OmniDocHow to hide and turn off the display of Word comments
The comment box in the document blocks the main text. Do you want to concentrate on reading without deleting your revision comments? This article talks about how to hide only the display of comments in Word, retain the content of comments, and differentiate between deleting comments and printing settings. Finally, a checklist is attached.
Key points of this article
- Hiding the display of comments only changes the viewing mode. The comment content remains in the file and can be redisplayed at any time.
- When the comment box occupies the space on the right side of the page, you need to check the settings of "mark display mode" and "comment box" respectively.
- Hiding and displaying does not mean deleting comments. Only when you confirm that there is no need to modify the comments, delete them one by one or as a whole.
- Whether to print with comments is determined by the print options alone. You still need to check the print settings after hiding on the screen.
- Confirm the comment status before sending it to others to avoid sending internal revision comments together with the text.
When there are too many comments in a Word document, the right side of the page will be crowded with comment boxes, and the text will be compressed very narrowly, making it inconvenient to read and proofread. Many people subconsciously delete it directly, but there may be comments from colleagues and issues that need to be checked back in the comments. Once deleted, they cannot be retrieved. This article talks about another method: How to hide Word comments, so that the comments temporarily disappear from sight, but there is a lot of content in the file.
After reading this article, you will be able to distinguish three things: how to hide comments when you only see the text, which setting to adjust when the comment box does not take up space, and how to ensure that the printed and sent files will not accidentally bring out comments after hiding them. The operations in this article are based on the common desktop version of Word. The button positions of different versions may be slightly different, just follow the idea.
How to hide Word comments? One sentence conclusion
In the review-related display settings, change the mark display mode of comments to not display, and close the comment box at the same time, so that you can only see the text; this only changes the viewing mode, and the comments themselves will not be deleted. Which one to choose depends on your situation:
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| I just want to concentrate on reading the main text and read the comments later. | Turn off comment display and retain comment content | Comments are still in the file and can be restored at any time |
| The comment box blocks the layout, but the comments should be retained | Turn off the comment box display, or change to simple markup | The text width has been restored and comments can still be viewed. |
| The annotation has been processed and is no longer needed. | Delete comments one by one or as a whole | After deletion, the file becomes smaller and old opinions will not be brought out when sent out. |
| I just want the printed manuscript to be printed without comments. | Check and adjust printing options | Print settings independent of screen display |
| Worry about seeing comments when others open them | Delete or confirm comment status before sending | Display settings cannot replace processing of file content |
Before you start: Confirm these points first
First determine whether the annotation is still needed. Comments may contain other people's modification suggestions, your own to-do or review records. As long as there are still people who may look back, hide it first and don't delete it in a hurry.
Distinguish between "hide display" and "delete". Hiding only affects the viewing effect of the current screen. Deletion changes the contents of the file and is generally irreversible unless the file still retains its previous version.
Note whether the file is still in revision status. If the document has revision records turned on, new modifications will continue to generate comments and marks. Before hiding, you can check to see if the revision is still in progress. Otherwise, new marks will appear after hiding, and it is easy to mistakenly think that the settings are invalid.
Confirm which tag you want to change. Comments, revision marks (such as inserted and deleted text colors and underlines) and comment boxes in Word are several different types of display content. Just focusing on comments does not mean that revision marks will disappear, and vice versa. They need to be looked at separately.
Note that display settings may only take effect in the current environment. View settings are usually saved with the current editing environment or local machine options. When changing computers, opening the web version, or handing it over to others, the comments may be displayed again and need to be reconfirmed.
Steps to hide comment display in Word
- Open the document and enter the review-related functional area. Find the options area related to comments and revisions. There are usually entries for displaying marks, review panes, etc.
- View the current mark display mode. Pay attention to whether the annotation is in a state such as "Show All", "Simple Mark" or "Unmarked". Make a note of the original settings first to facilitate restoration later.
- Change the mark display of comments to not display. In the option of displaying marks, uncheck comments, or switch the display mode to the option without comment marks, and the comment marks in the text will disappear.
- Close the comment box and keep only the text. If there is still a comment box occupancy on the right side, go to the related options of page display or print layout and turn off the setting of displaying revisions or comments in the comment box.
- Scroll to check the text. Confirm that there is no comment box on the right side of the page, the paragraph width returns to normal, and tables and pictures are not squeezed.
- Save the file if needed. If you want this view to open next time, make sure the setting has not been revoked before saving the file; but remember, display setting does not mean that the annotation has been processed.
- When you need to restore, change it back to the original settings. Enter the same set of options again, change the options of mark display and comment box back to the state noted down, and the comments will reappear in their original positions.
Check each item after completion
After hiding or deleting, don’t just glance at the screen and end it. It is recommended to check the following list:
| Check items | How to see | What to do if there is a problem |
|---|---|---|
| Whether the annotation is really hidden | Scroll the text to see if there are any comment marks on the right side and in the paragraph. | Return to the review-related options and confirm that both comments and comment boxes are closed. |
| Is the annotation content still there? | After changing the display back, check the quantity and content item by item. | If the content is lost, it means deletion has been performed and can be retrieved using the previous version. |
| Does revision mark interfere with judgment? | Check if there are still colors and underlines in the text | Revision marks need to be set separately. Don’t mistakenly think that they will disappear if you turn off comments. |
| Whether to print the results with comments | View with print preview, don’t just look at the screen | Adjust the printing method of comments in the print options and preview again |
| File status before sending | Save a copy and open it without hidden settings to take a look | If you don’t want others to see it, process the comment first and then send it. |
| Verification of machine-translated or recognized content | If the document has been converted, check key terms and figures | Check the original text for important content one by one, do not rely solely on the display results of annotations |
📊 Core comparison
Many people confuse several operations when searching. Let’s look at them together:
| operate | Whether the file content changes | Can it be restored? | Suitable for the scene |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hide comment display | constant | Yes, just change the display settings back | Read, proofread, and read comments afterwards |
| Close comment box | constant | able | The comment box squeezes the text, but the content should be retained |
| Delete comment | Changes, comments removed | Usually not, unless there is an older version | The annotation has been processed and is no longer needed. |
| Adjust printing options | constant | able | I just want the printed manuscript to be printed without comments. |
Think of "hide" as a viewing setting and "delete" as a processing action. The boundaries between the two are clear, and it is not easy to accidentally delete content during operation.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How to close comments so that they are no longer displayed?
Turning off the display only makes the comment temporarily disappear, but does not delete it. If you don't want the comments to appear anywhere, you need to delete them one by one or delete them as a whole before saving and checking the file.
2. How to close the comment bar?
The comment bar is the comment box on the right side of the page. Go to the review-related display settings and turn off the display of the comment box, and the text will return to its original width. The specific option names vary slightly depending on the version. Searching by keywords such as "comment box" and "show mark" will be faster.
3. How to remove Word comments without affecting the text?
To remove comments without changing the text, you can delete the comments after confirming them one by one. The text will not change when deleting. Try to save a copy before deleting to prevent accidental operation and irreversible recovery.
4. After turning off the comment display, will there still be comments when printing?
Whether there is or not depends on the printing options. Hiding comments on the screen does not necessarily mean printing without comments, so you should confirm it in the print preview before printing and adjust the print settings if necessary.
5. After hiding comments, can others still see them when they open the file?
Can see. Hiding the display usually only affects the current viewing environment; comments in the file still exist. If you don't want others to see your modifications, you should delete the comments before sending, or export a clean version.
📝 Summary
How to hide Word comments, the core is to first distinguish between "hide and display only" and "delete content": hiding can make the text clear and the comments are still there; deletion should be done after confirming that they are no longer needed. Follow the steps in this article to adjust markup display and comment boxes, and then check them with the print preview and pre-send checklists, so you can focus on reading with confidence.
