Reddit plans to restrict browsing without an account

Reddit plans to move toward a “primarily logged-in experience,” requiring visitors to sign in for more of its service.

Tests will begin in selected countries outside the US during the fourth quarter, according to its shareholder letter. The company has not named those markets or set a global rollout date.

The shift comes as search engines send fewer visitors to Reddit. CEO Steve Huffman described search as increasingly becoming an AI-powered destination itself, where people receive answers without visiting other sites. Reddit said its search referrals fell significantly in the third quarter, with the decline continuing into October.

Requiring accounts would help Reddit build a more regular audience and collect signals for recommendations and ad targeting. Signed-in users and app users already account for more than 80% of its monetization. Huffman also said most unauthorized scraping happens through logged-out access, making the change a way to control how Reddit’s data is collected and used.

People arriving through Google or shared links may still be able to read posts. In a post explaining the decision, Huffman said Reddit wants visitors to see the content they came for and considers logged-out access to the front page useful. The precise restrictions remain undecided.

Signing in will not require a real name. “We don't need your name. We don't need to know who you are,” Huffman wrote.

Reddit is also rebuilding its app’s incognito mode, which Huffman says will allow browsing and searching without affecting a signed-in account. It will be read-only.