OmniDocHow to display Word comments if they are not displayed?
Comments not showing up are most likely a problem with the Reviewing Pane, display tags, or file versions. This article determines the cause based on the symptoms, checks the settings, confirms the file, and changes the environment to open it in order to help you retrieve the existing annotations.
Key points of this article
- If the annotation is invisible, first distinguish whether it is "hidden" or "not in the file." The two methods are different.
- If there is no comment box on the right, first confirm that the comment pane or comment display is turned on in the review-related ribbon.
- If only some types are checked in "Show Marks", comments will be filtered. You need to check the comments and reviewer options one by one.
- If you receive a PDF, screenshot, or exported copy, the comments may have been lost. You should ask the other party for the original .docx file.
One of the annoying situations when reviewing a document sent by someone else in Word is: the other party says they have added comments, but after opening it, they can’t see any of them. There is only main text on the page, no comment box on the right side, and no eye-catching mark. This is usually not because the annotation is lost, but because the display settings, view mode, or file version make it temporarily "hidden".
This article is written for people who have encountered this situation, especially readers who have just started to review documents or received documents from partners. We only discuss how to display existing comments, not how to add, delete or hide comments. After reading, you can determine whether the comments are hidden or not in the file at all, and find them in order.
Word comments are not displayed, how to make them reappear? One sentence conclusion
In most cases, comments are simply blocked by display settings and can be restored by turning on review-related settings. If the settings are all normal and still not working, check whether the file you received is the original version.
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| The text is marked in red or color, but there is no comment box on the right | Open the comments pane in the review ribbon, or switch to a view that shows the comment box | The comment box is closed, but the text remains marked |
| No markup is visible on the page at all | Check if the annotation type in the display markup is turned off | Only some mark types are checked, and comments are filtered out. |
| The other party said they added comments, but you are opening a copy that was saved or exported. | Request the original .docx file from the other party | Copies may lose annotations when saved or converted |
| Received as PDF or online preview page | Open the original .docx file in Word desktop | Preview tool doesn't necessarily show Word comments |
| The other party's computer can see it, but your computer can't. | Check how revisions are displayed and confirm both Word versions | View settings are personal settings. Older versions sometimes cannot fully display newer files. |
First determine what kind of problem it is
Before troubleshooting, first refer to the table below to find the symptoms you see and determine the approximate cause. This avoids searching for settings repeatedly in unannotated files.
| symptoms | Common causes | How to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| The right side is blank, and the text has colored words or marking lines | The comment pane is closed or the comment box is collapsed | Check the status of the comment-related buttons in the review ribbon and try to expand |
| There are no markings in the text or margins | The annotation type in Show Marks is turned off, or the revision display mode is set to No Marks | Open the drop-down menu that shows the flags and check them one by one |
| Only comments left by some people can be seen | Filter by reviewers and only select certain ones | Check whether the reviewer list in Show markup is all checked |
| The number of comments is less than what the other party said | The comment has been deleted, or you are opening a copy | Confirm the file name, version and modification time with the other party |
| The file is a PDF or a converted version | Annotations become PDF comments or are lost during conversion | Look at the file extension and ask the other party how to export it. |
Check and repair item by item
Check them in the order below, starting with the settings that are easy to change. Most situations can be solved in the first two steps. Only when you confirm that the file itself has no comments, you need to do the following steps.
Method 1: The comment pane or comment box is closed
- Open the document and switch to the review-related ribbon.
- Find the button related to comments and confirm that the comments pane is open. If the pane appears at the bottom, it is displayed horizontally and can be seen by dragging or resizing the window.
- If the text is marked but the content cannot be seen, switch the revision display mode to a mode that can display the comment box, such as "All Marks".
Method 2: Show that the type in the tag is filtered
- In the review ribbon, find the drop-down menu that says Markup.
- Confirm that the comment option is checked. Many people only keep insertions and deletions, and the comments are filtered.
- If there is an option to filter by reviewers in the menu, check whether all reviewers have been checked one by one to prevent only seeing the comments of one of them.
Method 3: Confirm whether there are really comments in the file
- Use the previous and next buttons in the review ribbon to jump to items one by one. If the button is unavailable, or there is no response after the jump, there may be no annotations in the file.
- Confirm with the sender: which version the other party saved, and whether the comments were added before exporting PDF or "save as", or after.
- Check whether there are words such as "copy", "export" and "printed version" in the file name. If so, ask the other party to resend the original .docx file.
- If the file has been scanned, format converted, or transferred multiple times, the comments may have been lost during the conversion process. In this case, Word cannot restore it, and you can only ask the other party to provide the original again.
Method 4: Open in another environment
- Open the file in the desktop version of Word rather than in Web Preview or another document reader, as these tools have incomplete support for comments.
- If the other party gives you a PDF, most of the comments are PDF comments. You should use a reading tool that supports PDF comments to view them. Do not expect them to appear in the review pane of Word.
- Confirm that Word has been updated to a newer version. Older versions sometimes cannot fully display comments in the new format, but opening them after updating usually works fine.
How to avoid it happening again next time
The following habits can reduce the number of comments "disappearing" and make it easier to check the version with the other party.
- When receiving a document, ask the other party to send the original .docx file first to avoid getting just a screenshot or PDF.
- Before starting a review, check the review pane and show markup settings to make sure the comment type and reviewer are checked.
- After the annotation is completed, save it as a new version. Please indicate the version and purpose in the file name, such as "Contract_v2_Annotation". Do not directly overwrite the original.
- When you need to send a PDF, first confirm that the export settings contain marks or annotations, and then open and check once after exporting.
- When two people collaborate, agree to use the same Word version to reduce display problems caused by version differences.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Where are the Word comments?
The entrance for comments is in the review ribbon, and the comment content is displayed in the comment box on the right or bottom of the page. If there are colored text or marked lines in the text, it means that the comment already exists, but it is not opened.
2. The comments are not displayed. Is the file damaged?
uncertain. Most of the time it's a display settings issue. If there are still no marks after checking the settings and the other party can see it on other computers, you can ask the other party to resend the original file or open the comparison on another computer.
3. The annotation content is too long and has been folded. How can I read it all?
Click the comment box to expand it, or open the review pane and read it one by one. Folding only affects the display and does not delete the annotation content.
4. Annotations are gone after converting Word to PDF, what should I do?
Before exporting, make sure the export settings include tags or annotations. If it is lost, just go back to the original .docx file and re-export it. If you only need to view the comments in the PDF, you can use the comment panel of the PDF reader.
📝 Summary
If comments are not displayed, it is most likely a problem with the review pane, display marks, or file version. If you troubleshoot the settings first, then confirm the source of the file, you can usually get them back in a few minutes. Keeping the original .docx file and marking the version when sending and receiving documents in the future can reduce this kind of trouble.
