Microsoft 365 Word Comments Glitch & "ob" Box

Question

I work as a writing tutor and use Word 365 frequently to share access to working documents with students. Both the students and I work from our shared institution's Microsoft 365 accounts. Recently, I have been encountering frustrating glitches with the comments function that are wasting time and causing confusion. These malfunctions are all related to my leaving comments in students' documents. We both have the document open on our devices, and once the student addresses the comment and then goes to resolve or delete it in the comment panel, several things happen. First, the Word document quietly deletes portions of the document text. Sometimes the deleted portion is only a few letters from a word, and sometimes the deleted portion includes entire sentences. You might think that this is potentially the portion of the text that I had highlighted to leave a comment, but it is not, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the deletion of text beyond a general proximity to the original comment anchor. Second, the document shifts my remaining comments to be anchored to portions of the text that have nothing to do with the original comment. Finally, there is a strange "ob" symbol that is in some kind of faint box which appears in the text on the student's end but, on my end, I see nothing; the missing portions of text and comment shifting are consistent on both my and the students' ends. This glitch is problematic enough that I have started using Google Docs to work with students...Can you please advise or look into this issue?

Answer 1

Is it possible that the boxes you mention say "OBJ" (rather than just "OB")? In that case, it is some type of content (object) which cannot be interpreted by Word.

Are you using Word for the web rather than the full, desktop version?

Answer 2

There is no documented setting or fix in the provided material that matches this behavior (text being deleted or reassigned when comments are resolved, or an “ob” box appearing in the text). The available documentation only covers normal comment behavior (modern vs legacy comments, navigation, resolving/deleting comments, reactions) and some known limitations, but does not describe this glitch or provide a workaround beyond standard usage.

Because this appears to be a product defect rather than a configurable feature, the only supported action in the context is to submit it directly to the Word development team as feedback so it can be investigated and addressed in future updates. Use the in‑product feedback channel:

1. In Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows or Mac, go to the Help menu.
2. Select Feedback.
3. Describe the issue, including:
   • That it occurs in shared Microsoft 365 documents when a collaborator resolves or deletes comments.
   • That portions of nearby text are deleted and other comments are re‑anchored incorrectly.
   • That an “ob” symbol in a faint box appears on the student’s side only.
   • That both parties are using institutional Microsoft 365 accounts.
4. Submit the feedback.

Volume of feedback is explicitly called out as an influencing factor for changes and fixes, so affected colleagues and students should be encouraged to submit feedback describing the same issue.

If the issue persists and disrupts teaching, the only additional step supported in the context is to continue using an alternative platform (such as another editor) until a fix is released.

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References:

• Using Modern comments in Word
• Use a screen reader to add, read, and delete comments in Word
• React to a comment in Word for the web
• How do I disable the automatic comment icon that appears everytime I select text? - Microsoft Q&A
• Comment icon not going away, even after turning off modern comments (MacOS) - Microsoft Q&A