When you collaborate on a document in Word, every new comment or reply triggers a notification bubble in the system tray. These pop-ups can interrupt your workflow, especially when editing a document with many reviewers. Word controls this behavior through a setting in the Options dialog, not through Windows notification settings. This article explains how to turn off comment notifications in Word for Windows without affecting other app notifications.
Key Takeaways: Turn Off Comment Alerts in Word
- File > Options > General > Show comment notifications: Clear this checkbox to stop all comment-related alerts in Word.
- Windows Settings > System > Notifications > Word: Disable Word notifications here only if you want to block all Word toast messages, not just comments.
- No restart required: The change takes effect immediately after you click OK in the Options dialog.
What Comment Notifications in Word Do
When you share a document on OneDrive or SharePoint and others add or reply to comments, Word displays a toast notification in the lower-right corner of your screen. This notification appears even when the document is not open in Word. The feature is designed to keep you informed of new feedback in real time. However, if you receive many comments or work on a shared document for hours, these pop-ups can be distracting. Word provides a single toggle to disable these comment notifications without turning off other collaboration features such as @mentions or task assignments.
Prerequisites
Before you disable comment notifications, confirm the following:
- You are using Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2021, Word 2019, or Word 2016. The setting is available in all these versions.
- The document is stored on OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online. Comment notifications only appear for cloud-based documents with co-authoring enabled.
- You have signed into Word with the same Microsoft account used for the shared document.
Steps to Disable Comment Notifications in Word
- Open Word Options
Click the File tab in the upper-left corner of the Word window. Click Options at the bottom of the left pane. The Word Options dialog opens. - Go to the General tab
In the Word Options dialog, click General in the left navigation panel. This tab contains personalization and notification settings. - Locate the comment notifications setting
Scroll down to the Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office section. Find the checkbox labeled Show comment notifications. This checkbox is enabled by default. - Clear the checkbox
Click the checkbox to remove the checkmark. The setting is now disabled. - Confirm the change
Click OK at the bottom of the Word Options dialog. The dialog closes. No restart is needed. Comment notifications stop immediately.
Alternative Method: Disable All Word Notifications in Windows
If you want to block all notifications from Word, including alerts for @mentions, task assignments, and document updates, use the Windows notification settings. This method affects every notification from Word, not just comments.
- Open Windows Settings
Press Windows + I to open Settings. Click System and then click Notifications. - Find Word in the app list
Scroll down to the Notifications from apps and other senders section. Locate Word in the list. If you have multiple Office apps, each appears separately. - Turn off Word notifications
Click the toggle switch next to Word to set it to Off. Word will no longer send any toast notifications to the action center.
What Happens After You Disable Comment Notifications
After you clear the Show comment notifications checkbox, you will no longer see pop-up alerts when someone adds a comment or replies to an existing comment. The comments themselves still appear in the document when you open it. The Reviewing Pane and the Comments pane continue to work normally. You can still see new comments by opening the document and checking the Comments pane on the right side of the window. Other users on the same document are not affected; they will continue to receive notifications if their setting is enabled.
Common Issues When Disabling Comment Notifications
Notifications Still Appear After Changing the Setting
If comment notifications persist, confirm that you cleared the correct checkbox. Open Word Options again and verify that Show comment notifications is unchecked. If it is unchecked but notifications still appear, restart Word. In rare cases, the setting does not apply until the next time Word starts. Also check whether the notifications are coming from the browser version of Word. The setting only controls the desktop app. If you use Word for the web, you must disable notifications in your browser settings.
Notifications Stop for All Documents, Not Just One
The Show comment notifications setting is global. It applies to every document you open in Word. You cannot disable notifications for a single document while keeping them enabled for others. If you need per-document control, consider closing documents that you do not want to receive notifications for. Word only sends notifications for documents that are open in the background or that you recently edited.
I Want Notifications for @Mentions but Not for Comments
Word does not offer separate toggles for comment notifications and @mention notifications. The Show comment notifications checkbox controls both. If you clear it, you will not receive alerts for either comments or @mentions. To receive @mention alerts without comment alerts, you must rely on the notification system in the document itself. When you open the document, the Comments pane highlights new @mentions with a blue dot. No toast notification appears.
Word Comment Notification Settings: Desktop vs Web vs Mobile
| Item | Word Desktop | Word for the Web |
|---|---|---|
| Setting location | File > Options > General | Browser notification settings |
| Scope of toggle | Comment notifications only | All site notifications |
| Affects other apps | No | No |
| Requires restart | No | Page refresh |
Word for mobile uses the operating system notification settings. On iOS, go to Settings > Word > Notifications. On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Word > Notifications. The mobile apps do not have a separate comment notification toggle.
Conclusion
You can now disable comment notifications in Word by clearing the Show comment notifications checkbox in File > Options > General. This setting stops pop-up alerts for new comments and replies while keeping the Comments pane fully functional. If you need to block all Word notifications, use the Windows notification settings instead. As an advanced tip, you can combine this setting with Focus Assist in Windows to suppress all notifications during specific hours without changing Word options.