How to Add Comments in Word (Reply, Resolve and Delete)

Comments let you give feedback on a document without changing the text itself. They appear in the margin, so the author can read them, reply and decide what to do.

Quick reference

What you want	How
New comment	Ctrl + Alt + M or Review → New Comment
Tag a colleague	Type @ and their name
Move between comments	Review → Previous / Next
Delete all comments	Review → Delete → Delete All Comments in Document

1. Add a comment

1. Select the word, sentence or paragraph you want to comment on.
2. Press Ctrl + Alt + M, or go to Review → New Comment.
3. Type your comment and click the Post arrow (or press Ctrl + Enter).

The text you selected is highlighted and your comment appears in the right margin.

2. Tag someone with @

In a document saved to OneDrive or SharePoint, type @ followed by a colleague's name in your comment. They'll get an email with a link straight to it, and the comment can be assigned to them as a task.

3. Reply to a comment

Click Reply under the comment and type. Replies stay together in one thread, so the conversation is easy to follow.

4. Resolve a comment

Once something's been dealt with, click the ⋯ on the comment and choose Resolve thread. It fades out but is still there if you need to reopen it.

5. Move through every comment

Use Review → Previous and Next in the Comments group. Or click Show Comments → List to see them all in a pane.

6. Delete comments

• One comment: click ⋯ → Delete thread.
• All comments: Review → Delete (arrow) → Delete All Comments in Document.

Before you send a document

Comments travel with the file. Before sending to a client, run File → Info → Check for Issues → Inspect Document to find and remove comments, tracked changes and hidden text.

Troubleshooting

I can't see any comments. Go to Review → Show Comments, and check Review → Tracking is set to Simple Markup or All Markup, not No Markup.

My name is wrong on comments. Change it in File → Options → General → User name.

Wrapping up

Select text, Ctrl + Alt + M, type. Resolve threads as you go, and always inspect the document before it leaves your hands.