How to Resolve a Comment in Word

When collaborating on a document, comments help reviewers point out issues or suggest changes. But once you have addressed a comment, you need to mark it as resolved to keep the document organized. Resolving a comment does not delete it; it collapses the comment and hides it from the default view. This article shows you the three methods to resolve a comment in Word for Windows and Mac.

What It Means to Resolve a Comment in Word

Resolving a comment is a built-in feature introduced in Word 2019 for Windows and Word 2019 for Mac, and it is available in Microsoft 365 versions. When you resolve a comment, the comment text stays in the document but becomes hidden from the default Comments pane. The comment thread is grayed out and collapsed, showing only the word Resolved next to the original commenter’s name. This helps reviewers see which items still need action without deleting any history. You can reopen a resolved comment later if needed by clicking the Show Resolved Comments toggle in the Comments pane.

Prerequisites

Before you can resolve a comment, ensure the following:

• Your Word version supports the Resolve feature: Word 2019, Word 2021, Word for Microsoft 365, or Word for the web.
• The comment is not a reply in a thread that is already resolved. You must resolve the top-level comment (the original comment) to resolve the entire thread.
• You have editing permissions on the document. Comments cannot be resolved in read-only mode.

Method 1: Resolve a Single Comment by Right-Clicking

1. Open the document and locate the comment
   Scroll to the area of the document that contains the comment you want to resolve. The comment appears as a balloon in the margin or as a highlighted text with a comment icon next to it.
2. Right-click the comment balloon or the highlighted text
   On Windows, right-click the comment balloon in the margin. On Mac, Control-click the comment balloon or the highlighted text. A context menu appears.
3. Choose Resolve Comment from the menu
   Click Resolve Comment. The comment collapses and shows the label Resolved next to the commenter’s name. The comment is now hidden from the default Comments pane.

Method 2: Resolve a Comment Using the Review Tab

1. Select the comment
   Click anywhere inside the comment balloon or click the highlighted text that the comment is attached to. The comment becomes active, and its border turns blue.
2. Go to the Review tab
   On the ribbon at the top of the Word window, click the Review tab. The Review tab contains all commenting and tracking tools.
3. Click the Resolve button
   In the Comments group of the Review tab, click the Resolve button. The button icon shows a check mark inside a speech bubble. The selected comment is now resolved.

Method 3: Resolve All Comments at Once

1. Open the Review tab
   Click the Review tab on the ribbon.
2. Click the arrow below the Resolve button
   In the Comments group, find the Resolve button. Below it, there is a small arrow. Click that arrow to expand the drop-down menu.
3. Choose Resolve All Comments
   From the drop-down list, click Resolve All Comments. All comments in the document are resolved immediately. There is no undo for this action, so use it only when you are certain every comment has been addressed.

How to View Resolved Comments

1. Open the Comments pane
   On the Review tab, click the Comments button. The Comments pane opens on the right side of the window.
2. Toggle Show Resolved Comments
   At the top of the Comments pane, click the Show Resolved Comments toggle switch. When toggled on, all resolved comments appear in the pane with a gray background and a Resolved label. When toggled off, only unresolved comments are shown.
3. Reopen a resolved comment (optional)
   To undo a resolved comment, right-click the resolved comment in the pane and choose Unresolve Comment. The comment returns to its active, unresolved state.

Common Mistakes and Limitations

Resolving a comment does not delete it

Many users think Resolve removes the comment permanently. It does not. The comment remains in the document and can be viewed again. To permanently remove comments, use Delete in the Comments group on the Review tab.

Resolving a reply does not resolve the thread

If a comment thread has multiple replies, resolving a single reply does not resolve the whole thread. You must resolve the top-level original comment to collapse the entire conversation.

Resolve All Comments cannot be undone

There is no batch undo for Resolve All Comments. You must manually unresolve each comment one at a time. Always check that all comments are truly addressed before using this command.

Resolve Comment: Windows vs Mac vs Online

Item	Word for Windows	Word for Mac	Word for the web
Right-click method	Yes	Yes (Control-click)	No
Review tab Resolve button	Yes	Yes	Yes (in Comments pane)
Resolve All Comments	Yes	Yes	No
Show Resolved Comments toggle	Yes, in Comments pane	Yes, in Comments pane	Yes, in Comments pane
Unresolve a comment	Right-click > Unresolve	Control-click > Unresolve	Click Resolved label > Unresolve

Now you can resolve comments in Word using the right-click method, the Review tab button, or the Resolve All command. Start by resolving individual comments as you review them. For a final cleanup, use Resolve All Comments after every issue is addressed. If you need to revisit a resolved comment, use the Show Resolved Comments toggle in the Comments pane to locate and unresolve it.