Can I remove Modern Comments and revert back?

[chiara369]

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 educator and primarily use them when marking student assignments).

• The main issue is that autotext is no longer supported in a comment. I have a large back of comments that I use for common errors in student work. Some of these comments are up to a paragraph, or contain URLs to instructions for certain things. It's incredibly helpful to be able to insert these quickly and will increase my marking time substantially if I can't use them.

• Comments are slow to open. If I open a comment using a keyboard shortcut (on a Windows computer) and start typing, the first one or two letters often gets inserted into the main text

• They don't use the same autocorrect tools as the main text. My typing has evolved to use those features. Two capital letters at the start of a comment don't get corrected, and simple typos don't get corrected

• There are more steps to use them than before. I don't share my documents, so being able to edit comments and post when they're finalised is not particularly useful for me, as no one else is looking at them until I send the document. However, I can't click out of it to finish, I have to click or ctrl+Enter to post. I also can't just click INTO it to edit, I have to click on more buttons.

• It doesn't make sense to only be allowed to edit one comment at a time, particularly if the idea is to not post them until you're ready to share with others. Sometimes in the course of writing one comment, I want to comment on something else first and then come back to the previous comment. You're forced to finish one first, to the standard you're happy for others to see, defeating the purpose of not having to post until it's finished. Why not allow multiple to be in draft?

• If I forget to post and try to type a new comment, it pulls me back to my previous comment and starts typing, making me lose my spot where I wanted the next comment

• It has added an extra space to the side of the document, which wouldn't be an issue except that making any formatting changes under tracked change, which I often also do when marking assignments, goes into the ORIGINAL pane where comments use to be, widening the document even further (extra space for formatting, then another extra space for comments). My computer screen isn't large enough to cope with the extra width.

• Once I post a comment, it's still selected. There have been a number of times I've posted a comment then tried to ctrl+F something in the document, but it won't respond to my ctrl+F. Not something that is necessarily a huge issue but it is annoying and I can't see the purpose for keeping a comment selected when it's posted and non-responsive.

Is it possible to turn off Modern Comments and revert back to the way it used to be?

[#2]

Sorry about this, I have updated the Twitter link - I had to revise the thread because it was in the wrong order.
I edited the comment above. Here is the corrected link again:
https://twitter.com/aileverte/status/1442136158964748296

[#3]

I have updated it -- sorry about that:
https://twitter.com/aileverte/status/1442136158964748296

[#4]

Thanks for re-sending the URL. I've retweeted your Tweet and liked all your other updates. Let's get this monster de-fanged!

[#5]

@Louise_HawesVCFA I’m in too. Liked them and added a tweet linking to a long ago started petition. Let’s resurrect that too! #ModernComments on twitter is where you’ll find it 

[#6]

There are already two petitions (I've signed both) on change.org, believe it or not. I've signed both, and will check yours out, too!

[#7]

Thanks! I just did too. Here is one of them:
https://www.change.org/p/users-of-ms-word-have-microsoft-restore-the-previous-version-of-review-comm...

[#8]

I, too, have found the modern comment update difficult to use; requires more clicks; and disrupts my grading of student papers. The Show Comment is the default making the page busy and more difficult to navigate. Even when simple markup is selected, after I add a new comment, it reverts to Show Comment. Which is annoying. Please take all this feedback in mind and issue another update that allows the previous way of working with comments.

[#9]

@LCclemsonedu 

Indeed, "modern" comments represent a step backwards. :(

Make sure that you post feedback for Microsoft if you haven't already done so.

[#10]

Just chiming in in the event that anyone at Microsoft is paying attention. I am a professor and fully agree with all that's been said in this thread. Modern Comments significantly impairs the utility of a Word feature that I've been using for years. It makes my work harder and more frustrating. The old comment feature worked perfectly well, there was no need to change it and I hope these modifications will be removed in a future update.

[#11]

At least on the updates rolled out to me as of 11/10/21, there's now an option to "temporarily" revert back.  I hunted it down in the FAQ on this page:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/using-modern-comments-in-word-edc6ae71-0a2d-49fe-8faa-986...

Here's the text from it (although the image was more hepful for a visual person like me):

To turn off modern comments on Windows and MacOS, go to File > Options > General, then clear the checkbox next to Enable modern comments. This allows you to temporarily revert the comments experience to the legacy comments model as the new experience continues to improve and evolve. This setting is temporary and will be removed in the future.

It's a shame it's temporary.  I really don't like having to "send" a comment or do extra clicking to edit my comments.  I'm an editor and the only one on the doc when I edit, and I could really do without the extra work :\

[#12]

@JPLin  Thank you for the helpful information. I wish it were permanent, too. But perhaps the temporary fix will make my end of semester grading and commenting on theses and dissertations less work!

[#13]

Thank goodness for your post. I was despairing at "Modern Comments" and that the world's largest software developer could make such a monumental boo-boo in bringing in this abysmal feature.

Steve

@JPLin 

[#14]

@chiara369 

Modern Comments has set my grading back decades, let the collaborators congregate on Teams. Leave Word alone.

[#15]

They can be turned off now in Settings. Thank goodness for that. What a clumsy and clunky thing they are.

[#16]

Well, praise be!  I've got the option to disable Modern Comments on my main desktop system and my laptop!  NO idea how it got back, but good to have.  Now all I need to see is if I can keep things as they are!

VERY many thanks to all those who have been involved in this epic!

Chris

[#17]

 @chiara369 In addition to the many, many issues others have complained about, this new function no longer allows images and photos to be added, and has wiped out every single image saved in two vast memoirs I'm editing for clients, wiping out years of work. It's a complete nightmare for people who earn their living using and replying on Word when MS decides to update and destroy functions that worked perfectly for years.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

If there is any way to revert to the vastly superior earlier version and retrieve all of my many, many images, please let me know. I'm in and I'd pay good money to revert to it.

[#18]

@CheesedOffWithMS365 

You can still see images in the Reviewing pane. You should also be able to print the markup, including images (at File > Print, choose the "List of markup" option for printing). Obviously, this isn't the same as the old comments design, and therefore I recommend that you post feedback for Microsoft (see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-do-i-give-feedback-on-microsoft-office-2b102d44-b43f-...).

[#19]

It looks like most people will currently have the option to switch it off, in File>Options>General, but it's nice to know the images aren't completely gone in the new version, just hidden in the Review pane.

I've also found that Modern Comments won't allow the use of the Dictate function. Along with not using as much spell check, it really is a downgrade in terms of accessibility, too.

[#20]

The list of problems with modern comments continues to grow

[#21]

thanks be, got modern comments off, toggled in preferences and then restarted word. back to normal again. the modern comments are not fun, too much time and confusion. thanks for people writing this thread, helped save so much time!!!!