Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Formatting Comments.

Formatting Comments

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 21, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


When you add a comment to a document, Word displays that comment in any number of ways, depending on your Word version and how you have it configured to display comments. Common to all comments, however, is the effort by Word to display them in a plain, straightforward manner. If you want to get a bit more fancy with your comments, there are a couple of things you can do.

First, you can format the text in a comment in the same manner that you format regular text. All you need to do is select the text and then use the regular tools on the Formatting toolbar to apply different attributes such as bold or italic. You can also right-click any selected text and choose Font from the Context menu in order to make more detailed changes.

Another thing to remember is that the base formatting used for comments is controlled by the Comment Text style. Change this style, and the formatting of all your comments are changed accordingly.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (348) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Formatting Comments.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

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