Reddit Will Restrict Old Reddit Access to Users Active Within the Past Six Months

Reddit is planning additional restrictions on Old Reddit. In the coming months, users will need to have accessed Old Reddit while logged in within the previous six months to continue using the legacy version of the site.

Reddit began requiring users to log in to access Old Reddit in July. The company says the requirement is intended to reduce scraping and automated traffic, which it describes as a major source of abuse on the platform.

In a Reddit post, an employee known on the platform as “judy-funnie” said the upcoming change would limit Old Reddit access to logged-in users who have used the site within the past six months.

“In the coming months, we will further limit access for logged-in users to only those who have used Old Reddit within the past six months (this will cover the majority of all Old Reddit users).”

Moderators will be exempt from the new restriction. They will be able to access Old Reddit as long as they are logged in, regardless of when they last used it.

“This will make Old Reddit available to people who rely on it, while reducing automated abuse,” the Reddit post states.

Why Reddit is restricting Old Reddit access

Reddit says requiring users to log in and limiting access based on recent activity will help reduce scraping and automated abuse. The company’s current rules allow any logged-in account to access Old Reddit, including accounts that have never previously used the legacy site.

Reddit did not explain why allowing those accounts to use Old Reddit is a problem when asked for additional details.

Could Reddit shut down Old Reddit?

Many longtime Reddit users prefer Old Reddit because of its look, layout, homepage feed, and overall simplicity. The latest restrictions have raised concerns that Reddit could eventually shut down the legacy interface.

When asked whether Reddit plans to discontinue Old Reddit, spokeswoman Rosa Kim said in an email:

As Reddit CEO Steve Huffman previously confirmed, Reddit continues to work toward the future of Old Reddit. This change is intended to limit unauthenticated access and reduce automated fraud, and does not remove users or moderators who rely on Old Reddit. We want to preserve Old Reddit for the real people who use it, rather than turning it into a vector for automated abuse.

For now, Old Reddit remains available to eligible users, while moderators can continue accessing it without the six-month activity requirement.