How to Accept Comments in a Word Document

Word does not have a command called “Accept Comment.” A comment is a discussion thread, so after you act on the feedback, you normally resolve the thread or delete it. If the reviewer also made a tracked insertion, deletion, or formatting change, use Review → Accept to apply that revision.

Quick Answer

• To finish a comment: open the comment, apply the requested edit, select More thread actions (…), and choose Resolve thread.
• To remove a comment permanently: choose Delete thread or Delete Comment.
• To accept an actual edit: select the tracked change and use Review → Accept.
• Accept All Changes affects tracked revisions only; it does not automatically resolve or delete comments.

What Does “Accept Comments” Mean in Word?

The search phrase “how do I accept comments in a Word document” usually describes two different review tasks. Word treats them separately, so the correct button depends on what you see in the document.

Review item	What it contains	Correct action
Comment thread	A note, question, reply, or assigned task attached to text	Apply the feedback, then Resolve or Delete the thread
Tracked change	An insertion, deletion, move, or formatting revision	Use Accept or Reject
Comment plus tracked change	A reviewer explains an edit in a comment and also changes the text	Accept or reject the revision first, then resolve the related comment

This distinction matters because selecting a comment does not activate the Accept command. Likewise, resolving a comment does not apply a tracked deletion or insertion that appears beside it.

How to Resolve a Comment in Word on Windows or Mac

Use this method when the reviewer left a note and you have already made the requested correction.

1. Open the document and go to the Review tab.
2. Select Show Comments. In newer versions of Word, choose List view when you want to see active and resolved threads together.
3. Select the comment you want to handle and read the full thread.
4. Make the requested change in the document. If the comment refers to a tracked revision, accept or reject that revision separately.
5. In the comment card, select More thread actions (…).
6. Choose Resolve thread to mark the discussion as completed.

A resolved comment is hidden from the default contextual view but can remain available in the Comments pane. If you resolved it too early, open the comments list, find the resolved thread, and choose Reopen.

When should you delete a comment instead?

Use Delete thread when the note is no longer needed and you do not need to preserve the discussion. Deleting is more permanent than resolving. In classic comment layouts, the command may appear as Delete Comment on the Review tab or shortcut menu.

To remove every remaining comment after the review is complete, use the arrow next to Delete and select Delete All Comments in Document. Do this only after confirming that all feedback has been handled.

How to Accept Tracked Changes Linked to Comments

Reviewers often add a comment to explain why they inserted, deleted, or reformatted text. The comment and the revision are separate objects. Accepting the edit does not close the discussion, and resolving the discussion does not accept the edit.

Accept one tracked change at a time

1. Click at the beginning of the document or select a specific revision.
2. Go to Review and locate the Accept command.
3. Select Accept and Move to Next to apply the current revision and continue reviewing.
4. Return to the related comment, confirm that the request has been addressed, and resolve the thread.

Accept every tracked change

Open the Accept drop-down menu and choose Accept All Changes. Some versions also offer Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking. Use these options only after reviewing the document or saving a separate marked-up copy.

Do not rely on No Markup as a final cleanup step. No Markup only hides tracked revisions. The revisions remain in the file until you accept or reject them.

How to Accept Comments in Word for the Web

Word for the web uses the same basic distinction between comments and tracked changes.

1. Open the document with editing permission.
2. Select Comments or go to Review → Show Comments.
3. Open the thread, apply the requested feedback, and use the thread menu to Resolve it.
4. For a tracked insertion or deletion, select the revision and use Review → Accept or Reject.

If the controls are unavailable, confirm that the file is not open in view-only mode and that the owner has given you editing access. Menu names can differ slightly between the web and desktop versions, but comments still need to be resolved or deleted, while revisions need to be accepted or rejected.

How to Review Comments and Changes in WPS Writer

WPS Writer can open .docx files that contain comments and tracked revisions. The review workflow is similar, although the exact comment menu can vary by WPS Office version.

1. Open the document in WPS Writer and select the Review tab.
2. Move through the comments and apply each requested correction in the document.
3. Use the available comment menu to reply, close, resolve, or delete the thread, depending on the version you are using.
4. For tracked revisions, use Accept or Reject in the Review tab.
5. To finalize all tracked edits, open the Accept menu and choose Accept All Changes in Document, then turn off Track Changes if the review is finished.

After editing, save the file as .docx when it needs to be reopened in Microsoft Word. Before sending the final copy, reopen the file and confirm that the expected comments and revision marks are gone.

Why Can’t I Resolve or Accept Comments?

If the expected command is missing or grayed out, one of these situations is usually responsible:

• You selected a comment rather than a tracked revision. Use Resolve or Delete for the comment; use Accept only for inserted, deleted, moved, or reformatted content.
• The document is read-only or protected. Select Enable Editing, request edit access, or save an editable copy if permitted.
• Track Changes is locked. A document owner may have protected tracking with a password, preventing other reviewers from turning it off or finalizing changes.
• The Comments pane is hiding resolved threads. Open Review → Show Comments and switch to List view to see active and resolved comments.
• You are using No Markup. Change the display to All Markup or another review view so the revisions can be selected.
• The file is in an older or incompatible format. Save a copy as .docx and reopen it, then check the Review tools again.

When the goal is simply to find all feedback before acting on it, start with this guide to view comments on a Word document.

Best Practice Before You Accept Everything

1. Save a review copy. Keep one version with comments and markup so you can check the original feedback later.
2. Review changes one by one. Accept All is faster, but it can apply unwanted deletions, formatting changes, or edits from multiple reviewers.
3. Resolve comments only after taking action. Otherwise, completed and unfinished requests become difficult to distinguish.
4. Check the final document in All Markup. Confirm that no unexpected revisions remain before switching to a clean view.
5. Remove leftover discussion threads. Resolve threads you want to preserve or use the appropriate method to remove comments from the Word document.
6. Run a final inspection for sensitive files. In desktop Word, go to File → Info → Check for Issues → Inspect Document to check for comments, tracked changes, hidden text, and personal information.

For contracts, academic submissions, policies, and client documents, distribute a clean final copy while keeping the reviewed version in a separate archive.

Manage Word Comments with WPS Office

WPS Writer provides familiar Review tools for reading comments, checking tracked revisions, and editing Word-compatible documents. It can be useful when you need to review a .docx file across Windows, macOS, Linux, or mobile devices.

Use the same safe workflow in any editor: apply the feedback first, accept or reject actual revisions, then resolve or remove comment threads. Always verify the final file before sharing it with another reviewer.

FAQs

Is Accept the same as Resolve for comments?

No. Accept applies a tracked revision to the document. Resolve thread marks a comment discussion as completed.

Can I accept all comments at once?

Word does not use an Accept All command for comments. You can accept all tracked changes, and you can delete all comments, but you should apply the feedback before deleting the threads.

Does Accept All Changes remove comments?

No. It applies tracked insertions, deletions, moves, and formatting changes. Comment threads remain until you resolve or delete them.

Can I reopen a resolved comment?

Yes, in modern comments. Open the Comments pane in List view, find the resolved thread, and choose Reopen.

Why is the Accept button grayed out?

You may have selected a comment instead of a tracked change, the document may be read-only, or no visible revision may be selected. Switch to All Markup and confirm that you have editing permission.

Can I undo an accepted change?

Use Undo immediately while the document is still open. After saving and closing, restore a previous version, backup, or marked-up copy if one is available.

Summary

How do I accept comments in a Word document? First apply the feedback in the comment. Then use Resolve thread to mark the discussion complete or Delete to remove it. Use Review → Accept only for tracked text or formatting changes. Before accepting all changes or deleting all comments, save a copy and review the document carefully.