Document Editing Problems

How to Remove Your Name from Word Comments Without Removing Others

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to remove or hide their own author name from comments in a Word document without affecting the names of other commenters.

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Collaborating on a document with multiple stakeholders and needing to anonymize personal replies or comments while preserving the client's identity.
Observed behavior: Using Microsoft Word's Document Inspector removes all personal information and changes all commenters' names to 'Author', offering no built-in method to target a single user's identity on existing comments.

Before you start

Before attempting to strip metadata from your document, save a separate backup copy. Once the Document Inspector removes personal information, the original author names cannot be automatically restored.

Solution 1Recommended

Change Your User Name for New Comments

Since Word cannot selectively remove existing author names, the best workaround is to change your default user name to an anonymous alias before adding new comments or replies.

Microsoft Word stamps the current Office user name onto comments at the exact moment they are created. By temporarily changing this setting, any new replies you make will appear under the new alias, while existing comments from other authors remain untouched.

Access Word Options

Open your document in Microsoft Word. Click on 'File' in the top-left corner of the ribbon, then select 'Options' at the bottom of the menu.

Modify Personal Information

In the Word Options window, stay on the 'General' tab. Scroll down to the 'Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office' section.

Set an Anonymous Name

Change the 'User name' and 'Initials' fields to something generic, such as 'Anonymous' and 'ANON'.

Force the Name Change

Check the box next to 'Always use these values regardless of sign-in to Office' to ensure Word uses this alias instead of your Microsoft account name. Click 'OK'.

Add Your Comments

Return to your document and add your replies or comments. They will now appear under the anonymous alias. Remember to change the settings back to your real name when you are finished.

Applies to New Comments Only: This method only affects comments and replies created after the setting is changed. It will not retroactively alter the name on comments you have already posted.

Solution 2

Use Document Inspector (Removes All Names)

If completely anonymizing the document is acceptable, use the Document Inspector to strip all metadata. Note that this will remove the client's name as well as yours.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I edit the author name of a comment already posted in Word?

No, Microsoft Word does not provide a built-in feature to change the author name on an existing comment. You can only alter the user name for new comments by updating your settings before posting them.

Why did Word change all comment names to 'Author'?

This happens when the Document Inspector is used to remove document properties and personal information. It is a global privacy feature that scrubs all metadata, replacing every specific user name with the generic label 'Author'.

How do I reply to a client's comment without revealing my identity?

Before you click 'Reply', go to File > Options > General. Change your User Name and Initials to an alias (like 'Anonymous'), check 'Always use these values regardless of sign-in to Office', click OK, and then type your reply.

Document & File Issues