How to Print a Word Document With Comments (And Control What Shows Up)

Printing a Word document with comments isn't complicated — but it's easy to accidentally print without them, or end up with a layout that's hard to read. Here's how the feature works, what options you have, and what affects the final output.

What "Printing With Comments" Actually Means in Word

When you print a Word document, comments aren't included by default in every version or configuration. Comments in Microsoft Word are stored as annotations attached to specific text ranges. When printed, they can appear as:

• Markup balloons in the margin (the most common format)
• A list at the end of the document (called the "Comments List" layout)
• Inline within the text using revision marks

The method you use to enable comment printing, and which display style you choose, directly affects how readable the final printout is.

How to Print With Comments in Microsoft Word (Windows)

The standard path works across most modern versions of Word (Microsoft 365, Word 2019, Word 2016):

1. Open your document in Word.
2. Go to File → Print.
3. Under Settings, look for the dropdown that typically says "Print All Pages".
4. Click it and look for "Print Markup" — make sure it's checked.
5. Proceed with printing normally.

If Print Markup is greyed out or missing, it usually means the document has no tracked changes or comments currently visible, or the Show Markup setting is turned off in the Review tab.

Enabling Markup Display First

Before printing, go to Review → Tracking → Show Markup and confirm that Comments is checked. If comments are hidden in the view, they won't print even with Print Markup enabled.

You can also control which comments are shown — by specific reviewers, by type (comments vs. tracked changes), or all at once — using the Show Markup dropdown.

How to Print With Comments on Mac (Word for Mac)

The steps are slightly different on macOS:

1. Go to File → Print.
2. In the print dialog, look for "Microsoft Word" in the dropdown (not "Layout" or "Paper Handling").
3. Ensure "Print Markup" is checked in that panel.

Word for Mac follows the same logic: if markup isn't visible in the document view, it won't appear in print.

Choosing How Comments Are Displayed When Printed 🖨️

This is where most users run into confusion. Word offers different print layouts for markup:

To change balloon behavior: go to Review → Tracking → Show Markup → Balloons and select your preferred mode before printing.

"List of Markup" is particularly useful when comments are dense — it keeps the body text clean and appends all comments at the end with page/line references.

Why Your Printed Comments Might Look Wrong

Several factors affect the final output:

• Page margins: Balloon comments push into the margin space. Narrow margins can cause text to squeeze uncomfortably or balloons to overlap. Wider margins (1.25"+ on the right side) generally print better with comments.
• Number of comments: Documents with many overlapping comments can become visually cluttered in balloon mode. In these cases, the List of Markup option often produces cleaner results.
• Printer scaling: If you're printing at reduced scale (e.g., two pages per sheet), balloon text can become very small. Check the print preview carefully.
• Word version: The location of Print Markup has shifted slightly across versions. Word 2010 and earlier handle it through the Print dialog differently than Microsoft 365.
• Document protection settings: If a document is protected or in read-only mode, some markup display options may be locked.

Printing Only the Comments (Without the Full Document)

If you only need the comments themselves — for review or record-keeping — Word doesn't have a single-click "print only comments" button, but you can get close:

• Use File → Print → Print All Pages → List of Markup — this prints a summary of all comments and tracked changes without the full body text layout.
• Alternatively, copy all comments manually using the Reviewing Pane (Review → Reviewing Pane), paste into a new document, and print that.

Printing Comments in Google Docs vs. Word

If you're working in Google Docs, the approach is different. Google Docs doesn't currently offer a native option to print comments as margin balloons. Comments are linked to the document but don't transfer to print layouts the way Word's do. Some workarounds exist (like downloading as a .docx and opening in Word), but the experience varies. This is one area where Word has a clear functional advantage for annotation-heavy workflows.

The Variables That Shape Your Experience 📄

How well comment printing works — and which approach suits you — depends on factors specific to your document and workflow:

• How many reviewers added comments, and whether you need all or just some printed
• Whether you're printing for a client, archive, or internal review — each has different readability needs
• Your printer's margin capabilities — some printers have minimum margin requirements that conflict with balloon layouts
• Whether you're using Word desktop or Word Online — Word Online has more limited print markup controls than the desktop app

The right combination of display mode, margin settings, and print options looks different depending on what the document contains and what the printout needs to accomplish.