enough.

A pre-publish checklist for any post that may draw heat: decide the audience before you write the post, not after the first bad reply; check whether fediverse sharing is on, since it changes what you can set; and make sure you will be around to approve for the first hour, because pending replies sit hidden until you act.

Where Threadgehog fits

Threadgehog writes the post and the reply-worthy angle; the reply setting is made in Threads or in your scheduler when it publishes. Threadgehog hands approved posts to Buffer, Typefully, Publer, Metricool or Postiz, and which reply options each tool exposes is listed in that tool's own help pages. The site is in waitlist mode until the Mac app opens, with a 14-day free trial from then.

Questions

Sources

1. Threads Help Center: about replies (checked 2026-10-17)
2. Threads Help Center: manage who can reply and quote (checked 2026-10-17)
3. Threads Help Center: approvals for replies (checked 2026-10-17)
4. Meta: Threads API reply moderation (checked 2026-10-17)
5. Threadgehog pricing and FAQ (checked 2026-10-17)

Related

• Who can reply to my posts on X?
• How does fediverse sharing work on Threads?
• How do I grow on Threads?
• Can you edit a post on Threads and on X?
• What insights does Threads show, and how do I read them?
• How do scheduling tools publish to Threads through the official API?