How to add a comment in Word on Mac: steps for Microsoft 365 and 2024

Check which version of Word you have

Comment screens in Word for Mac have changed over the years, so the first step is to check your version. Choose Word > About Word from the menu bar. The window shows the version and build numbers. The newest Mac build in Microsoft's release notes is 16.114.3, dated October 27, 2026.

This page covers the layout Microsoft calls Modern comments. Microsoft's Modern comments page applies to Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac, so that is the main path below. Word 2024 and Word 2021 for Mac appear on the keyboard shortcut page for the same comment command. Word 2019 for Mac has an older support page with a simpler layout.

• Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac: Modern comments, with a Comments pane and a Post comment button.
• Word 2024 and Word 2021 for Mac: the ⌘⌥A shortcut for Insert a comment is listed.
• Word 2019 for Mac: Review > New Comment, with the comment shown in a balloon in the margin.

If your screen does not match the steps, the steps still help. The Review tab and the New Comment button carry the same idea across versions. The comment box and the posting step are the parts most likely to look different.

Select the text the comment is about

A comment needs an anchor. Word attaches it to the text you select, or to the spot where your cursor sits. Pick the anchor before you open any menu, because the comment follows it. If you are unsure, select the smallest phrase that makes the note clear.

Short anchors work better. A note on one figure, name or date is easy to find. A note on a whole page makes the reviewer guess which words you mean. Select a sentence when the note covers an idea rather than one word.

Mac text selection is quick. Double-click a word to select it. Click at the start of a passage, then Shift-click at the end to select the block. Drag with the trackpad if you prefer. Each method gives the comment the same anchor.

Add the comment from the Review tab

The Review tab holds the comment tools, next to Track Changes and the spelling tools. Click Review at the top of the window to open it. Click New Comment, and a comment box opens beside your text. Type your note there.

You can format the note while you type. Modern comments support bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, font color and highlighting, according to Microsoft. Use formatting sparingly. A highlighted word draws the eye, but a whole paragraph in red is hard to read.

Some content does not work inside a comment. Microsoft says grammar suggestions, AutoText, Quick Parts, tables, equations, shapes and fields are not supported in comments. Put anything like that in the body text, then comment on the words that refer to it.

Use the right-click menu or the Comments pane

You do not need the ribbon every time. Select the text, right-click it, and choose New comment. The Comments pane also has a New button. Microsoft lists all three routes on the Modern comments page, and each one starts the same comment.

Pick the route that fits your hands. Trackpad users often find right-click quickest. Keyboard users will prefer the shortcut, covered below. Reviewers who work in the Comments pane often want the New button close to the notes they are reading.

Post the comment so it saves

Posting is a separate step, and it is the one people miss. In Modern comments, pressing Enter does not post a comment. Click Post comment, or press ⌘Return. Microsoft lists Command + Enter for this on its Modern comments page.

Posting matters because an unposted comment can vanish. A 2020 Microsoft Q&A thread describes a user who clicked elsewhere and got a message asking them to post the comment with Command + Enter. The comment did not insert. That thread has no accepted answer, so the practical rule is simple. Post before you move on.

Find, read and resolve comments later

Modern comments have two views. Contextual view shows active comments in a pane beside their text, and hides resolved comments. List view puts every comment in one pane on the far right. Switch between them with the Comments button at the top right of the ribbon, or with the Show Comments dropdown on the Review tab.

Hidden comments cause most of the panic. In Contextual view, resolved comments stay out of sight. A comment that seems to be missing may be resolved, not deleted. Open the Show Comments dropdown and check the view before you assume the note is lost.

Keyboard shortcut for inserting a comment on Mac

The shortcut you need is ⌘⌥A, which means Command + Option + A. Microsoft lists it as Insert a comment on the keyboard shortcut page for Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac, Word 2024 for Mac and Word 2021 for Mac. Select your text first, then press it. Word opens a new comment for the selection.

The Windows version is Ctrl + Alt + M. It helps if you move between a Mac and a Windows PC for work. Microsoft's Modern comments page does not list a separate Mac shortcut for that action, so use ⌘⌥A on the Mac.

Word for the web uses different menus

If you open the file in Word for the web, the menu names change. In Edit View, select text and go to Review > New Comment. In Reading View, select text and go to Comments > New Comment. Microsoft's web page lists no keyboard shortcut for comments, so the menu is your route there.

The desktop app and the web app can show the same comment in different places. If a teammate says a comment is in the document, open the file in the desktop app and check the Comments pane before you assume it is missing.

A worked example: commenting on a contract clause

Say a colleague sends you a draft contract. One clause sets a payment date you cannot meet. Select the date phrase, not the whole clause. Press ⌘⌥A and write: Can we move this to a later date? Our finance run closes earlier. Post it with ⌘Return, then keep reading.

Your colleague sees the note beside the date. They can reply in the same thread. When the issue is settled, they mark the comment resolved, and it moves out of Contextual view. The contract text stays exactly as it was. Only the comment changed.

Common mistakes people make with comments on Mac

• Pressing Command + Return with no comment open. In a 2020 Microsoft Q&A reply, support said this can insert a page break instead of a comment.
• Clicking away before posting. The note may not save, and Word asks you to post it first.
• Commenting on a whole page. Reviewers cannot tell which words you mean.
• Adding an image to a comment on a Mac. Microsoft says images in comments are supported on Windows only.
• Assuming a missing comment was deleted. A resolved comment can be hidden in Contextual view.

These small mistakes cost more time than the comment itself. A short note that posts in the right place beats a perfect sentence that never saves. Check the posted comment in the pane before you send the file.

When comments from others do not show up

A January 2021 Microsoft Q&A thread describes a Mac user on Word 16.44 who could not see comments from coworkers. The same comments showed on Windows and in Word for the web. The accepted answer starts with add-ins. Choose Tools > Add-ins, disable them, then check the document again.

If add-ins are not the cause, the answer moves to the Word container folder. Back up the folder first. Quit Word, move ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.word to the desktop, and reopen Word. If the comments still do not show, quit Word and move the folder back.

Turn off Modern comments if the layout gets in the way

If your team still uses the older layout, you can switch Modern comments off. Choose Word > Preferences > General. Clear Enable modern comments, then restart Word. Microsoft calls this setting temporary and says it will be removed in the future.

Do not build a habit around the switch. Learn the Modern steps on this page, so you can still review files when the setting disappears. The Review tab route appears in every version Microsoft documents here.

What to do after you add a comment

Comments often lead to edits, and edits often need tracking. If you want to see each change a reviewer makes, read how to turn on Track Changes in Word on Mac. It sits on the same Review tab, so the menu will feel familiar.

If you prefer to speak your notes, read how to use dictation in Word on Mac. Dictation can draft a long comment quickly. Read the result before you post it, because the recognizer may pick a different word than you meant.

For longer documents, a table of contents helps reviewers find their place. See how to insert a table of contents in Word on Mac once the file grows past a few pages.