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New ribbon items

tom boyer 5 Reputation points
2026-02-12T17:31:45.2+00:00

I now have "comments," "editing" and "share" options in my ribbon bar. How do I disable those functions and remove from my ribbon? If not an option, then how do I stop the "chat" icon from poppoing up when I highlight a word in my document?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | MacOS
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  1. Stefan Blom 335.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-02-15T16:09:46.53+00:00

    I do not have co-pilot installed. I'm running Word for Mac

    Thanks for the follow-up. If you don't have Copilot installed as part of your Microsoft Office product, then the chat icon you are referring to must be something else than part of Copilot, of course.

    Could you upload a screen shot for us, so that we can get an idea of what it might be.

    1 person found this answer helpful.

  2. Stefan Blom 335.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-02-13T18:40:33.4666667+00:00
    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  3. Rodrigo Queiroz 75,470 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-02-15T04:17:45.3433333+00:00

    Did you try the other instructions on the link given by @Stefan Blom ? Let us know if it worked or if it does not solve your issue.


  4. Rodrigo Queiroz 75,470 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-02-12T20:13:51.4366667+00:00

    Hi, I'm Rodrigo and I will help you.
    Unfortunately, the "Comments" "Editing" and "Share" options can't be removed from Microsoft 365 apps.

    About the chat icon, it seems to be related to Microsoft Copilot, disabling Copilot should work.
    Go to File > Options > Copilot > Uncheck "Enable Copilot"


  5. Q&A Assist
    2026-02-12T17:31:51.45+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    To disable the "comments," "editing," and "share" options in your ribbon bar in Microsoft Word, there currently isn't a user-level option available to remove these functions directly from the ribbon. These features are part of the updated interface and are designed to enhance collaboration and document sharing.

    Regarding the "chat" icon that appears when you highlight a word, this is also a feature that was introduced in a recent update, and users have reported that unchecking "Enable Modern Comments" does not remove the icon. Unfortunately, this appears to be a design issue that needs to be addressed by Microsoft, and there is no workaround available at the moment.

    To express your concerns or feedback about these features, you can use the "Help > Feedback" option in the Word menu bar. This feedback goes directly to the development team and can influence future updates.


    References:

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