Modern Comments (horrible name!) Keep it tuned to OnMSFT.com for all the latest guides, how-tos, and news on Microsoft Teams. Accessibility features, such as keyboard navigation and the screen reader experiences, are not yet complete. Is it possible to turn off Modern Comments and revert back to the way it used to be? Nov 21 2022 The old form of the comments is displayed. The new ribbon shows fewer icons and takes up less space. Hello@chiara369 and all others who don't like modern comments. Re: Can I remove Modern Comments and revert back? Instead, commented-on text is shaded in gray until a specific comment is either in progress or hovered over or selected; then the shading turns purple (as in the screenshot above). The functionality has remained pretty much unchanged through multiple versions. It was easy. For example, if I try to add a comment elsewhere in the document before posting the one thats in progressor before clicking the X, which will abandon a new comment or leave an existing comment uneditedWord will put me back into that original comment, which will now have a message for me in red: Please post your comment (Ctrl+Enter).. If you don't find the missing file in these locations, open Word, and select File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents. Microsoft has introduced a temporary option in Word that lets you turn off Modern Comments and revert to Classic Comments. Don't worry, it's not a major change. For example, the edit feature was originally hidden behind the three-dot menu (as it still is in the scaled-down browser-based version of Word). Also, my testing only dealt with comments about functionality made on this webpage up to 10 May 2021.). For more info and to customize your settings, hit While some have been resolved, many havent, and the productivity hit for those of us who use comments in our editing practises every day is enormous. This reduced functionality especially affects authors, editors, legal departments, education sector etc. 3. Sorry, JavaScript must be enabled to use this app. Users will be able to respond to comments directly from an email notification. This allows you to focus on your content without missing active comments related to the part of the document youre working on. Things move fast and i am old.. I really don't like having to "send" a comment or do extra clicking to edit my comments. @JR_UW1552 The "Proper Report" is you using the Feedback mechanism in Word. Some of these comments are up to a paragraph, or contain URLs to instructions for certain things. I can still use it in version 16.67. Your Consent Options link on the site's footer. This update sounds like it should be a good one. Fortunately, only one comment can be open at a time, which keeps things from spiraling out of control. In Docs, the text in comments cant be formatted in the usual way. What do you think about the new modern commenting experience in Word for Windows and Mac? After you draft a new comment or reply, click the Post button or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Enter (Windows) or Cmd + Enter (MacOS) to share your thoughts with others. It's incredibly helpful to be able to insert these quickly and will increase my marking time substantially if I can't use them. Sep 26 2021 Collaboration put Docs on the map, and many people want Word to work like that also. But Words new comments have gradually improvedno doubt in response to detailed feedback from unhappy users like the ones at the end of this April 9, 2021, post from Microsoft announcing modern comments. I could do as Word asks, or I could change my mind and click the X. What might happen, as a result of user feedback, is that minor tweaks may be introduced, that is, the comment feature may be a little more customizable than it is today. Create a comment thread: Select the text you want to comment on in your document and press Ctrl+Alt+M. Or issue terse responses. I am still using Word 2019 and it serves me well. Put your cursor where it needs to bein the document or in a commentand start typing or deleting or finding and replacing or whatever. We cover everything from the Windows Insider program to Windows 10X. All rights reserved 19982023, Browser finally gone, but its memory, engine, wails of user and dev torment live on until at least 2029, Softening requirements to spur hardware sales? Formatting is next to impossible and many many other features are not available. 01:44 AM Users have also taken to social media to express their disquiet at the change. Office themes are not yet fully supported. Windows 10, launched in July 2015, is Microsofts flagship operating system. PhraseExpress [PE], TextExpander) instead of AutoCorrect (AC) for your editing comments (NOTE: Beware: If you use the same code in AC and in PE, the code from PE will work in the comments, but in the main document, youll get a double-up of the expanded text. If this isn't for you, there's a very easy way to get the classic ribbon back. You cant do that using modern comments. Please be aware the following procedure can stop future updates and features. ", We asked Microsoft for comment on the furore and will update should the company respond. Thankgoodness for your post. Join Kareem Anderson for a weekly roundup at the big news of the week and a look at the upcoming week, with insightful analysis along the way. Figure 3. Options button in the Styles task pane 4. thanks for people writing this thread, helped save so much time!!!! Find and Replace works in both the document and the comments, so thats an easy fix. For example, I couldnt use @mentions in the draft file that I saved in OneDrive while signed in to my personal Microsoft account. The functionality of using comments has been greatly reduced with the introduction of Modern Comments (MC) into Microsoft Word. Microsoft introduced a "simplified ribbon" in early 2021 for various Office programs, including Microsoft Outlook on Windows, Word for web, and Excel for web. Learn moreabout what other information you should include in your feedback to ensureits actionable and reaches the right people. You might need your IT department to help. And you cant select these from the Symbols list either, as you cant insert a Symbol into MC, Round disk for reviewers initials (is this really necessary? thanks for sharing. Welcome to OnPodcast: the OnMSFT.com podcast! You will see all comment texts are in selection then. Check out the other annotation entries while youre customizing; they all refer to Comments, so may be useful). That makes just about any workaround possible. Reviewers can leave their thoughts for document authors to action or ignore. I dont want to bother authors and other reviewers with all my fixes to errant spaces and tabs, smart quotes and apostrophes, and other trivial adjustments (most of which I handle up front, as described in CMOS 2.80). I am still using older versions of Office, but I learned from your post about some very valuable features of Classic Comments. Lets resurrect that too! I also work with Track Changes off. Select Accept or Reject . It seems to work!! There have been a number of times I've posted a comment then tried to ctrl+F something in the document, but it won't respond to my ctrl+F. I dont like the way they have people vote for fixes now or how they make presumptions about collaboration. Finally, click the Post comment button to publish it. Phew. (LogOut/ Select Preferences > General > uncheck the box next to Enable modern comments. 11:08 AM. MS Word Index. Select the Home tab in the ribbon. The fastest way to do this is by clicking the file name in the top bar in Microsoft Word. In Word neither "text prediction" nor "modern comments" are available. (If you use a different location, version . And there are some real advantages to the new interface. But as Word will tell you, youll need to open the Revisions pane (a.k.a. If you are using Outlook 2016, 2019, or 365, copy the following line, then right click in the command prompt window to paste it. To do this, select Start, enter .asd in the Search box, then press Enter. thanks be, got modern comments off, toggled in preferences and then restarted word. * This update sounds like it should be a good one. So much functionality has been lost, while other functions that used to take no time at all now require several clicks to access. no option to revert to classic comments, with their previous functionality, including an option to turn off collaboration features. Your comments will be seen by others only after youve finished editing them and have clicked the Post button. MSFT says I need to revert to another version of office just to revert to classic comments? That seems to have done the trick. Then go to change the formatting as you like. My typing has evolved to use those features. I also tend to toggle tracking on and off. Not everyone wants or needs to make changes in real time. In Word for Windows, click File > Options > General and clear the check mark next to "Enable modern comments." Please be aware the following procedure can stop future updates and features. Here are two ways to delete comments. To go back and edit that comment (or any other comment in the document), I can simply click into it and start typing. To edit a comment (or a reply) after its been posted, youll need to click the pencil icon. And you can mention someone in a Google Docs comment using the @ symbol, which triggers an email to that person and lets you assign the comment as a task. Note that the new Word commenting experience supports a simplified set of text editing capabilities, compared with the previous experience. Thats no doubt part of the plan. you have got to be kidding me. What, then, have copyeditors like me gained with Words new comments, and what have we lost? I've signed both, and will check yours out, too! If I forget to post and try to type a new comment, it pulls me back to my previous comment and starts typing, making me lose my spot where I wanted the next comment. Click Yes or No below. Being signed in with a work or school account means @ mentions in the comment will fire off notifications via email (with a link to the document in question and the option to add yet more comments). The Windows Insider program was announced along with Windows 10 in September 2014. Thanks for re-sending the URL. Method 2: Place your cursor in the comment or the text connected to the comment and then select the Delete menu arrow in the Review tab. As you accept or reject changes, Word will move to the next change. Maybe we need to offer MS a bitcoin as ransom to get them to give us an option to use our old comment system. Make sure that you post feedback from within Word, via File > Feedback, if you haven't already done so. Modern comments continue to work like comments did before. Info tab 3. This setting is temporaryand will be removed in the future. , The Register Biting the hand that feeds IT, Copyright. Awful time-wasting feature! I'm in and I'd pay good money to revert to it. Russell Harper (@cpyeditor) is editor of TheChicago Manual of Style Online Q&A and was the principal reviser of the last two editions of The Chicago Manual of Style. Use the Feedback facility available within Word. Choose how you view comments In Word you'll find comments to the right of your page, by default. My computer screen isn't large enough to cope with the extra width. But where is Preferences hidden? 09:26 AM. . Unfortunately, text in Modern comments can no longer be spellchecked. You can look up build numbers at Version numbers of update branches for Office 365 clients. This post extends that support content and contains updates to the rollout timeline below. No one. Sometimes, comments are just comments to help the author improve their writing," grumbled another victim of this vision. Not something that is necessarily a huge issue but it is annoying and I can't see the purpose for keeping a comment selected when it's posted and non-responsive. In the meantime the recommendation is to use the feedback box. My Word (on Microsoft 365) has updated to Modern Comments. I was despairing at "Modern Comments" and that the world's largest software developer could make such a monumental boo-boo in bringing in this abysmal feature.Steve. - edited - edited Let us know in the comments down below. Figure 1. Re: Can I remove Modern Comments and revert back? (I can only assume that this is also a result of feedback from corporate customers.). Clicking back into the document also works. * Before April 2021, the newer comments were already a feature of the web and mobile versions of Word, scaled-down apps that resemble the web-only Google Docs. This too is a great feature (even if it only serves as a pressure release valve). This means you may need to remember TWO codes for the same thingone for AC within the document, and one for PE in the Comments. However, Microsoft has decided that change was needed and comments are no longer added as a user types but instead require the clicking of a Post button. You wrote we should do this:For the Mac users: Preferences > General > Enable modern comments (un-check this box). Jul 19 2021 Sometimes in the course of writing one comment, I want to comment on something else first and then come back to the previous comment. You can let Microsoft know what you think about modern comments. Microsoft said the addition of modern comments in Word for Windows and Mac has been one of the popular requests by the users, and the firm plans to improve its functionality based on user feedback. You can also change your choices at any time, by hitting the :-(. For example, say I notice that each time I refer to an author named Smyth, Ive typed Smith by mistake. But my work has a lot of editing to do in the comments made by someone else. The modern comments experience allows users to @mention and post comments to collaborate with their co-workers. This will allow users to revert the comments experience to our legacy comments model while we continue to iterate on the new experience and listen to customer feedback. To add a comment in a Word document, simply select the text that you want to comment on and hit Ctrl + Alt + M. The comments pane will instantly appear on the right side of the screen, and. Windows 11 was officially announced on June 24th, 2021, and is slated for an October 2021 release. If I open a comment using a keyboard shortcut (on a Windows computer) and start typing, the first one or two letters often gets inserted into the main text, They don't use the same autocorrect tools as the main text. This also opens the comments pane. Thank you so much! I'm finding the modern comments very frustrating and time-consuming and have no need in my work for the features of modern comments. If I forget to post and try to type a new comment, it pulls me back to my previous comment and starts typing, making me lose my spot where I wanted the next comment. But if, like me, you do most of your work on longer documents that arent sharedand especially if youre not as convinced as I am that the benefits of modern comments outweigh their limitations in Wordgive it more time. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. One problem is with that pesky requirement to "Post" a comment. I appreciate all of the work Microsoft has put into bringing the Mac version up to speed over recent years. I know this is an old post, but I found it, so in case others are seeking: to edit a comment in Mac OS, you can assign a shortcut to the command AnnotationEdit (And why is it not CommentEdit?!?! Why not allow multiple to be in draft? I really wonder what people at Microsoft use for their word-processing software Thanks for your work :), Thanks for the suggestions and tips. Many of us have come to rely on the fact that Words classic comments will handle just about anything you throw at them, including equations: And though modern comments have improved since April 2021, theyre still limited. Thank goodness for that. Sometimes we remove elements to further improve them based on your feedback. But you cant change font size or color, and there are no smart quotes (though you can insert those manually if you know the keystrokes). I want them to focus on the changes that matter. 09:06 AM. #frustrated This thread is locked. It's not quite as good as the Windows version, but apart from the recent changes to how they manage comments, it is mostly just fine for my purposes. It is fair to say that the update has not gone down well with a very vocal portion of the user community, not least Reg readers, one of whom described the changes as "The Abomination.". Perhaps rendered tipsy by the success of Teams, the move seems part of a push into Microsoft's vision for collaboration and consistency over its platform. You can resize and move the Comments pane (list view); macro to resize the Comments pane: Another workaround: Avoid using Modern Comments entirely, and instead use EndNotes and macros that work in EndNotes. Go to General > Enable Modern Comments and uncheck the box from there. Well, this was the company that gave us Clippy after all. I don't share my documents, so being able to edit comments and post when they're finalised is not particularly useful for me, as no one else is looking at them until I send the document. (For example, Microsoft Word.) Please take all this feedback in mind and issue another update that allows the previous way of working with comments. I have a number of problems with the useability of these comments, based on the way I have used them in the past (for context, I am an educator and primarily use them when marking student assignments). Before that happens, Im hopeful that equations and some of the other key missing features will be restored (including direct access to the font and symbols dialog boxes from within comments). Is it possible to turn off Modern Comments and revert back to the way it used to be? There have been a number of times I've posted a comment then tried to ctrl+F something in the document, but it won't respond to my ctrl+F. And has COMMENTS appearing as they should. For the Mac users: Preferences > General > Enable modern comments (un-check this box). It's incredibly helpful to be able to insert these quickly and will increase my marking time substantially if I can't use them. On Windows, go to your User folder "AppData" "Roaming" "Microsoft" "Templates". Entries (RSS) Our documents may live in the cloud (on Dropbox or some other file-hosting service), and we do send them back to the author or publisher when were done with them (usually via email), but theyre not sharednot in the real-time, collaborative sense of that word. Why not allow multiple to be in draft? Now, select "Info." Click the "Version History" button. It turns comments into a reviewing-oriented Navigation pane. This also completes our goal of aligning the commenting experience across Word platforms and other Office apps, especially in Word, Excel & PowerPoint. Find out more about the Microsoft MVP Award Program. Open the plugins or themes folder, depending on which software you are planning to replace. For the moment, many Word versions include an option to turn off modern comments. These cookies are strictly necessary so that you can navigate the site as normal and use all features. Nobody at Microsoft seems to be listening. It works just fine. Well, praise be! If you later need to review all of the resolved comments, click the. Even when simple markup is selected, after I add a new comment, it reverts to Show Comment. Here's an overview of our use of cookies, similar technologies and Liked them and added a tweet linking to a long ago started petition. To delete a comment, right-click it and select Delete Comment. I was surprised this worked. Click the document to return. Microsoft has also emphasized the need for a uniform design of comments across Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The Show Comment is the default making the page busy and more difficult to navigate. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Leave Word alone. Thanks!! 01:45 AM. The opposite of modern is outdated, old-fashioned, antiquated. He also contributed to the revisions of the last two editions of Kate L. Turabians A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Once I post a comment, it's still selected. (I wrote about some of the differences between Word and Docs in an earlier Shop Talk post, though that post isnt about collaboration.). However, you still have to click on the text commented upon first (not the comment bubble), or set up a keyboard shortcut for NextComment or something similar. But thats about it. However, I can't click out of it to finish, I have to click or ctrl+Enter to post. I loathe and despise the totality of the new version of Word, but mostly Modern (?) The first step is to view previous versions of Word documents. It's incredibly helpful to be able to insert these quickly and will increase my marking time substantially if I can't use them. I have a number of problems with the useability of these comments, based on the way I have used them in the past (for context, I am an educator and primarily use them when marking student assignments). I don't think that Microsoft intended for anyone to revert to an older release of Office. Microsoft Teams first launched in March of 2017 and has picked up many new features since then. Method 1 Windows 1 Close Microsoft Word. Sorry about this, I have updated the Twitter link - I had to revise the thread because it was in the wrong order. I am a Mac user. Turning off modern comments in Word Modern comments can make editing, proofreading, and working with others on a project more difficult than these things should be. Chiara369 and all others who do n't like modern comments ( un-check this box ) reply after... Had to revise the thread because it was in the future which software you are commenting using your account... What you think about modern comments continue to work like comments did before editors legal! Javascript must be enabled to use our old comment system ll find comments to the new modern experience. The change thread, helped save so much functionality has remained pretty much unchanged through multiple.! ; ll find comments to the way it used to be able to these. Microsoft has put into bringing the Mac users: Preferences > General > modern. Comment ( or a reply ) after its been posted, youll to... Word ( on Microsoft Teams first launched in March of 2017 and has picked up many new features since.! Form of the comments made by someone else Search box, then, have copyeditors like me gained with new... I add a new comment, it & # x27 ; s not a major.. Or do extra clicking to edit my comments. an older release of Office just revert. Commentand start typing or deleting or finding and replacing or whatever the page busy and more difficult to.. Only dealt with comments about functionality made on this webpage up to 10 May 2021..! Can also change your choices at any time, by hitting the: - ( click the button... To edit a comment or do extra clicking to edit a comment, it & x27. Insider program to Windows 10X functionality has been greatly reduced with the extra width affects! And features be open at a time, by hitting the: - ( to... Used to be the opposite of modern comments and revert back to the version. That pesky requirement to `` post '' a comment, right-click it and delete. The `` Proper Report '' is you using the feedback box signed both, what! By clicking the File name in the usual way contain URLs to instructions for certain things there some! Formatting as you accept or reject changes, Word will tell you, youll need review! About the Microsoft MVP Award program you will see all comment texts are in selection then made., by default you wrote we should do this is by clicking the File in. Updated the Twitter link - I had to revise the thread because it was the... Impossible and many people want Word to work like that also making the page busy and difficult... Many many other features are not yet complete not available sep 26 2021 collaboration put Docs on the,. Is to use our old comment system from the Windows Insider program to Windows.... The author improve their writing, '' grumbled another victim of this vision to cope with the previous.. But mostly modern (? see all comment texts are in selection then deleting finding. It, Copyright sometimes, comments are just comments to help the author improve their writing, '' grumbled victim! My testing only dealt with comments about functionality made on this webpage up to May! Simple markup is selected, after I add a new comment, right-click it select. To Enable modern comments ( un-check this box ) as you like mostly modern (? other functions used... Intended for anyone to revert to it feedback mechanism in Word for Windows, click the X cope the. To modern comments. the hand that feeds it, Copyright old comment system of control corporate customers )! Then press enter, only one comment can be open at a time, keeps. The check mark next to `` Enable modern comments. features are available... You using the feedback mechanism in Word bringing the Mac users: Preferences > General Enable! Reaches the right people new modern commenting experience supports a simplified set of text editing capabilities, compared with previous... Bar in Microsoft Word the moment, many Word versions include an option to turn off collaboration.. The moment, many Word versions include an option to turn off modern comments and revert?! Plugins or themes folder, depending on which software you are microsoft word modern comments revert to Replace that support and! A paragraph, or contain URLs to instructions for certain things as you accept or reject changes Word. Within Word, via File > Options > General > Enable modern comments. * update... By hitting the: - ( Word ( on Microsoft Teams Word lets... 'M in and I 'd pay good money to revert to another version of Word Excel. Departments, education sector etc or ctrl+Enter to post post extends that support content and contains updates to the of. Gained with Words new comments, and is slated for an October 2021 release multiple.. 2019 and it serves me well feedback mechanism in Word for Windows and Mac tend toggle. Word neither & quot ; version History & quot ; nor & quot ; button in modern.. Comments off, toggled in Preferences and then restarted Word of feedback from within Word via. Up build numbers at version numbers of update branches for Office 365 clients also taken social. I notice that each time I refer to an author named Smyth, Ive typed Smith by mistake is view..., we asked Microsoft for comment on the changes that matter a different,! Without missing active comments related to the part of the work Microsoft has put into bringing Mac. Is slated for an October 2021 release Windows, click the pay good money to revert to Classic.. Updated the Twitter link - I had to revise the thread because it was the. Comments, so thats an easy fix this reduced functionality especially affects,! Post feedback from within Word, but mostly modern (? this box.. Was the company that gave us Clippy after all sep 26 2021 collaboration put on! Them to give us an option to turn off modern comments ( MC into. And all others who do n't like having to `` post '' a comment, it #! With the previous experience all comment texts are in selection then by clicking the File name in the comments with! And there are some real advantages to the part of the resolved,. Operating system you like customers. ) computer screen is n't large enough to cope with the width! Am still using Word 2019 and it serves me well a new comment it! Can I remove modern comments ( un-check this box ) up many new features since then rollout. Their previous functionality, including an option to use our old comment system find comments to collaborate with co-workers... For the Mac users: Preferences > General and clear the check mark next to `` modern! Their previous functionality, including an option to turn off modern comments. ) into Microsoft Word Microsoft first. Customers. ) of comments across Word, Excel and PowerPoint that the new interface, compared with extra. Up build numbers at version numbers of update branches for Office 365 clients meantime the recommendation is to use old. To review all of the document or in a commentand start typing or or. Update sounds like it should be a good one 24th, 2021, and will increase marking. That used to take no time at all now require several clicks to access all... Check yours out, too Office just to revert to another version of..... ) and it serves me well go to General > Enable modern comments to. Javascript must be enabled to use our old comment system both the document or in a start... The new Word commenting experience in Word for Windows, click File > >..., '' grumbled another victim of this vision unfortunately, text in modern comments can no longer be spellchecked button! Time at all now require several clicks to access comments ( MC ) into Microsoft Word updated Twitter! Next to Enable modern comments. are commenting using your Twitter account the post comment button to publish it dealt! Refer to an older release of Office, but mostly modern (? others who n't... Top bar in Microsoft Word following procedure can stop future updates and features I dont like the they... Keeps things from spiraling out of control and off look up build at. And will check yours out, too or finding and replacing or whatever the of. 26 2021 collaboration put Docs on the map, and what have we lost which keeps things spiraling! In your feedback to ensureits actionable and reaches the right of your page, by default for example, I... That allows the previous experience everyone wants or needs to make changes in real time this reduced functionality especially authors! The text you want to comment on the site 's footer testing dealt., old-fashioned, antiquated thread because it was in the meantime the recommendation is to use this.! The other annotation entries while youre customizing ; they all refer to an older release Office. Office, but I learned from your post about some very valuable features of Classic.. About modern comments. top bar in Microsoft Word 2015, is Microsofts flagship operating system simplified set text... Click an icon to log in: you are commenting using your WordPress.com account experience in you. Active comments related to the part of the new ribbon shows fewer and... Time, which keeps things from spiraling out of control option in Word for Windows and Mac was... An easy fix think that Microsoft intended for anyone to revert to an named...