The fastest way to remove a single comment

Right-click on the comment itself — the colored box that appears in the margin of your document — and select Delete Comment from the menu. The comment disappears when ready. If you are using Word on a Mac, Control-click instead of right-click, and the same menu appears.

You can also click once on the comment to select it, then press the Delete key on your keyboard. Either method works the same way and takes about two seconds per comment.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click any comment in the margin and select Delete Comment to remove it in one step.
  • To delete all comments at once, go to Review tab, click the arrow next to Delete, and choose Delete All Comments in Document.
  • Deleting a comment does not change the text of the document itself — only the feedback attached to it disappears.
  • If you delete a comment by mistake, press Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) when ready to undo and bring it back.
  • Comments stay in the document until you delete them; saving the file does not automatically remove them.

Removing all comments at once

If your document has many comments and you want to clear them all, go to the Review tab at the top of Word. Look for the Delete button — it usually shows a small arrow next to it. Click that arrow and you will see a menu with the option Delete All Comments in Document. Click it, and every comment vanishes in one action.

This is much faster than deleting comments one by one, but it removes everything at once with no way to pick and choose. If you are not sure you want to delete all of them, delete the ones you are certain about first, then use this bulk option for the rest.

Understanding what happens when you delete a comment

Deleting a comment removes only the feedback — the actual words in your document stay exactly as they are. If someone commented on a sentence saying "This is unclear," deleting that comment does not change the sentence. The text remains untouched; only the comment box disappears.

This matters because you might delete a comment after you have already fixed the problem it pointed out. The fix stays in the document. The comment was just a note telling you to make that fix, and once the fix is done, the note is no longer needed.

Recovering a deleted comment

If you delete a comment and when ready realize you needed it, press Ctrl+Z on Windows or Cmd+Z on Mac to undo. This brings the comment back. You have a few seconds to do this — the longer you wait or the more actions you take after deleting, the less likely undo will work.

If you have already saved the document after deleting the comment, undo will not recover it. This is why it is worth taking a moment before bulk-deleting to make sure you do not need any of them.

Why comments stay in your document until you delete them

Word treats comments as separate from the document text. Saving your file saves both the words and the comments together. If you want to send someone a clean version without feedback, you must delete the comments first, then save. straightforward saving does not strip them out.

Some people think comments are temporary or that they disappear on their own — they do not. If you open a document six months later, the comments will still be there unless you or someone else deleted them.

Showing and hiding comments instead of deleting them

If you want comments out of sight but are not ready to delete them permanently, you can hide them instead. Go to the Review tab and click Show Comments (or Hide Comments, depending on the current state). The comments disappear from view but remain in the document. You can turn them back on anytime.

This is useful when you are reading through a document and the comment boxes are distracting, or when you want to print a version without comments showing. The comments are still there; they are just not visible on screen.

Printing without comments

If you want to print the document but leave comments off the page, hide the comments first using the method above, then print. Word will print only what you see on screen. Alternatively, some printers have a "Print Comments" option in the print dialog — make sure it is turned off before you print.

Hiding comments before printing is temporary; the comments stay in the file. If you want to remove them permanently before sharing the document, delete them instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete just one person's comments and keep everyone else's?

Word does not have a built-in filter to delete by author. You will need to delete them one at a time, or delete all and then ask the other people to re-add theirs. Some organizations use track changes instead of comments for this reason — it gives more control over whose edits you accept or reject.

What if I delete a comment by accident?

Press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Cmd+Z (Mac) when ready to undo. If you have already taken other actions or closed the document, undo may not work. This is why it is worth pausing before you bulk-delete all comments.

Do comments show up when someone else opens the document?

Yes. Comments are part of the file, so anyone who opens the document will see them unless you delete them first or they hide them on their screen. If you want to send a clean version, delete the comments before you share the file.

Can I delete comments from a PDF version of a Word document?

No. Once you convert a Word document to PDF, the comments do not transfer over. If you delete comments before converting to PDF, they will not appear in the PDF. If you convert first and then want to remove comments, you need to go back to the Word file, delete them there, and convert again.