I just learned about a relatively recent Google Drive feature where files can be shared with others with only permission to comment: https://www.blog.google/products/g-suite/new-ways-comment-microsoft-files-and-more-google-driveDoes anyone know if there an equivalent feature like this in OneDrive for Business? I know you can set the default state of a doc shared to be in “view mode”, but a collaborator still must have edit access in order to make comments. Curious about workaround ideas that folks have.

This is enabled by default when you share the file with view-only permissions - opening it in the web apps allows the use of "Review" mode, which gives you a commenting permissions and nothing else.

Comment on files without edit permission

VasilMichev
MVP
Oct 09, 2020
This is enabled by default when you share the file with view-only permissions - opening it in the web apps allows the use of "Review" mode, which gives you a commenting permissions and nothing else.
- Olakunle1845
  Copper Contributor
  Feb 08, 2023
  VasilMichev i shared and excel sheet with view only permission, on the review tab, the user still can not comment or make notes in free personal excel 365. do you have any solution for this?
  - peterflynn
    Copper Contributor
    Aug 18, 2023
    I think the "review mode only" option is only available for Word docs, and not Excel 😕
- bynum
  Iron Contributor
  Oct 12, 2020
  VasilMichev I wish that we could lock down edits completely, but you're right that this is closest approximation of the requirement to share with comments only.
  - uramanda
    Copper Contributor
    Jan 26, 2021
    bynum Did this ever get posted as an idea/request? I'm happy to upvote it. Its definitely hurting our teams not being able to do this in view only mode.
    
    Ideally, there would be a user security setting that was essentially view only with an upgrade for comments only on files.
- myUsername1240
  Copper Contributor
  Jul 10, 2024
  VasilMichev I don't think this is a valid solution. The review mode can only be accessed if you have edit rights.
  
  With view only rights, you can visit the review tab but the only option available is to read comments. You can not add comments.
Mike Williams
Iron Contributor
Oct 09, 2020
bynum I did a web search on "share docs for commenting only" and found a number of ideas, including https://wordribbon.tips.net/T006044_Allowing_Only_Comments_In_a_Document.html and https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/msoffice_word-mso_win10-mso_365hp/comments-in-get-a-share-link-preview-only-in-word/ef935575-c709-42b0-a9ce-ab4a10a8b3e7

Note that because of the versioning capability of OneDrive, I am quite happy to share docs with full edit capability as 1) I can always retrieve a pre-edited version, and 2) the person(s) who made the edits are tracked in the version history.

There are probably also mechanisms for sharing docs via SharePoint and tracking comments in SharePoint external to the document.

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