Forum Discussion

Iron Contributor

Apr 17, 2021

Solved

Can I remove Modern Comments and revert back?

My Word (on Microsoft 365) has updated to Modern Comments. I have a number of problems with the useability of these comments, based on the way I have used them in the past (for context, I am an educa...

Stefan_Blom
Feb 22, 2022
Mark_A_Stokes

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."

Takver

Copper Contributor

Sep 24, 2021

I use Word for Mac, and my Comments just switched over into "Modern Comments" mode. I'm a professional editor, and this change is really disruptive for my work. Has anyone found a way to switch back to Classic Comments?

aileverte

Brass Contributor

Sep 25, 2021

I'm a professional editor, as well, and have been struggling with ever-new "improvements" to Word. When copy-editing, for instance, I have to enter "typecodes" to format a given chunk of text (e.g. PI for indented paragraph, using a preloaded publisher's template): these typecodes used to go into the box where you had "Normal" style, and now typing those in, especially with longer typecodes, like CHBM:APN (chapter backmatter appendinx number) it takes for ever, 6x as long as actually typing that string of letters into a document).
Just wondering, do you experience other problems like this as well? (I also use Mac -- until recently was also using Word 2011, but even though I had it downloaded via 365, it started asking me to input a key...).
Anyway, more frustrations than necessary. This week I'm working on an index, and ended up coughing up $117 for a third-party program because Word was so slow that I realized I would never finish...
(Sorry about the rant, but I was actually hoping maybe to start a "club" for editors, copy-editors etc. and as a group pressure Microsoft to rollback some of these changes or maybe release a version of Word that is a working tool rather than an imitation of an iphone app...)

PCC6800
Brass Contributor
Sep 25, 2021
aileverte I can't say that in general, I'm having problems with word...I'm not a power user--but modern comments was a shockingly bad implementation.