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How to Hide Comment Balloons and Use the Reviewing Pane in Word
Question details
The user wants to hide comment balloons in the document margin and use the Reviewing pane instead, as switching to Draft view hides figures.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Reviewing a document and managing comments without having balloons cluttering the margins or losing visibility of document figures.
- Observed behavior
- Recent updates force comments into modern balloons, locking the inline revision settings, and switching to Draft view to avoid balloons causes document figures to disappear.
Make sure you have saved your current document, as reverting core comment settings may require you to completely restart Microsoft Word to take effect.
Disable Modern Comments to Restore Classic Settings
Turning off the modern comments feature allows you to revert to classic balloon settings and manage inline revisions normally.
In newer versions of Microsoft Word, the 'Modern Comments' feature overrides traditional display settings, making it difficult to hide balloons or show revisions inline. Disabling this feature restores your control over how comments and markups are displayed.
Click on 'File' in the top-left corner of the ribbon, then select 'Options' at the bottom of the menu.
In the General tab, scroll down to the 'User Interface options' section and clear the checkbox next to 'Enable modern comments'.
Click 'OK' to save your changes. Close and reopen Microsoft Word for the classic comment interface to be fully restored.
Hide Balloons via the Tracking Menu
Adjust the Tracking display settings to stop showing comments and formatting revisions as balloons in the margins.
Use WPS Writer for Simplified Document Review and Commenting
WPS Office provides an intuitive and highly compatible alternative for document editing. You can easily manage track changes, hide comment balloons, and view revisions in a clean reviewing pane without complex settings.
- 1. Open your Document: Launch WPS Writer and open your Word document (.docx).
- 2. Access the Review Tab: Navigate to the 'Review' tab on the main ribbon to find tracking and commenting tools.
- 3. Manage Comment Balloons: Click 'Track Changes', navigate to the 'Balloons' option, and adjust the settings to hide side margin comments.
- 4. Open the Reviewing Pane: Click the 'Reviewing Pane' button to comfortably read and manage all document comments and revisions in a dedicated sidebar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I change the option to show revisions inline in Word?
In recent updates, Microsoft Word's 'Modern Comments' feature overrides classic inline tracking settings. You must disable Modern Comments via File > Options > General before you can restore full control over inline revisions.
How do I see my comments if I hide the balloons?
You can view hidden comments by enabling the Reviewing Pane. Go to the Review tab, locate the Tracking group, and click 'Reviewing Pane'. This opens a vertical or horizontal panel displaying all document revisions and comments.
Why do my document figures disappear when I switch to Draft view?
Draft view is designed to optimize text editing speed by simplifying the document's appearance. It intentionally hides images, figures, headers, and complex layouts. To see both your text and figures, you must use Print Layout view.
Will disabling modern comments delete my existing comments?
No. Disabling modern comments only changes how the comments are displayed on your screen. All existing comments and replies will remain safely in the document and will be displayed using the classic balloon or inline format.
