Getting comments on your Word document can be super helpful for feedback and collaboration. But sometimes, you might want to hide them to get a cleaner look at your document or to print it without comments. Don’t worry; it’s pretty easy to do. Just follow these steps, and you’ll be good to go.
Step by Step Tutorial: How to Hide Comments in Word
Before we dive into the steps, let’s quickly chat about what we’re going to do. We’re going to use the ‘Review’ tab in Word to hide comments. This won’t delete the comments; it’ll just make them invisible until you want to see them again.
Step 1: Open your document in Word
Open the document that has the comments you want to hide.
When you open your document, you’ll probably see the comments on the side or in balloons. That’s normal, and that’s what we’re going to hide.
Step 2: Go to the ‘Review’ tab
Click on the ‘Review’ tab at the top of your Word window.
The ‘Review’ tab is where all the collaboration magic happens. This is where you can find all the tools for tracking changes, adding comments, and, yes, hiding them.
Step 3: Find the ‘Show Markup’ dropdown
In the ‘Tracking’ section of the ‘Review’ tab, you’ll see a button labeled ‘Show Markup.’
The ‘Show Markup’ dropdown lets you control what types of changes and comments you see in your document. We’re going to use it to hide comments.
Step 4: Uncheck ‘Comments’
Click ‘Show Markup’ and then uncheck the box next to ‘Comments.’
Unchecking ‘Comments’ means that Word will hide all the comments in your document. If you want to hide comments from specific reviewers only, you can do that too by unchecking the boxes next to their names.
After you complete these steps, the comments in your Word document will be hidden. You’ll still be able to see them if you want by checking ‘Comments’ again in the ‘Show Markup’ dropdown. But until then, your document will look clean and comment-free.
Tips: How to Hide Comments in Word
- If you want to hide the comments temporarily, remember not to save the document with the comments hidden.
- You can also use the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E to toggle the display of comments and other markups.
- If you’re printing the document and don’t want comments to appear, make sure to hide them before hitting print.
- You can also choose to print the document without comments by selecting the ‘Print All Pages’ option under ‘Settings’ in the print menu and then ‘Document’.
- Remember that hiding comments does not delete them. They will still be there when you show them again.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I unhide comments in Word?
To unhide comments, just go back to the ‘Show Markup’ dropdown in the ‘Review’ tab and check the box next to ‘Comments.’
Can I hide comments from only one reviewer?
Yes, in the ‘Show Markup’ dropdown, you can uncheck the box next to a specific reviewer’s name to hide only their comments.
Will hiding comments delete them?
No, hiding comments only makes them invisible. They are not deleted and can be shown again.
Can I hide comments in Word on a Mac?
Yes, the steps are the same for Word on a Mac. Go to the ‘Review’ tab and use the ‘Show Markup’ dropdown to hide comments.
If I save the document with comments hidden, will they be hidden for others who open it?
No, the comments will only be hidden on your view. They will be visible to others unless they also choose to hide them.
Summary
- Open the document in Word.
- Go to the ‘Review’ tab.
- Find the ‘Show Markup’ dropdown.
- Uncheck ‘Comments’.
Conclusion
So there you have it, a simple guide on how to hide comments in Word. Whether you’re prepping a document for a presentation or just want to focus on the content without distractions, hiding comments can be super useful. Just remember that hiding them doesn’t mean they’re gone for good. They’re simply out of sight until you decide to bring them back into view. With a few clicks, you can toggle the visibility of the comments, making collaboration easier and more flexible.
If you’re someone who frequently works with comments in Word, consider exploring more features in the ‘Review’ tab to streamline your editing and review process. And of course, don’t forget to save a version of your document with the comments before hiding them, just in case.
Happy writing, and may your Word documents always be clear and comment-free when you need them to be!
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.