How to Use Word Shortcuts to Cycle Through Different Comment Authors

When you review a document with comments from multiple people, jumping between each author’s feedback can take too long using the mouse. Word does not include a single built-in shortcut that filters by author, but you can combine existing navigation tools and keyboard tricks to achieve this. This article explains how to cycle through comments by author using the Reviewing Pane, the Go To feature, and custom keyboard sequences. You will learn the exact steps to save time when collaborating on documents with several reviewers.

How Comment Navigation Works in Word and Why Author Cycling Needs Extra Steps

Word’s built-in comment navigation moves through all comments in the order they appear in the document, regardless of who wrote them. When you press Alt+Shift+Down Arrow or use the Next Comment button on the Review tab, Word jumps to the next comment chronologically. This behavior means you cannot cycle by author using a single default shortcut.

The Reviewing Pane is the feature that makes author cycling possible. You can open the Reviewing Pane in vertical mode, sort it by author, and then use keyboard shortcuts to move through the sorted list. The pane displays every comment in a table-like list. Sorting rearranges that list so all comments from one author appear together. Once sorted, the Next Comment shortcut follows the pane’s order, not the document’s physical layout.

You need two things before you start: a document with comments from at least two different authors, and the Review tab visible on the ribbon. The steps below work in Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016 on Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Steps to Cycle Through Comments by Author Using Keyboard Shortcuts

This method uses the Reviewing Pane to group comments by author and then keyboard shortcuts to navigate. Follow these steps exactly.

1. Open the Reviewing Pane in vertical layout
   Go to the Review tab. In the Tracking group, click the Reviewing Pane button. Select Reviewing Pane Vertical from the dropdown. The pane appears on the left side of the Word window. If you see a horizontal pane at the bottom, click the dropdown arrow next to the Reviewing Pane button and choose Vertical.
2. Sort comments by author
   In the Reviewing Pane, locate the column headers. Click the header labeled Comment. A dropdown arrow appears. Click the arrow and select Sort A to Z. This groups all comments from the same author together. The pane now shows author names alphabetically, with each author’s comments listed below their name.
3. Select the first comment in the sorted list
   Click anywhere inside the Reviewing Pane. Press the Tab key or use the Up and Down Arrow keys to move focus to the first comment. The comment text becomes highlighted in the pane.
4. Cycle through comments using the Next Comment shortcut
   Press Alt+Shift+Down Arrow. Word moves to the next comment in the sorted Reviewing Pane order. Each press moves to the next comment down the list. Because the list is sorted by author, you cycle through all comments from the first author before reaching the second author’s comments.
5. Move to the previous comment
   Press Alt+Shift+Up Arrow to go back to the previous comment in the sorted list. This lets you revisit a comment without losing the author grouping.
6. Jump to a specific author directly
   Press Ctrl+G to open the Go To dialog. In the Go to what list, select Comment. In the Enter reviewer name box, type the exact name of the author. Click Go To. Word jumps to the first comment from that author. You can then press Alt+Shift+Down Arrow to cycle through only that author’s remaining comments, because the Go To command places you at the first comment of that author in the document order.

Alternative method: Add Sort by Author to the Quick Access Toolbar

If you sort comments by author frequently, add the sort command to the Quick Access Toolbar for one-click access.

1. Open Word Options
   Click File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar.
2. Choose All Commands from the dropdown
   In the Choose commands from list, select All Commands.
3. Find and add the Sort command
   Scroll down to Sort. Click Add >>. Click OK. A Sort icon now appears on the Quick Access Toolbar.
4. Use the Sort button in the Reviewing Pane
   Open the Reviewing Pane. Click the Sort button on the Quick Access Toolbar. The comments sort alphabetically by author. You can then use Alt+Shift+Down Arrow to cycle through them.

Common Problems When Cycling Through Comments by Author

Alt+Shift+Down Arrow does not move to the next comment

This shortcut works only when focus is inside the document body, not inside the Reviewing Pane. Click anywhere in the document text before pressing the shortcut. If the pane has focus, press Escape to return focus to the document.

Comments do not appear sorted after clicking the column header

Make sure you clicked the Comment column header, not the Author or Date header. The Comment column header displays the word Comment at the top. If the pane shows no column headers, widen the pane by dragging its right edge until headers appear.

The Go To dialog does not find a specific author

The Enter reviewer name box is case-sensitive in some Word versions. Type the name exactly as it appears in the comment balloon. To see the exact spelling, hover over any comment from that author and read the author name in the tooltip.

Reviewing Pane does not show all comments

The Reviewing Pane displays only comments that are not filtered out. On the Review tab, in the Tracking group, ensure Show Comments is checked. Also check that no filters are active in the Show Markup menu.

Word Shortcut Methods for Cycling Comment Authors: Reviewing Pane vs Go To Dialog

Item	Reviewing Pane + Sort	Go To Dialog + Author Name
Setup time	10 seconds: open pane, click sort	5 seconds: open dialog, type name
Keyboard-only operation	Yes, after pane is open and sorted	Yes, full keyboard
Cycles through all authors	Yes, in alphabetical order	No, jumps to one author only
Works with locked comments	Yes	Yes
Requires mouse for initial sort	Yes, one click on column header	No
Best for	Reviewing feedback from many authors in one session	Jumping to a specific reviewer’s first comment quickly

You can now cycle through comments by author using the Reviewing Pane with sorting and the Alt+Shift+Down Arrow shortcut. For a faster jump to a specific reviewer, use Ctrl+G and type the author name. Try combining the Go To dialog to land on an author’s first comment and then the Next Comment shortcut to move through their remaining feedback. As an advanced tip, assign a custom keyboard shortcut to the Sort command by going to File > Options > Customize Ribbon > Keyboard Shortcuts > All Commands > SortComments to avoid clicking the toolbar button entirely.