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Upgrading ​

Version 13 makes Better Disqus Comments a complete Disqus plugin of its own. It no longer needs the official Disqus Comment System plugin, and the old DCL Pro plugin is replaced by separate addons.

Your settings carry over in every case below. Pick the section that matches your site.

From the official Disqus plugin ​

Better Disqus Comments does everything the official plugin did — comments, counts, comment sync, exporting comments to Disqus, the toolbar menu — except Single Sign-On (see SSO). It reads the official plugin's settings once and copies them over:

Official pluginCopied to
Forum shortnameShortname
API public key, secret key, admin access tokenAPI keys
Sync tokenThe sync token, so comment sync keeps working
Inline JavaScript optionPrint the script inline

Values are only copied into empty fields — anything already set in Better Disqus Comments wins.

Steps ​

  1. Install and activate Better Disqus Comments while the official plugin is still installed.
  2. Load any page of your site or the admin. The settings are copied on the first request.
  3. Check the settings under Disqus in the admin menu: the shortname and keys should be filled in.
  4. Deactivate Disqus Comment System. The yellow notice at the top of the admin has a direct link.
  5. Delete the official plugin if you like.

Don't delete the official plugin first

Deleting the official plugin also deletes its settings. If that happens before step 2, there is nothing to copy and you'll need to enter the shortname again.

While both are active ​

Comments keep showing — Better Disqus Comments takes over the comments area and stops the official plugin's scripts from loading twice. Every admin screen shows a notice that can't be dismissed:

Better Disqus Comments now works on its own and replaces the official Disqus plugin. Your settings have been carried over. Please deactivate the Disqus Comment System plugin — comment sync stays paused until you do.

Comment sync in Better Disqus Comments stays paused until you deactivate the official plugin. After that, Disqus keeps sending comments to the same address and Better Disqus Comments receives them — there's nothing to set up again.

Single Sign-On (SSO) ​

Better Disqus Comments doesn't support Disqus SSO, a paid Disqus feature that logs visitors in to Disqus with their WordPress account. If your site used it, you'll see:

Better Disqus Comments does not support Disqus Single Sign-On (SSO). Your visitors can still comment by logging in to Disqus directly.

Visitors can still comment — they log in to Disqus, or post as guests if your Disqus settings allow it. If you depend on SSO, let us know on the support forum.

What's different ​

  • Menu. Settings live under Disqus in the admin menu, just below Comments, instead of under Comments → Disqus.
  • Lazy loading. Comments load when they come into view by default. To keep the official plugin's behaviour, pick Immediately.
  • Crawlers. Search engine bots get your synced WordPress comments instead of the Disqus embed — see SEO Mode.
  • Threads. Comments stay attached to the same posts: the Disqus identifier is built exactly as the official plugin built it.

From Disqus Conditional Load 12 or earlier ​

Update the plugin as usual. Every setting is kept — the option names haven't changed. What's new:

From DCL Pro 11.x ​

DCL Pro was one plugin with every premium feature. It's replaced by six separate addons, each doing one thing, sold alone or together in the Premium Bundle:

DCL Pro featureAddon
WooCommerce integrationComments for WooCommerce
Easy Digital Downloads integrationComments for EDD
Disqus Comments widgetComments Widget
Disqus Latest Comments widgetLatest Comments Widget
Button styles, comment count on the buttonAdvanced Buttons
"On Scroll Start" loadingScroll Load
Separate mobile loading methodNow free, in Comment Loading

Existing DCL Pro customers get the Premium Bundle; we'll email you your new license key.

Steps ​

  1. Deactivate DCL Pro. The free plugin can't be activated while DCL Pro is active.
  2. Install and activate Better Disqus Comments from WordPress.org.
  3. Download the addons you use from your Freemius account, and install and activate them. See Installing an addon.
  4. Activate your license in Disqus → Addons. A Premium Bundle key is activated on every addon at once — see Premium Bundle.
  5. Delete DCL Pro.

Your DCL Pro settings — button style, WooCommerce placement, widget settings, the scroll loading method — are kept and picked up by each addon as soon as it's active. Widgets you placed stay in their sidebars.

Keep the official Disqus plugin until you switch

DCL Pro 11.x relies on the official Disqus plugin. If you remove the official plugin while DCL Pro is still active, DCL Pro stops showing comments. Switch to Better Disqus Comments and the addons first.