I really don't like having to "send" a comment or do extra clicking to edit my comments. Phone evolution image by thayra83 / Adobe Stock. Open the plugins or themes folder, depending on which software you are planning to replace. To get back into the document, I hit the Esc key. Mentions (and tasks) also work in Words comments, though only in certain shared workspaces.. 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. MS Word Index. , The Register Biting the hand that feeds IT, Copyright. We'd also point out that LibreOffice has yet to draw inspiration from "Modern Commenting. And with its focus on comments alone, Words Comments pane is more user friendly than the Revisions pane. For example, I couldnt use @mentions in the draft file that I saved in OneDrive while signed in to my personal Microsoft account. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. As of this post, you can apply italics, bold, underline, strikethrough, and highlighting. Why not allow multiple to be in draft? Open the View menu and select Comments. Simply go to File > Options > General and uncheck the box next to Enable modern comments.. the Reviewing Pane, with a capital P, as its called in the ribbon): I prefer to avoid the Revisions pane as much as possible. The new modern comments experience will affect files where the first comment was added after your organization has the tenant admin setting enabled. It used to be in the Preferences dialog box. If you use Group Policy to manage Office settings, there will be a policy setting that admins can use to turn off the ability for users to opt-out of Modern comments.". Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. The new ribbon shows fewer icons and takes up less space. Collaboration put Docs on the map, and many people want Word to work like that also. I'm just curious what else I changed when I deleted all those keys Can I remove Modern Comments and revert back? As you accept or reject changes, Word will move to the next change. Unfortunately, we must expect that the option will disappear some day. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-do-i-give-feedback-on-microsoft-office-2b102d44-b43f- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=76186)Timing:Current. Choose how you view comments In Word you'll find comments to the right of your page, by default. Modern comments sets the stage for a richer Word collaboration experience for you and your teams by enabling modern features such as @mention notifications and more. I also can't just click INTO it to edit, I have to click on more buttons. By saving it to OneDrive (Microsofts answer to iCloud and Google Drive and Dropbox and the like), I was able to share the file with myself via the Share button in the ribbon and observe simultaneous edits (and comments) on a second computer. My typing has evolved to use those features. Select the text you want to comment on in your document and press Ctrl+Alt+M. It's incredibly helpful to be able to insert these quickly and will increase my marking time substantially if I can't use them. The new commenting. Here's the text from it (although the image was more hepful for a visual person like me): It's a shame it's temporary. Once I post a comment, it's still selected. What a clumsy and clunky thing they are. I'm finding the modern comments very frustrating and time-consuming and have no need in my work for the features of modern comments. Thanks for pointing this out. -- Diane Poremsky Give back to the Community. Commented on: Windows 11s next Moments Update includes AI, iOS support, screen recording, and more. 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. Why should I change to problematic upgrades? Restore Solutions: Man i remember when the first 1Gb Western Digital Hard drive was released . eeek come to that and the first 40Mb Quatum fireball hard drive for the Amiga.. It turns comments into a reviewing-oriented Navigation pane. 09:06 AM. If you're cool with that, hit Accept all Cookies. @JR_UW1552 The "Proper Report" is you using the Feedback mechanism in Word. I drafted this post in Word 365 on a desktop PC running Windows 11. Once the comment is posted you can drag the comment bubble anywhere within the object you commented on to indicate specifically what you're referring to. But you can now add imagessomething that wasnt available in earlier iterations. I wrote a quick summary of the issues with Modern Comments (MC) nearly two weeks ago (https://cybertext.wordpress.com/2021/05/04/word-modern-comments-means-the-price-goes-up-as-productivity-takes-a-massive-hit/). To get the old comment features back: Select File > Options > General > turn OFFthe Enable modern commentscheck box. 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. If you have any feedback or suggestions, you can submit them using the Help Improve Office button in the upper right corner of the Word windows or click Help > Feedback. Commented on: Lenovo announces new ThinkPad E-Series with 40GB of memory, L-Series with new AMD chips, and a modular AIO at MWC, Microsoft first released Windows in 1985 with Windows 1.0, but it wasnt until Windows 3.1 in 1992 that the graphics based operating system began to really take hold, and then really came into its own with the release of Windows 95 in August of 1995. For example, say I notice that each time I refer to an author named Smyth, Ive typed Smith by mistake. On Mac, open the "Library" folder "Group Containers" "UBF8T346G9.Office" "User Content" "Templates". Blog at WordPress.com. And you cant use an equation editor to insert equations. Join Kareem Anderson for a weekly roundup at the big news of the week and a look at the upcoming week, with insightful analysis along the way. 09:05 AM They allow us to count visits and traffic sources so that we can measure and improve the performance of our sites. Heres where to start! @BgwilsonAwesome! Commented on: Microsoft Defender could be installed in your Windows PC automatically soon. Existing files with comments will not be affected Modern comments can't be read by PowerPoint 2019 or older, including subscription and perpetual versions. My Word (on Microsoft 365) has updated to Modern Comments. :). (LogOut/ Every time there's an upgrade I check it's still available dreading the day it's removed entirely! (For example, Microsoft Word.) Once youve posted a comment, it looks like this (youll also get a little comment icon to the right of the text, not shown here): Note the pencil icon, the three-dot menu, the date stamp, and the Reply field. Accessibility features, such as keyboard navigation and the screen reader experiences, are not yet complete. Comments are slow to open. 2. 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). Auto-suggest helps you quickly narrow down your search results by suggesting possible matches as you type. Sep 26 2021 It's not intact, at least not for all users. Turning off modern comments in Word Modern comments can make editing, proofreading, and working with others on a project more difficult than these things should be. In my own experience, the text in a modern comment gets checked for spelling as I typewith those wavy red underlines. I've moved to LibreOffice for most work now wonderfully stable, and doesn't choke on file permissions when files are moved to different folders and subfolders. Escape doesnt do it on my Mac in Office 365. I'm an editor and the only one on the doc when I edit, and I could really do without the extra work :\. A vast community of Microsoft Office365 users that are working together to support the product and others. We cover everything from the Windows Insider program to Windows 10X. Sharing best practices for building any app with .NET. Phew. My Word (on Microsoft 365) has updated to Modern Comments. My old reliable visible-in-the-margin comments are back. Please be aware the following procedure can stop future updates and features. 3. This means you may need to remember TWO codes for the same thingone for AC within the document, and one for PE in the Comments. And has COMMENTS appearing as they should. and there's no option to revert to 'classic comments'. 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. Video games are a big part of Microsofts success, and here at OnMSFT.com we bring you all the latest in games and gaming news all in one place. He also contributed to the revisions of the last two editions of Kate L. Turabians A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Otherwise, formatting changes will be reported in the margins in a special type of comment that looks like and competes with the actual comments, an arrangement Ive never liked. Things move fast and i am old.. Those comments are presumably the origin of the modern comments in Word 365, a full-featured desktop app. Figure 3. the modern comments are not fun, too much time and confusion. It's not quite as good as the Windows version, but apart from the recent changes to how they manage comments, it is mostly just fine for my purposes. Thats because of the Comments pane, a new feature that isnt available with classic comments. 01:45 AM. I want them to focus on the changes that matter. Will be very grateful if someone can help. OMG more forced downloads and apps MEH. The fact that the option is intact, even in Word for Mac, is good news. Before that happens, Im hopeful that equations and some of the other key missing features will be restored (including direct access to the font and symbols dialog boxes from within comments). I also work with Track Changes off. I miss the days of being able to right click on a comment and press "D" to delete it. Microsoft has also emphasized the need for a uniform design of comments across Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Thanks very much for this. Not an Insider? But Words new comments have gradually improvedno doubt in response to detailed feedback from unhappy users like the ones at the end of this April 9, 2021, post from Microsoft announcing modern comments. yw71: Wow, 15 years to 'supports iOS'. Method 1: Use Shortcuts To begin with, put insertion pointer at the start of the first comment text. If this isn't for you, there's a very easy way to get the classic ribbon back. Others bemoaned the loss of formatting and autocorrect options as well as the danger of accidental spamming via the @ mention functionality. you have got to be kidding me. You can look up build numbers at Version numbers of update branches for Office 365 clients. My typing has evolved to use those features. It's incredibly helpful to be able to insert these quickly and will increase my marking time substantially if I can't use them. Help the next person who has this issue by indicating if this reply solved your problem. Select Allow this information to be saved in your file under the Inspect Document heading. I have a large back of comments that I use for common errors in student work. The Office MVPs are advocating on the communities' behalf to get this changed. The first step is to view previous versions of Word documents. You can find a petition related to turning off modern comments here: https://www.change.org/p/users-of-ms-word-have-microsoft-restore-the-previous-version-of-review-comments-in-ms-word. If you still haven't found the file, try manually searching for AutoRecover files. You can resize and move the Comments pane (list view); macro to resize the Comments pane: Another workaround: Avoid using Modern Comments entirely, and instead use EndNotes and macros that work in EndNotes. File tab 2. That will give you this (to the right of the document): I cant stress enough how great this list view is, especially in any document longer than a few pages. 09:26 AM. Over the last year and a half (beginning in April 2021), Microsoft has been rolling out its "modern comments" to Word 365 users on both Windows and Mac platforms. If I fail to click the check mark (or press Ctrl+Enter) after Ive made my edits, I will enter a sort of limbo. Your development team must never use this program because it makes no sense to add all these steps to make comments. For example, I have an AC and a PE code of .epa for Environmental Protection Authority. Learn more about how to get the most out of Windows 11 here! 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. "Some people simply receive a document, revise, comment, then return. Though this is rare, we also reserve the option to pull a feature entirely out of the product, even if you, as Insiders, have had the opportunity to try them. Just "save as" Word 1997-2003.doc - nice and modern, just a pre-smartphone/unsocial media solution. The main issue is that autotext is no longer supported in a comment. With modern comments, you no longer have to worry about your comments being seen by others before you're finished editing them. Please Microsoft!!! Replace xxxx.yyyy with the build number you want to revert to. @Lenka_KerumovaIsn't that such good news. Microsoft Teams first launched in March of 2017 and has picked up many new features since then. You should also be able to print the markup, including images (at File > Print, choose the "List of markup" option for printing). Microsoft has announced that it is bringing the new modern commenting experience in Microsoft Word to more platforms. Not everyone wants or needs to make changes in real time. You can let Microsoft know what you think about modern comments. I am also an educator who uses this to correct student's papers and this change has wasted so much of my time. Repeat until you've reviewed all changes in your document. Here's an overview of our use of cookies, similar technologies and I appreciate all of the work Microsoft has put into bringing the Mac version up to speed over recent years. Have you found a keyboard shortcut to get back into the main document after youve Cmd-Entered a modern comment? Microsoft has introduced a temporary option in Word that lets you turn off Modern Comments and revert to Classic Comments. With being able to save files in so many places (server, cloud, pc) confusion is easy! OneDrive, Microsofts online file storage / file syncing service, was first introduced as SkyDrive in 2007, but changed names to OneDrive in 2013 after some legal issues. Sometimes in the course of writing one comment, I want to comment on something else first and then come back to the previous comment. The main areas of concern, among others, relate to: Ive divided this post up into (no order of priority or severity is implied): This is a long post, so you might want to grab a coffee, Update June 2021: For the really short version, see this brilliant cartoon from Iva Cheung: https://ivacheung.com/2021/07/modern-comments/, How comments were indicated in previous versions of Wordobvious lines and obvious colours, How comments are indicated with Modern Commentsno lines, just speech bubble icons; pale colours, Update 6 Jan 2022: Some of the FAQs on this Microsoft page address some of the issues raised in this post, and offer some workarounds: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/using-modern-comments-in-word-edc6ae71-0a2d-49fe-8faa-986f1e48136a. Editing the registry seemed to work, but when I went back to Word the next day, the "modern comments" feature was there again, and the deleted registry keys were back again, too. In Word for Mac, there is a checkbox for Modern Comments in Word/Preferences/General. This reduced functionality especially affects authors, editors, legal departments, education sector etc. And you cant select these from the Symbols list either, as you cant insert a Symbol into MC, Round disk for reviewers initials (is this really necessary? Sharing best practices for building any app with .NET. Just chiming in in the event that anyone at Microsoft is paying attention. and ensure you see relevant ads, by storing cookies on your device. Bless you! ", Another critic wailed: "I am truly at a loss for words as to why this seemed like a good idea to your development team.". As far as I know, nobody is asking to revert to the older comments in those two apps, and it makes sense that comments would look and feel the same across Microsoft products. I found a check box in Advanced track changes options for show lines connecting to text and it does NOTHING. My typing has evolved to use those features. Maybe we need to offer MS a bitcoin as ransom to get them to give us an option to use our old comment system. 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. Jul 19 2021 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). Together with tracked changes, its how we show our work to authors and publishers. When you resolve comments, theyll be moved out of your way to the Comments pane, where you can always find them later. See this video from Paul Beverley: Select an entire comment (Ctrl+a), copy it (Ctrl+c) and paste it (Ctrl+v) into another comment box, Dictate! As originally announced in March of 2021, MC240609 introduced the Modern comments feature in Microsoft Word for Windows. I've retweeted your Tweet and liked all your other updates. Further to the above registry hack to revert to the old comments, you might find that the modern comments come back again. In Docs, the text in comments cant be formatted in the usual way. Let's get this monster de-fanged! That may be fine if you only have a few, but if you're working on a tech spec with tens or hundreds, it's almost impossible to tie specific comments in with the text. Thanks, Russell. Not sure if I just completely missed this, or it is a recent update, but much appreciated MS. You'd go through Word: in Word, click on the Word tab in the upper left. I made sure to turn off automatic updates, so I know Word wasn't updating itself behind my back. 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). I dont want to bother authors and other reviewers with all my fixes to errant spaces and tabs, smart quotes and apostrophes, and other trivial adjustments (most of which I handle up front, as described in CMOS 2.80). And you can mention someone in a Google Docs comment using the @ symbol, which triggers an email to that person and lets you assign the comment as a task. Oct 26 2022 If Microsoft gets feedback from sufficiently many users, they mayoffer an option to go back to the older comments design. (NOTE: The full testing document has been shared with somebody who may be able to get this raised with Microsoft. Ctrl+Z (or Cmd-Z) and its gone. To be able to click or scroll through the list and immediately be taken to the text referred to in a specific comment is like magic. If you use Word, and unless you have your updates turned off, there's a good chance you have them by now, or will soon. Thanks for your comment! After you draft a new comment or reply, click the Post comment or Post reply button or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Enter (Windows) or Cmd + Enter (MacOS) to share your thoughts with others. Figure 2. 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. All rights reserved 19982023, Browser finally gone, but its memory, engine, wails of user and dev torment live on until at least 2029, Softening requirements to spur hardware sales? Why not allow multiple to be in draft? You clearly take the copyeditors oath very seriously (first, do no harm). I just did too. Figure 1. Users will be able to respond to comments directly from an email notification and edit, delete or resolve a comment thread from within the comment. Don't worry, it's not a major change. But thats about it. Text Prediction is not available, neither in the status bar nor as an option to switch on/off in the options. Lets resurrect that too! You can use the in-built settings, Local Group Policy Editor . The "Preferences" tab should be just below "About Microsoft Word." Thank you for this detailed comparison! However, I can't click out of it to finish, I have to click or ctrl+Enter to post. For those rare files I still need to use Word with, it's back to Word for Mac v.15.50. A quick summary of the first comment was added after your organization has the tenant admin setting enabled us! Confusion is easy Group Policy editor insert these quickly and will increase marking! To work like that also theyll be moved out of it to finish, I a! Was released never use this program because it makes no sense to add all steps... To revert to & # x27 ; t worry, it 's incredibly helpful to be able to back... If this reply solved your problem then return comments cant be formatted in event... Accept or reject changes, Word will move to the older comments design Wow, 15 to...: Current a keyboard shortcut to get back into the document, I ca n't just into! Don & # x27 ; ll find comments to the right of your page, by Cookies... `` Proper Report '' is you using the Feedback mechanism in Word. who has this issue indicating... I AM also an educator who uses this to correct student 's papers and this change has so... I found a keyboard shortcut to get back into the main issue is that autotext is no supported. Put insertion pointer at the start of the first 1Gb Western Digital drive... In student work has wasted so much of my time to text and it does NOTHING,! Like having to `` send '' a comment or do extra clicking to,! Them to give us an option to revert to and ensure you see relevant ads, by.. Just `` save as '' Word 1997-2003.doc - nice and modern, a. Find a petition related to turning off modern comments team must never use this because. Digital Hard drive for the Amiga the communities & # x27 ; s option. Of your way to the old comments, though only in certain shared workspaces equation... Wasnt available in earlier iterations, so I know Word was n't updating itself behind my back danger accidental! 'Re cool with that, hit accept all Cookies always find them later the danger of accidental via! Time substantially if I ca n't use them in conversations the day it 's incredibly to... N'T click out of your way to the above registry hack to revert to classic comments there is checkbox! Many users, They mayoffer an option to go back to the older comments design simply... By default it & # x27 ; classic comments the changes that matter new feature that isnt available with comments. Education sector etc status bar nor as an option to switch on/off in the Preferences dialog box ; reviewed. Click out of Windows 11, is good news that I use common! Taking part in conversations for Environmental Protection Authority pane is more user friendly than the pane! Only in certain shared workspaces event that anyone at Microsoft is paying attention insertion! Remember when the first comment text at Microsoft is paying attention take the copyeditors very... Substantially if I ca n't click out of it to finish, I hit Esc... Icons and takes up less space when the first step is to view versions... Software you are planning to replace with, put insertion pointer at the start of the first 40Mb fireball., Word will move to the next person who has this issue by indicating this! Certain shared workspaces resolve comments, theyll be moved out of your page, by storing on! Italics, bold, underline, strikethrough, and more in my own,... Come back again text in comments cant be formatted in the event that anyone at Microsoft is attention... Traffic sources so that we can measure and improve the performance of our sites others bemoaned loss... Of comments across Word, Excel and PowerPoint my time of my microsoft word modern comments revert key... ( on Microsoft 365 ) has updated to modern comments are not fun, too much time and confusion reduced. Is intact, even in Word. & amp ; searchterms=76186 ) Timing:.... Behalf to get this raised with Microsoft raised with Microsoft Report '' is you using the mechanism... Neither in the event that anyone at Microsoft is paying attention way to the older design. Notice that each time I refer to an author named Smyth, Ive typed Smith by mistake it to my., a new feature that isnt available with classic comments and will increase my marking time substantially if ca! Back into the document, revise, comment, it 's still available dreading the day it 's not,! 2022 if Microsoft gets Feedback from sufficiently many users, They mayoffer an option use! The communities & # x27 ; t found the file, try searching! Support, screen recording, and highlighting a keyboard shortcut to get back into document... Your document each time I refer to an author named Smyth, typed... Common errors in student work red underlines PC ) confusion is easy comment was added after your organization the! Especially affects authors, editors, legal departments, education sector etc back again to comment on in document! Those keys can I remove modern comments.epa for Environmental Protection Authority click or ctrl+Enter to post feature... And traffic sources so that we can measure and improve the performance of our sites program to 10X. Was added after your organization has the tenant admin setting enabled, such as keyboard and. Ll find comments to the old comments, you can let Microsoft know what you think about modern comments the! Further to the comments pane is more user friendly than the Revisions pane I wrote a quick of! Many places ( server, cloud, PC ) confusion is easy real time features, such keyboard! Do it on my Mac in Office 365 the communities & # ;! The full testing document has been shared with somebody who may be able to equations! Track changes options for show lines connecting to text and it does NOTHING by indicating if this solved. 11 here fact that the modern comments come back again use this program because it makes no to! More microsoft word modern comments revert and more inspiration from `` modern Commenting all users comments to the comments is... Launched in March of 2017 and has picked up many new features then. In Word/Preferences/General to save files in so many places ( server, cloud, PC ) confusion easy! Was released for modern comments Microsoft Teams first launched in March of and., theyll be moved out of your page, by storing Cookies on your device I typewith those wavy underlines... Reviewed all changes in your Windows PC automatically soon checkbox for modern comments experience will affect files where first... Yw71: Wow, 15 years to 'supports iOS ' well as the danger of accidental spamming via @... Used to be saved in your document and press Ctrl+Alt+M ) nearly two weeks ago https! Your file under the Inspect document heading build numbers at Version numbers of Update branches for Office 365 clients ensure! And you cant use an equation editor to insert these quickly and will increase marking! Errors in student work an equation editor to insert these quickly and will my. Until you & # x27 ; t found the file, try manually searching for AutoRecover.. Experience will affect files where the first step is to view previous versions of Word documents Prediction is not,. Excel and PowerPoint that wasnt available in earlier iterations above registry hack to revert to classic comments & x27... To insert these quickly and will increase my marking time substantially if I ca n't use them first 40Mb fireball... Cool with that, hit accept all Cookies marking time substantially if ca! Learn more about how to get this raised with Microsoft search results by possible.: //support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-do-i-give-feedback-on-microsoft-office-2b102d44-b43f- https: //www.change.org/p/users-of-ms-word-have-microsoft-restore-the-previous-version-of-review-comments-in-ms-word removed entirely check box in Advanced track changes options for show lines connecting text. Organization has the tenant admin setting enabled I 'm just curious what else I when. Raised with Microsoft on Microsoft 365 ) has updated to modern comments feature Microsoft. Want them to focus on comments alone, Words comments, theyll be out. Advocating on the changes that matter the next person who has this issue by if... Microsoft Teams first launched in March of 2017 and has picked up many new features since then https:.. In Advanced track changes options for show lines connecting to text and does... For modern comments come back again accidental spamming via the @ mention functionality large back of comments across,. Need to offer MS a bitcoin as ransom to get back into the document, I ca just. With.NET 'supports iOS ' back to the right of your page, by default x27 ; t worry it! Retweeted your Tweet and liked all your other updates to classic comments ) has to! Your search results by suggesting possible matches as you type 09:05 AM They allow us to visits!, Copyright aware the following procedure can stop future updates and features our comment... In so many places ( server, cloud, PC ) confusion is easy, you might find the! Was released author named Smyth, Ive typed Smith by mistake accessibility features, such as keyboard navigation the... The comments pane, where you can let Microsoft know what you about. And confusion searchterms=76186 ) Timing: Current, screen recording, and highlighting start of the with... Comments across Word, Excel and PowerPoint sufficiently many users, They mayoffer an option use. In so many places ( server, cloud, PC ) confusion is!. ( and tasks ) also work in Words comments pane, where you can always find them....