Recover a Reddit account that posted without you

Unknown posts, votes or chat messages are stronger evidence of account misuse than a single unfamiliar IP address. Reddit also lists unrecognized authorized apps and unexpected password or email changes as warning signs. A password reset is urgent, but it is not the whole job: an attacker may have changed your recovery email, granted an app access or sent scams to others under your name.

Before you start​

Use a trusted device and open reddit.com directly. Save screenshots or URLs of unfamiliar activity before removing it, particularly if people may have been deceived. Secure your email account first if it can reset Reddit; otherwise an intruder who controls email can undo your work. Do not give a recovery code to someone claiming to be Reddit staff in chat.

Do it step by step​

1. While you can still sign in, inspect Settings and the account activity page. Note unfamiliar sessions, IP history, posts, comments, votes and sent chats. An unfamiliar IP alone can reflect travel or a network change, so compare several signals.
2. Change the Reddit password to a unique one, then use the account activity page to log out of active sessions. Review the email address on the account and restore your own verified email if it changed without permission.
3. Review authorized applications on your profile or account settings. Revoke access to anything you did not approve or no longer use, and inspect connected sign-in methods. Do not assume a password change revokes every app authorization.
4. Enable two-factor authentication and store the backup codes away from the same device. Check that your recovery email and password manager are secure. If you reused the old password elsewhere, replace it on those services too.
5. Remove fraudulent posts or comments after preserving evidence, and warn affected communities or contacts that messages sent from your account during the incident may be untrustworthy. Use the report controls for impersonation or scams where relevant.
6. If you are locked out, use Reddit's official account-recovery instructions. If the email was changed, Reddit describes a reversal email that requires the original address and a password reset. If recovery still fails, submit the Security problems / I think my account has been hacked request with your username and concrete evidence.

Check the result​

You control the account with your own email, password and second factor; unfamiliar sessions and app authorizations are gone; and the public activity has been reviewed and corrected where possible.

If something goes wrong​

If a reset email never arrives, check the original address, spam folder and whether the account used a different sign-in method. Do not pay a recovery agent on Reddit. If someone continues posting after a password reset, recheck sessions, email security, apps and the device itself.

Know the limit​

Deleting posts does not erase screenshots or copies. Reddit's session and app controls address the account, not malware on a compromised computer. If financial fraud or threats were involved, preserve evidence and contact the relevant provider or local authority through known channels. Reddit compromised-account help Reddit two-factor setup