How to Add Comments in Word, Post Them and Tidy Up

Comments are how documents get reviewed without anyone rewriting your words. A client can flag a sentence, you can ask your designer a question about a heading, and the text itself stays untouched until you decide what to change. Word's newer comment system adds a twist that catches people out: your comment isn't shared until you post it.

Adding your first comment

1. Select the text you want to comment on, or click where you want the comment to go.
2. On the Review tab, select New Comment.
3. Type what you want to say.
4. Select Post comment, or press Ctrl+Enter (Command+Enter on a Mac).

Four ways to start a comment

Method	How
Ribbon	Review tab, New Comment
Keyboard	Ctrl+Alt+M
Right-click	Right-click the text, choose New comment
Comments pane	Select New at the top of the pane

Microsoft also lists a voice option. If you're dictating, saying "add comment" followed by your words inserts a comment containing that text, and saying "add comment" on its own opens a blank one.

Why your comment didn't appear for anyone else

This is the change people miss. In older versions of Word, pressing Enter posted a comment straight away. Microsoft says that meant collaborators on a shared document might see a comment before you'd finished it. With modern comments, there's a Post comment button, and nothing is shared until you select it or press Ctrl+Enter.

So if you type a comment and walk away, it's still a draft. Microsoft notes you can only draft one comment at a time, and other comment boxes show a message saying another comment is in progress until you post the one you started.

Contextual view or List view

Word gives you two ways to see comments:

• Contextual view: comments sit in the right margin next to the text they refer to. Resolved comments are hidden so you can focus on what's still open.
• List view: the Comments pane opens on the far right and shows every comment, active and resolved, in one list.

Switch between them with the Comments button in the top-right corner of the ribbon. I use Contextual view while I'm working through edits and List view for a final check that nothing's been missed.

Replying, editing and resolving

• Edit your comment: select the pencil icon on it.
• Resolve, delete or link to a thread: select More thread actions (the three dots).
• Tag a colleague: if you're on a work account and the document's saved to the cloud, type @ and their name. Tick the Assign to box and the comment becomes a task for them.

Resolving is usually better than deleting while a document's still in review, because the history's still there if someone asks why a change was made.

Deleting comments before you send

Before a document goes to a client, clear out your internal notes. To delete one, select it and choose Delete on the Review tab. To remove the lot, click the arrow next to Delete and choose Delete All Comments in Document. I've seen a proposal go out with a margin note saying "are we sure about this?", and it's not a good look.

What you can't put in a modern comment

Modern comments are deliberately simple. Microsoft says you can use bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, font colours and highlighting, but not different font sizes, styles or paragraph settings. You can add text and, on Windows, images. Tables, equations, shapes and fields aren't supported in the comment box.

You also can't edit someone else's modern comment. If you need to, Microsoft says you can still do it in the Reviewing Pane, which you'll find on the Review tab.

When comments and tracked changes crowd the screen

If you're reviewing with Track Changes on as well, the margin can fill up fast and push comments off the edge of the page. Microsoft's workaround is to show revisions inline instead: on the Review tab, select Show Markup in the Tracking area, choose Balloons and pick Show All Revisions Inline. If you lose track of which text a comment belongs to, select All Markup on the Review tab so the highlighted anchors show in the document.

A simple review routine for client documents

Here's how I run a review so it doesn't turn into chaos. I send the document with a short note asking the client to use comments rather than edit the text. When it comes back, I work through the comments in Contextual view, reply or resolve each one, and only then make the changes. Finally I switch to List view, check nothing's still open, and delete the lot before sending the clean version.

Working with people on older versions of Word

If your client's on an older version, don't worry. Microsoft confirms that people using older versions of Word on any platform can still see comments you add with modern comments.

My take

Learn Ctrl+Alt+M to start a comment and Ctrl+Enter to post it, and you'll get through a review twice as fast. Just remember to post, and to delete every internal note before a document leaves the building. If you're reviewing in Google Docs instead, here's how to add comments in Google Docs, and for confidential client documents, see my guide to password protecting a Word document.

Frequently asked questions

What is the shortcut to add a comment in Word?

Press Ctrl+Alt+M. Then press Ctrl+Enter to post it.

Why can't other people see my comment?

With modern comments, you need to select Post comment or press Ctrl+Enter before it's shared.

How do I delete all comments in Word?

On the Review tab, click the arrow next to Delete and choose Delete All Comments in Document.

Can I add a picture to a Word comment?

Yes, on Windows. Tables, equations, shapes and fields aren't supported in modern comments.

Can I edit someone else's comment?

Not in a modern comment, but Microsoft says you can edit others' comments in the Reviewing Pane.