How to Restrict Word Comment Threads to Specific Reviewer Roles Only

When collaborating on a document in Word, you may want to allow only certain people to reply to or resolve comment threads while others can only read or add new comments. By default, any reviewer with edit access can reply to any comment thread. This can lead to confusion when multiple people respond to the same thread. Word provides built-in permission controls through the Restrict Editing panel that let you assign specific reviewer roles to comment threads. This article explains how to configure those restrictions using Word’s native permission system.

How Word Comment Thread Permissions Work

Word’s comment system stores each comment as part of a thread. When a reviewer posts a new comment, a thread starts. Other reviewers can reply to that thread, and the original commenter or the document owner can resolve the thread. Without restrictions, any user with edit access to the document can perform all these actions.

The Restrict Editing feature in Word controls who can do what. You can choose an editing restriction, such as allowing only comments, and then define exceptions for specific users. Those exceptions grant additional permissions, like the ability to reply to or resolve threads. The feature does not allow you to set permissions per individual comment thread. Instead, it applies the same rule to all threads in the document.

Prerequisites for Restricting Comment Threads

Before you begin, confirm the following:

• You are using a desktop version of Word (Microsoft 365, Word 2021, Word 2019, or Word 2016). Word for the web does not support the Restrict Editing feature.
• You have the document open in the desktop app.
• You know the email addresses or user names of the reviewers you want to grant extra permissions to.
• The document is not already protected with editing restrictions. If it is, you need the password to change the restrictions.

Steps to Restrict Comment Threads to Specific Reviewer Roles

Enable Comment-Only Editing and Set Exceptions

1. Open the Restrict Editing pane
   On the Review tab, in the Protect group, click Restrict Editing. The Restrict Editing pane opens on the right side of the Word window.
2. Set the editing restriction to Comments
   In the Editing restrictions section, check the box labeled Allow only this type of editing in the document. From the dropdown list, select Comments. This prevents all reviewers from making changes to the document content. They can only add new comment threads.
3. Open the Exceptions section
   In the Exceptions section, you see a list under Groups. By default, the list shows Everyone. Below the list, select the option More users.
4. Add specific reviewer users
   In the Add Users dialog box, type the email addresses or user names of the reviewers who should be allowed to reply to and resolve comment threads. Separate multiple entries with semicolons. Click OK. The names appear in the Groups list.
5. Grant the exception to the added users
   In the Groups list, check the box next to each user name you just added. These users now have permission to edit the document while the Comments restriction is active. This means they can reply to existing threads and resolve comments.
6. Start enforcing protection
   At the bottom of the Restrict Editing pane, click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection. A dialog box asks for a password. Type a password in the Enter new password field, then type it again in the Confirm new password field. Click OK. The restrictions take effect immediately.

Test the Restrictions

1. Send the document to a reviewer not in the exceptions list
   When this reviewer opens the document, they can add new comment threads but cannot reply to any existing thread. The reply button appears grayed out. They also cannot edit any document content.
2. Send the document to a reviewer in the exceptions list
   This reviewer can add new threads, reply to any thread, and resolve threads. They can also edit the document content, because the exception grants full editing rights.

If the Restrictions Do Not Work as Expected

Reviewers Cannot Reply Even When Added to the Exceptions List

The most common cause is that the document was protected with a password that you do not remember, or the protection was applied with a different restriction type. To check, open the Restrict Editing pane. If the Yes, Start Enforcing Protection button is grayed out and says Stop Protection, the document is already protected. Click Stop Protection and enter the password to remove the old protection. Then reapply the restrictions following the steps above.

Reviewers Can Reply but Cannot Resolve Comments

The ability to resolve a comment thread is part of the full editing permission that the exception grants. If a reviewer can reply but not resolve, they may be using a version of Word that does not fully support the Resolve Thread button. Word 2016 and earlier versions do not have the Resolve Thread feature. In that case, the reviewer sees only the reply option. To resolve the thread, the document owner or a reviewer using a newer version must do it.

Reviewers Who Are Not in the Exceptions List Can Still Reply

This happens when the document is stored in a shared location such as OneDrive or SharePoint and the reviewer has co-authoring permissions. The Restrict Editing feature works only when the document is opened in the desktop app and the restrictions are enforced. If the reviewer opens the document in Word for the web, the restrictions do not apply. To prevent this, inform reviewers that they must use the desktop version to adhere to the restrictions. You can also remove co-authoring permissions for those reviewers in the sharing settings of the document.

Restrict Editing: Comments Only vs Comments With Exceptions

Item	Comments Only (No Exceptions)	Comments With Exceptions
Reviewer can add new comments	Yes	Yes
Reviewer can reply to any thread	No	Only users in the exceptions list
Reviewer can resolve threads	No	Only users in the exceptions list
Reviewer can edit document content	No	Only users in the exceptions list
Password required	Optional	Optional but recommended

You can now restrict comment threads in Word by assigning specific reviewer roles through the Restrict Editing feature. After setting the restrictions, send the document to your reviewers and confirm that each person can perform only the actions you intended. For a more granular approach, consider using Information Rights Management in Microsoft 365, which allows per-user permissions on documents stored in SharePoint. To quickly remove all restrictions, open the Restrict Editing pane, click Stop Protection, and enter the password.