Forum Discussion
Can I remove Modern Comments and revert back?
Send feedback to Microsoft to let them know what you think about the so-called modern comments; for instructions, see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-do-i-give-feedback-on-microsoft-office-2b102d44-b43f-4dd2-9ff4-23cf144cfb11.
Microsoft's rationale about "posting" is mentioned in the support article at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/using-modern-comments-in-word-edc6ae71-0a2d-49fe-8faa-986f1e48136a (which you may have seen already).
Finally, you should see an option to temporarily revert to the previous, more user-friendly interface at File > Options > General. Clear the check box next to "Enable modern comments."
Dear Microsoft,
I've tried everything: Complaining. Explaining. Abstaining and waiting. Now I make a plea.
I have paid to use Office 365 which includes Word 2016. At this point, I believe I'm due a refund. The product I've been paying for no longer exists. The ease of working that comments provided (I am an editor and teacher) no longer exists. I have now finished fifteen pages in the time I would once have finished thirty.
You know all of the problems with Modern Comments (should you need clarification please read the many posts here. Check other social media, too.) so I won't elaborate further. I write to ask for a refund. The product I'm paying for is gone.
You have perverted a once useful office tool into another social media platform. I'm sure that most editors and teachers have no desire to 'start a conversation' because we work alone. Also, we look dopey when our comments contain spelling, capitalization, and other errors that were once auto-corrected based on self-created defaults. Modern comments is utterly disconnected from Word and therefore useless in many work environments.
You gave me no choice. This is wrong. Please contact me to arrange for my refund.
Thank you,
Frustrated, annoyed and cheated in Sydney,
Pamela
Sorry, you are not corresponding with Microsoft here. Had you read through this thread, you would know that.
See Modern Comments control! Screenshots for Windows and Mac
This is not the place to communicate your understandable frustration with Microsoft. They will never see it. Instead, use the Feedback mechanism. Send Feedback to MS Developers Send a frown and as many details as you care to share with them. They will see that. This is an independent user-to-user support forum. MS does not see anything you post here. The way to get their attention is through the feedback mechanisms.
- How do I give feedback on Microsoft Office?
- Word Feedback Portal – allows a public feedback that can be voted on
- Microsoft applications Feedback Portal (pick an application)
- Send Feedback to MS Developers
- Bonus Reading related to MS Feedback system
- PS You seem put out and I can understand why. Rest assured, I have read extensively through these posts. Ages ago.
Sorry about that. I really dislike the interface on this forum. In reading your initial post, I thought it was the last post (from someone else) today.
Charles_Kenyon Hi. I’m not sure what’s happening, but I haven’t posted here for quite some time.
I disabled auto-updates for 365 and am happily using legacy comments. And making regular complaints while doing so.
Kind regards,
Pamela
I hate the new comment feature. Please go back. it is the worst update every Pamela-1
Hi Pamela,
You are writing to your fellow users here, not to Microsoft. What you say is well written but you are preaching to the choir!
This is not the place to get any changes made in Word nor the attention of developers at Microsoft. This is an independent user-to-user support forum. MS does not see anything you post here. The way to get their attention is through the feedback mechanisms.
- How do I give feedback on Microsoft Office?
- Word Feedback Portal – allows a public feedback that can be voted on
- Microsoft applications Feedback Portal (pick an application)
- Send Feedback to MS Developers
- Bonus Reading related to MS Feedback system
My personal preference is to use the Word Feedback Portal. If you do, please get a share link and post it here so that others seeing this thread can go there and vote and comment. If you search there, you will find many posts about Modern Comments. You can add your own and you can comment and vote on those that have already been made.
As for a refund...
Microsoft account | Billing and payments
You might also be able to roll back to a version prior to the introduction of "Modern Comments." To do that I suggest posting a separate question with details about your system because the ways to do this are very much dependent on the Office version and the operating system.
I too want to go back to comments the way they were. I'm hoping someone at Word is reading all these comments and will allow us to go back to something that was working great. Now I can't see anything but an icon. I want to see my comments.
jseymour1100 and the_bibliotrix
You can temporarily disable the modern comments.
Go to File > Options > and uncheck "Enable modern comments." Then you'll need to restart Word.It's a temporary fix, but at least it can help you be productive before they force modern comments on us forever.
Indeed, clearing the "Enable modern comments" option is a good idea, for as long as the option remains available.
Make sure that you post feedback using the Feedback function. For more, see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-do-i-give-feedback-on-microsoft-office-2b102d44-b43f-4dd2-9ff4-23cf144cfb11.
You can download an older version of word.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/update-history-office-for-mac?redirectSourcePath=%252fen-us%252farticle%252fUpdate-history-for-Office-2016-for-Mac-700cab62-0d67-4f23-947b-3686cb1a8eb7
I did 16.51 and it had the old comments.
just make sure you turn off automatic updates and uninstall your old ones.
Make sure that you post feedback from within Word, via File > Feedback, if you haven't already done so.
Note that Microsoft does not actively monitor the Tech Community forum for product feedback, as far as I know.
