Word: anonymize comments - how it works

You can anonymize all your comments in Microsoft Word. This way, other reviewers do not see which annotations you have. We reveal how you anonymize your comments in the different versions of Word.

Word 2016 and newer: anonymize comments

When you create a comment in Word, your name is displayed by default. If you do not want this, you have to anonymize the comment.

1. In Word 2016 and newer versions, open the desired document and click on the "File" tab in the top left.
2. Then click the "Check for problems" button in the "Check document" section.
3. Select the "Check document" entry in the drop-down menu.
4. In the new window, leave all ticks activated and click on "Check".
5. As soon as the checking process is completed, click on the "Delete all" button next to "Document properties and personal information". Then all comments are anonymized.

Anonymize comments in older versions of Word

You can also anonymize comments in older versions of Word. The procedure, however, is slightly different than with the latest office programs.

1. Open the document to be anonymized in Word.
2. Click the Office button in the top left.
3. Under "Prepare" select the entry "Check document".
4. Then click on "Check" and wait until the process is completed.
5. Finally, next to "Document Properties and Personal Information", click the "Remove All" button. As soon as you return to the document, all comments are anonymized.

Instead of anonymizing the annotations, you can just hide the comments in Word. On the next page we will tell you exactly how to do this.