How to Move a Word Comment Without Losing the Original Author
Question details
The user wants to move or copy an existing comment in a Word document to another location or a different document without losing the original author's name and metadata.
- Product
- Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Editing a document with multiple reviewers where specific comments need to be relocated or transferred to a new file.
- Observed behavior
- Moving or copying comments often results in the author name changing to the current user, losing the original commenter's identity.
Always create a backup copy of your document before moving comments, as author metadata can easily be overwritten or lost depending on your specific version of Word.
Cut and Paste the Commented Text
Move the comment along with its associated text to retain the original author information within the document.
The most reliable native method to move a comment without altering its author is to move the actual text the comment is anchored to. Simply copying the text inside the comment bubble and creating a new one will register you as the author.
Highlight the specific text in the document that the target comment is attached to.
Press Ctrl+X (or right-click and select 'Cut') to remove the text and its associated comment from the current location.
Place your cursor at the new desired location within the same document or the destination document.
Press Ctrl+V (or right-click and select 'Keep Source Formatting') to paste the text. The original author's name and timestamp should remain intact.
Use Third-Party Comment Management Tools
Utilize specialized add-ins if native features fail to preserve author metadata across documents.
Manage Document Comments Easily with WPS Writer
WPS Office offers robust comment and review tools, making it easy to track changes, reply to feedback, and manage document collaboration efficiently without complicated workarounds.
- 1. Open your document: Launch WPS Writer and open the document containing the comments you need to manage.
- 2. Access the Review tab: Click on the 'Review' tab located on the top ribbon to reveal all collaboration tools.
- 3. Manage comments: Use the 'Next' and 'Previous' buttons in the Comments section to navigate through feedback, or use the cut-and-paste method on anchored text to relocate comments safely.
- 4. Track changes: Enable 'Track Changes' to keep a precise log of edits and formatting adjustments made by different authors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my name appear when I copy someone else's comment?
When you copy the text from inside a comment bubble and paste it into a brand new comment, the software registers you as the creator of that new comment. To keep the original author, you must cut and paste the actual document text that the comment is anchored to.
Can I manually change the author name of an existing comment?
There is no native button to change the author of an existing comment. You would have to change your username in the software options before creating a new comment, or manually edit the underlying XML code of the document, which is highly technical.
Does copying text with comments work across different software versions?
It varies. Copying and pasting commented text within the same document usually works perfectly. However, pasting into a different document, especially one created in an older or newer version of the software, may sometimes strip the comment or reset the author metadata to the current user.
