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How to Show All Word Comments in Contextual View
Question details
The user wants to display all comments directly beside the relevant text in the document context, rather than in a separate comments list pane.
- Product
- Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Reviewing or editing a document where comments are separated from the text and pushed into a side list.
- Observed behavior
- Some comments appear only in the comments list and do not show up beside the related text, especially after the document has been heavily edited.
Ensure you have saved your current document, as you will need to completely restart the Word application for the comment display settings to take effect.
Disable Modern Comments to Restore Contextual View
Turning off the modern comments feature restores the classic comment behavior, forcing all notes to appear beside the relevant text in the document margin.
Microsoft introduced Modern Comments to streamline collaboration, but it pushes some comments into a separate list. Reverting to classic comments fixes this issue.
Click on the 'File' tab in the top-left corner of the window and select 'Options' at the bottom of the menu to open the Word Options dialog box.
Navigate to the 'General' tab. Scroll down to the User Interface options and clear the checkbox next to 'Enable modern comments'.
Click 'OK' to save your new settings, then completely close and reopen the Word application for the changes to take effect.
Hide Formatting Comments
Hiding formatting changes in the markup can free up space in the margin, allowing standard text comments to appear in context rather than being pushed to the list.
Easily Manage and View Comments Contextually with WPS Office
WPS Office provides a streamlined, classic comment system by default, ensuring your feedback and notes are always displayed right next to the relevant text without needing complex configuration.
- 1. Open Document in WPS Writer: Launch WPS Office and open your .docx file containing the comments.
- 2. Navigate to the Review Tab: Click on the 'Review' tab located in the top ribbon menu.
- 3. Enable Comment Display: Ensure 'Show Comments' is active in the ribbon. All comments will automatically appear in the margin, directly beside the referenced text.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Word change the way comments look?
Microsoft introduced 'Modern Comments' to align the commenting experience across different platforms and facilitate better collaboration. However, this separates some comments into a list view instead of the classic contextual margin view.
Will I lose my comments if I turn off modern comments?
No, turning off modern comments only changes how they are displayed on your screen. No comments or data will be deleted or lost during this transition.
Why are my comments still not showing next to the text after restarting?
If you have too many formatting changes tracked, there may not be enough room in the margin to display everything. Try hiding formatting markup by going to Review > Show Markup and unchecking Formatting.
