I need help restoring deleted comments on a tracked document in a windows PC

Question

I am working on a manuscript with a deadline. I deleted the copy editors comments in error. I needed to delete other's comments but not hers. I did have tracking on when I deleted the comments, but I am having problems restoring her comments. I do not want to restore any of the other edits that were made in the documents but this one reviewer. Can anyone please help. It is a 300 page document. Thank you!!!

Answer 1

In addition to what Jay said, if the document is still open (even if it has been saved, as long as it hasn't been closed), you could use Undo to get back to the point where you deleted the comments. You might have a lot of work to redo, but not as much as starting from scratch (as you would with Jay's solution).

Answer 2

Word's Track Changes feature doesn't track comments, either as they're added or as they're deleted. There's nothing in that copy of the document to restore.

If you have a copy of the document as it was before you deleted any comments -- maybe as an email attachment -- I can tell you how to delete only the comments that aren't the copy editor's:

• On the Review tab, click the Show Markup button. In the menu, click the Specific People item. In the secondary menu, uncheck the copy editor's name. Now the copy editor's comments (and any changes of text or formatting) will be invisible.
• Click the bottom half of the Delete button in the Comments section, and click Delete All Comments Shown. That will remove the comments from everyone except the copy editor. (Note that this doesn't affect any edited text or formatting, only comments.)
• Click Show Markup again and check the copy editor's name. Only the editor's comments will remain. Save the document (maybe best to use Save As and give this version a different name).