Reddit terms of service, explained in plain English

Reddit takes a broad, perpetual license to everything you post, now also used to train AI and licensed to third parties. Moderation and bans are at the company's discretion.

🚨 Key things to watch out for

The clauses that could affect you the most. Read these even if you skip everything else.

Your content is permanently licensed to Reddit — including for AI training — with no way to revoke, even after account deletion.

Reddit can terminate your account at any time for any or no reason, with no guaranteed appeal process.

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📋 Every clause, explained

Browse what the terms actually say — filter by severity or by topic.

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Showing 18 clauses

5Your Content5 clauses

🔴

Extremely broad, perpetual, irrevocable content license

📄Claims your content

5-A

💬 The moment you post anything on Reddit, you give Reddit a permanent, free license to do essentially anything with your content — including modifying it, distributing it, and sublicensing it to others — forever, and you can never take this back, even if you delete your account.

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“When Your Content is created with or submitted to the Services, you grant us a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable, and sublicensable license to use, copy, modify, adapt, prepare derivative works of, distribute, store, perform, and display Your Content and any name, username, voice, or likeness provided in connection with Your Content in all media formats and channels now known or later developed anywhere in the world.”

🔴

Content used to train AI models

🤖AI training on your data

5-B

💬 Reddit explicitly states it can use everything you post to train AI and machine learning models, and can also license your content to third-party partners for the same purpose. You have no ability to opt out of this.

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“This license includes the right for us to make Your Content available for syndication, broadcast, distribution, or publication by other companies, organizations, or individuals who partner with Reddit. For example, this license includes the right to use Your Content to train AI and machine learning models.”

⚠️

Waiver of moral rights and attribution

📄Claims your content

5-C

💬 You permanently give up your right to be credited as the author of your content and waive moral rights, meaning Reddit can strip your name from your work and use it without any attribution.

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“You also agree that we may remove metadata associated with Your Content, and you irrevocably waive any claims and assertions of moral rights or attribution with respect to Your Content.”

ℹ️

Unrestricted use of user feedback

📄Claims your content

5-D

💬 If you suggest a feature or give Reddit feedback, they can use your idea without paying you or giving you credit.

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“Any ideas, suggestions, and feedback about Reddit or our Services that you provide to us are entirely voluntary, and you agree that Reddit may use such ideas, suggestions, and feedback without compensation or obligation to you.”

⚠️

Reddit can remove content at will

⛔Account termination

5-E

💬 Reddit can delete any of your posts or comments at any time for any reason, including reasons not listed in their rules, and they can also cut off your ability to earn money from your content.

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“Although we have no obligation to screen, edit, or monitor Your Content, we may, in our sole discretion, delete, deem your content ineligible for monetization, or remove Your Content, at any time and for any reason, including for violating these Terms, our Reddit Rules, or our other terms and policies, or if you otherwise create or are likely to create liability for us.”

3Your Use of the Services2 clauses

⚠️

Services can be modified or discontinued without notice

📝Can change terms anytime

3-A

💬 Reddit can change, shut down, or remove any feature at any time without warning you first, and you agree not to hold them responsible for any losses this causes you.

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“We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Services (in whole or in part) at any time, with or without notice to you. Any future release, update, or other addition to functionality of the Services will be subject to these Terms, which may be updated from time to time. You agree that we will not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuation of the Services or any part thereof.”

ℹ️

Broad restriction on data collection

📌Other

3-B

💬 You cannot scrape or systematically collect data from Reddit without a separate written agreement, even if the data is publicly available.

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“access, search, or collect data from the Services by any means (automated or otherwise) except as permitted in these Terms or in a separate agreement with Reddit (we conditionally grant permission to crawl the Services in accordance with the parameters set forth in our robots.txt file, but scraping the Services without Reddit's prior written consent is prohibited)”

12Indemnity1 clause

⚠️

Broad indemnification obligation

🛡️Limits their liability

12-A

💬 If someone sues Reddit because of something you posted or did on the platform, you must pay for Reddit's legal defense, including their attorney fees, and cover any damages — even if Reddit also contributed to the problem.

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“Except to the extent prohibited by law, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold Reddit, its affiliates, and their respective, directors, officers, employees, affiliates, agents, contractors, third-party service providers, and licensors (the "Reddit Entities") harmless from and against any claim or demand made by any third party, and any related liability, damage, loss, and expense (including costs and attorneys' fees) due to, arising out of, or in connection with: (a) your use of the Services; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of applicable laws or regulations; or (d) Your Content.”

13Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability3 clauses

⚠️

Services provided as-is with no warranties

🛡️Limits their liability

13-A

💬 Reddit makes zero guarantees that its platform works properly, is safe, or is fit for any particular purpose. You use it entirely at your own risk.

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“THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES, OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, LEGAL, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, TITLE, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.”

🔴

Damages capped at $100

🛡️Limits their liability

13-B

💬 No matter how much harm Reddit causes you — even if they lose your data, expose your personal information, or destroy your business — the most they'll ever pay you is $100 or whatever you paid them in the last 6 months, whichever is more.

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“IN NO EVENT WILL THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF THE REDDIT ENTITIES EXCEED THE GREATER OF ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100) OR ANY AMOUNT YOU PAID REDDIT IN THE PREVIOUS SIX MONTHS FOR THE SERVICES GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.”

⚠️

No liability for indirect or consequential damages

🛡️Limits their liability

13-C

💬 Reddit will not pay for any indirect harm like lost profits, lost data, or other consequential damages, even if harmful or illegal content on their platform caused the damage.

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“IN NO EVENT WILL ANY OF THE REDDIT ENTITIES BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR LOST PROFITS ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICES, INCLUDING THOSE ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO CONTENT MADE AVAILABLE ON THE SERVICES THAT IS ALLEGED TO BE DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE, OR ILLEGAL.”

14Governing Law and Venue1 clause

⚠️

Exclusive jurisdiction in San Francisco

📍Jurisdiction

14-A

💬 If you want to sue Reddit, you must do it in San Francisco, California, regardless of where you live. This can make it very expensive and impractical for most users to pursue legal action.

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“any claims you bring arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Services will be governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict of laws rules; all disputes related to these Terms or the Services will be brought solely in the federal or state courts located in San Francisco, California, and you and Reddit consent to personal jurisdiction in these courts.”

15Changes to these Terms1 clause

⚠️

Reddit can change terms unilaterally

📝Can change terms anytime

15-A

💬 Reddit can change these rules whenever it wants. They decide what counts as a 'material' change worthy of notification. If you keep using Reddit after the changes, you're automatically agreeing to the new terms — even if you didn't read them.

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“We may make changes to these Terms from time to time. If we make changes, we will post the revised Terms and update the Effective Date above. If the changes, in our sole discretion, are material, we may also notify you by sending an email to the address associated with your Account... By continuing to access or use the Services on or after the Effective Date of the revised Terms, you agree to be bound by the revised Terms.”

17Termination2 clauses

🔴

Account termination for any or no reason

⛔Account termination

17-A

💬 Reddit can ban you permanently at any time without giving you a reason. There is no appeals process guaranteed in these terms, and you have no recourse.

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“To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, we may suspend or terminate your Account, moderator status, or ability to access or use the Services at any time for any or no reason, including for violating these Terms or our Reddit Rules.”

⚠️

Key sections survive account termination

📌Other

17-B

💬 Even after you delete your account, Reddit retains its perpetual license to your content, you're still on the hook for indemnification, and the liability limitations still apply. You can't fully walk away.

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“The following sections will survive any termination of these Terms or of your Account: 5 (Your Content), 7 (Things You Cannot Do), 12 (Indemnity), 13 (Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability), 14 (Governing Law and Venue), 17 (Termination), and 18 (Miscellaneous).”

18Miscellaneous1 clause

⚠️

Asymmetric assignment rights

📌Other

18-A

💬 You can't transfer your account or agreement to someone else, but Reddit can sell or transfer its obligations under these terms to any other company without your permission.

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“You may not assign or transfer any of your rights or obligations under these Terms without our consent. We may freely assign any of our rights and obligations under these Terms.”

2Privacy1 clause

ℹ️

Consent to data collection through use

📥Data collection

2-A

💬 By using Reddit, you automatically consent to all data collection described in their Privacy Policy, which is a separate document not analyzed here.

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“You understand that through your use of the Services, you consent to the collection and use of this information as set forth in the Privacy Policy.”

6Third-Party Content, Advertisements, and Promotions1 clause

ℹ️

Targeted advertising with no opt-out in ToS

🔗Shares with third parties

6-A

💬 Reddit can place ads next to or around your content, and the way they target those ads to you can change at any time without requiring your specific consent.

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“The type, degree, and targeting of advertisements are subject to change, and you acknowledge and agree that we may place advertisements in connection with the display of any Content or information on the Services, including Your Content.”

Reddit terms of service, explained in plain English — TOSTLDR