When working on a shared document in Word, you may need to reply to a comment and direct a specific co-author to read your response. Typing their full name or email manually is slow and error-prone. Word provides a built-in address bar inside the comment reply box that lets you mention a co-author by typing the @ symbol followed by their name. This article explains how to use the address bar to mention a specific co-author in a comment reply, what prerequisites are required, and common mistakes to avoid.
Key Takeaways: Mentioning a Co-Author in Word Comments via the Address Bar
- @mention in comment reply: Type @ followed by the co-author’s display name or email to trigger the address bar suggestion list.
- Document must be saved to cloud: The file must be stored on OneDrive, SharePoint, or Microsoft 365 to enable co-authoring and @mentions.
- Co-author must have editing access: Only users with edit permissions on the document appear in the address bar suggestions.
How the Address Bar Works for Mentioning Co-Authors in Comments
The address bar in Word comments is a feature that integrates with the Microsoft 365 identity system. When you type the @ symbol in a comment reply box, Word queries the list of users who have access to the document. The feature is part of the modern commenting experience introduced in Word for Microsoft 365. It does not work in older .doc files or documents stored locally on your computer.
Before you can mention a co-author, the document must be saved to a cloud location such as OneDrive, SharePoint, or Microsoft 365 Groups. The co-author must have at least edit permissions on the file. View-only users do not appear in the suggestion list. The document must also be in the .docx format. Older .doc files do not support @mentions.
Steps to Mention a Specific Co-Author in a Comment Reply
Follow these steps to reply to an existing comment and mention a co-author using the address bar.
- Open the document and locate the comment
Open the cloud-saved .docx file in Word for Microsoft 365. Scroll to the area where a comment exists. Click the comment balloon icon on the right side of the document to expand the comment pane. - Click Reply to open the reply box
Below the existing comment text, click the Reply button. A text box appears where you can type your response. Do not type anything yet. - Type the @ symbol followed by the co-author name
In the reply box, type @. A small dropdown list appears showing the names and email addresses of all users who have edit access to the document. Continue typing the co-author display name or email address. The list filters as you type. - Select the co-author from the list
When the correct co-author appears in the dropdown, click their name or press Enter. Word inserts the full display name into the reply box, formatted as a clickable mention. The name appears with the @ symbol and is highlighted in blue. - Complete your reply and send it
Type the rest of your reply text after the mention. Click the Post button or press Ctrl+Enter to submit the reply. The mentioned co-author receives an email notification with a link to the comment.
Common Mistakes When Mentioning Co-Authors in Comments
The @ symbol does not show a list of users
This happens when the document is not saved to a cloud location. Save the file to OneDrive or SharePoint. Also confirm that the file format is .docx. If the document is in .doc format, convert it to .docx by going to File > Info > Convert.
The co-author I want to mention does not appear in the list
The user must have edit permissions on the document. Check the sharing settings: open the document, click Share in the top-right corner, and verify that the intended co-author is listed with Can Edit access. If they have Can View access, change their permission to Can Edit. Also confirm that the co-author has accepted the sharing invitation and signed in with the same Microsoft account.
The mention is not clickable after posting
This occurs when you manually typed the @ symbol and name instead of selecting from the dropdown. The mention must be inserted via the address bar suggestion list. Delete the manual text and repeat the steps using the dropdown selection.
Email notification is not sent to the mentioned co-author
Word sends email notifications only when the document is hosted on a Microsoft 365 service that supports real-time co-authoring. If you are using a personal OneDrive account with a free Microsoft account, notifications may not be generated. For guaranteed notifications, use a work or school account with SharePoint Online or OneDrive for Business.
Address Bar Mention vs Manual Typing: Key Differences
| Item | Address Bar Mention (@) | Manual Typing |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Type @ and select from dropdown list | Type @ followed by name or email manually |
| Notification trigger | Sends email notification to the mentioned user | No notification is sent |
| Clickable link | Name becomes a clickable blue link | Name remains plain text |
| User validation | Validates that the user has document access | No validation; any text can be typed |
| Document format required | .docx saved to cloud | Works in any format and location |
Using the address bar mention ensures the co-author receives a notification and can click directly to the comment. Manual typing does not create a link or send any alert. Always use the address bar dropdown when you need to draw a specific co-author attention to your reply.
You can now mention any co-author in a comment reply by typing @ and selecting their name from the address bar. To test the feature, open a shared document, click Reply on an existing comment, and type @ followed by a few letters of a collaborator name. For documents with many co-authors, the address bar filters results as you type, making it easy to find the right person even when the list is long.