How to Add Comments in Word

If you want to draw someone’s attention to a certain part of a document, you can highlight portions of the text. You can also add a comment to some text if you have something to say about it.

Highlight Text

Highlighting text adds a brightly-colored background to some selected text.

1. Select the text you want to highlight.
2. On the Home tab, click the Text Highlight Color button list arrow.

   A few bright colors will be shown.

3. Select a color.
   

The text is highlighted with a bold, bright background.

To remove text highlighting, select the text, click the Text Highlight Color button list arrow, and select No Color.

You can also just click the Text Highlight button to load the highlighter, then click and drag your cursor over the text you want to highlight. Then click the Text Highlight button again to turn it off when you’re done.

Insert a Comment

Adding a comment to a document is like writing a note in the page’s margin. You can use Word’s comments feature to add suggestions, notes, or reminders to your documents. Comments appear in boxes at the side of the page.

1. Select the text you want to add a comment to.
2. Click the Review tab.
3. Click the New Comment button in the Comments group.

   Right-click in the document and select New Comment.

   

4. Type your comment, then click outside the comment box when you’re finished.
   

Now anyone else viewing the document will see what you had to say about it.

To edit a comment, simply click in the comment balloon and edit the text as needed.

Delete a Comment

You can delete a comment after you’ve added it.

1. Select the comment by clicking anywhere in it.
2. Click the Delete button in the Comments group on the Review tab.
   

The comment is deleted.

To delete all comments, click the Delete button list arrow and select Delete All Comments in Document.

Reply to a Comment

In addition to making your own new comments, you can have a conversation by replying to comments made by other people.

1. Click the Reply button in the selected comment.
2. Type your response, then click outside of the comment box.
   

A reply is added below the comment.

Show/Hide Comments

If comments are distracting, you can easily hide them. This does not remove them, it only hides them from view.

1. Expand the Tracking group on the Review tab, if necessary.
2. Click the Show Markup button list arrow.

Notice that Comments is checked here, indicating that comments are shown.

3. Select Comments to uncheck it.
   

Now, the comments are hidden and won't appear. To show comments again, just check Comments again in the same menu.

The Show Comments button in the Comments group on the Review tab can be clicked to toggle whether the comments are shown or collapsed into icons. This option is only available when Simple Markup is the selected display.