10 Reddit Hidden Features You Need To Browse Like A Pro

There's a good chance you already know plenty about Reddit, the social aggregation site where people can share news stories, personal anecdotes, and funny memes in a litany of subsections known as subreddits. These subreddits have different themes, so if you want to learn more about automotive repair or get advice when fixing your car — and you can't find that specific issue here on SlashGear — you'd do well to subscribe to r/AutoRepair.

Reddit often gets a bad rap, as is the case with most social media apps these days, but there's a lot of good to be found, provided you get your work done and don't spend hours out of the day browsing through the latest cringey videos. However, if you've ever felt like you could be a more efficient scroller, there's good news. Reddit has numerous hidden features and perks that allow you to navigate through the site effortlessly. 

The Reddit Enhancement Suite is a good place to start. It's not directly affiliated with Reddit, as it's a browser extension that offers various tools to make browsing so much easier. You can hide your username to stay anonymous, upvote from your keyboard, and so much more. However, in the event you don't feel like adding another browser extension to your line-up, there are many features within Reddit itself, both the mobile app and desktop version, you can utilize without having to download something extra. 

Let's start with how you find relevant Reddit posts. Let's say you know there's a post on Reddit you want to find, so you enter a few words describing it in the search bar. Unfortunately, this can lead to you being met with dozens, if not hundreds, of unrelated posts. This kind of issue crops up on numerous platforms, which is why Reddit offers advanced search features, similar to what's on sites like X.

For example, if you want to narrow your search down to a specific subreddit, you would enter subreddit:[SUBREDDIT_NAME] and then the phrase you want to look for. Perhaps you remember the name of the account that posted the content. In that case, you would put author:[AUTHOR_NAME] and any additional content you want. While user accounts come with a u/ before the actual name, you don't need to include the signifier beforehand. 

Additional features exist when you want to refine your search by flair, URL, or title. You can also use multiple search features within a single prompt, so you can find a specific post from a Redditor within the exact subreddit you want. It no longer has to be a guessing game where you attempt to figure out which magic words will bring you the post.

Anyone who has spent a good amount of time on Reddit knows that it's all about accumulating karma. When you post or comment something, people can upvote, allowing you to gain karma. Having a lot of karma basically shows that you engage with the platform a lot, so you can become somewhat of an authority. You may also need a certain amount of karma to access or post in certain subreddits, so it's good to have to get the most out of Reddit. However, when it comes to getting karma, it's just as much about how your post looks as the actual content itself. 

You may feel like stylizing your comments so that certain words are bolded, italicized, or struckthrough. It's the littlest details that make the biggest impact. If you have the newest version of Reddit on desktop, you should see a T when you leave a comment. If you click on that, it'll give you a variety of customizable options to add quotes, add links, and do a lot else. 

It's a bit trickier on mobile. If you leave a comment, you won't find the aforementioned T. You'll have to stylize the old-fashioned way by familiarizing yourself with the various tricks. For example, if you want to bold something, you'll have to format it like this: **word**. Those asterisks will bolden the word once you select Reply. Especially on popular posts, even great comments get lost, but specific stylistic choices allow your responses to stand out. 

Have you ever been to a grocery store you've shopped at for years only to discover they changed everything around, so now you have to look high and low to find the cereal? Websites are similar in that they get redesigns every so often, including Reddit. A massive redesign occurred a while back, and to this day, there are still people who prefer the old layout. If you don't feel like getting reacquainted with the new system, Reddit has made it fairly easy to go back to the way things were. 

If you're accessing Reddit on desktop, you can go to the search bar and enter old.reddit.com. This will automatically format your page so that it looks like the old design. Another option is to press your profile icon and go to Settings. From there, go to Preferences and scroll down toward the bottom of the page until you find the option for Default to old Reddit. Turn this on and your desktop will always show the old version of the platform. It's great if you're hesitant of change or simply prefer the aesthetic. 

You should know all about subreddits, the various communities that allow you to see what people are talking about regarding various subject matter. However, you can take it to the next level by combining any subreddits you want into a single custom feed. In the past, this was known as a multireddit, but it took a while for the feature to come over to the new Reddit design. It's functionally the same thing where you can put whatever subreddits you want into a single list.

To create a custom feed from a mobile device, click the three lines on the top left-hand corner of the screen. This opens up a menu with a section labeled "Custom Feeds," which should already be visible on your desktop. From there, you can name a new feed and write a short description of what it's about. You can make it private so that only you can utilize it, or make it public if you think others may like it. You'll be taken to a new page, and from there, you can add whatever subreddits you want to the feed. If you wanted a one-stop shop for all things related to Marvel, you could add various subreddits from Marvel movies, comic books, and anything else.

A custom feed is a way to further segment your interests instead of only relying on your personal homepage, which will have every single subreddit displayed you're subscribed to. And if you're still on the old Reddit design, there's a way to create a multireddit in a similarly simple fashion. 

On Reddit, comments are just as vital as the initial posts. This is particularly true when the post is merely a question, and you find a great comment answering it. You may want to share it with others — or post it on another platform — but not want to direct them just to the post with the comment requiring a ton of scrolling to find. In the old Reddit on desktop, you could use the Permalink feature to get a custom link that would put the comment at the very top of the page. In the new Reddit design, every comment has a Share feature at the bottom. After clicking that just select Copy Link and you're good to go. 

If you're using Reddit on mobile, you'll have to select the three dots at the bottom of a comment first. You'll receive a ton of options on what to do with the comment, and from there, you can hit Share once again to get that customized link. 

When people think of some of the most prolific Reddit posts of all time, what they're really thinking about are comments. In fact, if there's one you can't seem to find anymore because it was deleted, we have a step-by-step guide on retrieving deleted Reddit posts. 

Scrolling through Reddit may seem like old hat at this point. If you want to make the platform seem shiny and new again, you can try browsing through your favorite subreddits by turning them into slideshows. 

On desktop, you'll go to your web browser's search bar and enter redditp.com/r/[SUBREDDIT_NAME] to go to a specially-formatted view page of the subreddit in question. It'll look like a slideshow with any images taking up the majority of the screen while the header is displayed in the top left-hand corner. It'll cycle through posts at whatever speed you want, which is adjustable from the slideshow menu. That way you don't have to do anything manually and can simply sit back and enjoy the show. Naturally, you can use the arrows on either side of the screen to browse by hand if you so wish. 

It may be advantageous to view Reddit autonomously if there's something more pressing you need to do in the forefront of your home screen but want to stay up-to-date on anything going on in a certain community. Even if you have free access to Microsoft PowerPoint, making slideshows doesn't get any easier than this. 

Wanting to browse anonymously on Reddit doesn't mean you're up to no good. Your homepage is filled with subreddits you already follow, but it may also throw in posts from subreddits you don't follow because the algorithm thinks it's something you might be interested in. It'll reach that conclusion based on your browsing history, so if you want to search for something but don't want it impacting your homepage, you can browse anonymously, provided you're using the Reddit app as this feature isn't available on the regular website. 

Select the profile icon at the top of the screen and press that downward-facing arrow next to your username. It'll give you various account options, including Anonymous Browsing. After selecting that, you can search through Reddit without worrying about your searches impacting your recommendations later. When you're ready to be seen again, you can follow the same steps but go back to your regular account. 

There's also the question of utilizing a VPN, but a VPN may not keep you fully anonymous, particularly from the VPN company itself. Therefore, it's always good to make sure you're dealing with a reputable server. However, a mix of tools can give you greater peace of mind that companies will have a harder time tracking you. 

In contrast to staying anonymous, some people may hope to build their brands on Reddit. Reddit in and of itself doesn't really lend itself to the typical social media format, as it's more of a large-scale forum site. However, in 2017 Reddit began giving users new profile pages as part of a social media push to make them more attractive. The idea is that some Redditors may so well-known that they'll develop a following of people who will want to see everything they post regardless of subreddit. 

Anyone who feels like they belong in that camp could even direct people to their other social media pages. One can do this either on desktop or in the app. You simply need to go to your profile, and there should be a section on the page saying Links. You can select Add Social Link, and Reddit will provide you with an array of social media options. 

You can link your Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, YouTube, SoundCloud, and numerous other pages, so it'll appear on your Reddit profile. Fans who are so inclined can then check out what you post elsewhere. You can even link to your Venmo to see if anyone will send you a few bucks. 

There are areas of Reddit that deserve the bad reputation the website is affiliated with. However, it's ultimately a giant forum with a ton of different subsections with tips and advice on many topics. There's a reason why so many people end a Google search term with Reddit, so that they can hopefully find someone who tackled the same problem they're up against. With that in mind, it's understandable some kids would want to browse Reddit, even if it's only to look at funny memes and videos. As a parent, there are ways to ensure your kids stay safe on the platform.

You may already have your own Reddit account, but you can create another one for your child under the same email. Log out of your current account, and when prompted to enter your password at the login in screen, scroll to the bottom where you'll see New to Reddit? Select Sign Up to create a new account. Now, your kid can access the app on their personal tablet or smartphone. From there, the parent can alter the settings, such as restricting access to content labeled NSFW (not suitable for work). You can even monitor the child's search history. 

If you do choose to start a second account with your email, make sure you keep all the login information in a safe space, as your password manager might have a hard time differentiating between the two. Once everything is set up, you can take advantage of Reddit's built-in controls, which may necessitate outside apps to ensure kids can't find anything nefarious. 

One trick parents may want to utilize both for their children and themselves while browsing Reddit is to make themselves harder to find. As mentioned previously, there are ways to add social media links to your profile for those who want to make a statement on the platform. However, for those not trying to build a personal brand, it may be preferable to fly under the radar a bit more. Even if you don't post anything too controversial, you never know who might be trying to find you online. 

Reddit allows you to alter your discoverability within the Settings tab found by clicking on your avatar. This holds true whether you're on desktop or the app. Go to the Privacy tab and scroll down to Discoverability. You can make yourself hidden on the user list accessible from the old Reddit layout and you can even prevent your homepage from showing up within Google's search results. You can also adjust your chat and messaging permissions if you want to prevent anyone you don't know from sending you something. 

Many people likely log onto Reddit, scroll for a bit, and decide not to adjust any of the settings because it works just fine. There's nothing wrong with that, but online platforms exist for your benefit. Whether you want an easier time finding cool posts or staying safe, Reddit has a bevy of hidden features to do so.