SharePoint Document Issues

Fix Missing SharePoint Comment Notifications in Combined Word Documents

Camila Milosovich Oct 1, 2026 869 views

Question details

External authors do not receive email notifications when someone replies to their comments if those comments were merged into a Word document using the Combine feature.

How to Fix Missing SharePoint Comment Notifications for Combined Word Documents

Product: Microsoft Word, SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Collaborating on a Word document hosted in a SharePoint library and merging comments from external authors using the Combine feature.
Observed behavior: Comments added through Compare and Combine do not trigger automatic email notifications to the original external authors when someone replies to them.

Before you start

Verify that the external authors have the appropriate permission levels to access the SharePoint file and ensure that standard email notifications are functioning normally for regular, non-combined comments.

Solution 1Recommended

Use @Mentions to Manually Notify Authors

Since SharePoint does not automatically notify external authors of replies to combined comments, you can manually trigger an alert by using the @mention feature.

The Combine feature inserts comments as static updates rather than active conversational threads linked to the original user's email. By using @mentions, you force SharePoint to send a direct email notification.

Open the Document

Navigate to your SharePoint library and open the combined Word document in Word for the Web or the Word desktop app.

Locate the Comment

Go to the 'Review' tab, click on 'Show Comments', and locate the specific comment merged from the external author.

Use the @Mention Feature

Click inside the 'Reply' box, type the '@' symbol followed by the external author's name or email address, and post the reply to trigger an alert.

Use @Mentions to Manually Notify Authors

Guest Access Required: The @mention feature requires the external user to be listed in your organization's directory or explicitly granted guest access to the SharePoint environment.

Solution 2

Create a Power Automate Workflow

Use Microsoft Power Automate to set up custom email alerts when a combined document is modified in SharePoint.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Office for Seamless Document Collaboration

While SharePoint and Word have specific limitations with comment notifications in combined files, WPS Office offers a highly compatible, free, and lightweight alternative for document editing and team collaboration.

1. Download and Install: Visit the official WPS website to download and install WPS Office for free.
2. Open Your Document: Launch WPS Writer and open your .docx file to retain all original formatting.
3. Collaborate Effortlessly: Navigate to the 'Review' tab to insert comments, track changes, and share the document with external authors.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) formats.Rich commenting, sharing, and track-changes features for easy collaboration.Lightweight software that runs smoothly on Windows, Mac, and mobile platforms.Free to download with a familiar and intuitive user interface.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do regular comments trigger notifications but combined comments do not?

When standard comments are added directly to a file hosted on SharePoint, the system registers the user's action and sends automatic alerts. However, comments merged via the 'Combine' tool are treated by the backend as static document content updates rather than native interactive comments, bypassing the original author's notification trigger.

Does enabling 'Track Changes' fix the notification issue in combined documents?

No. While Track Changes maintains the history of edits and comments in the document for auditing purposes, it does not alter how SharePoint's backend handles automated email notifications for merged files.

Can external users still see the replies if they manually open the file?

Yes. As long as the external authors still have the appropriate viewing permissions for the SharePoint document, they can open the file and view all merged comments and new replies, even if they did not receive an email notification.

Document & File Issues