Print Word Document Without Comments: 7 Steps

What You’ll Need

A computer with Microsoft Word installed (desktop, Mac, or online version)
The document you want to print, saved and accessible
A printer that is set up and connected (or a PDF printer option)

Step-by-Step

Open the document — Launch Microsoft Word and open the file that contains comments. Make sure you are in the default editing view (Print Layout) so you can see the comments in the margin.
Go to File > Print — Click the “File” tab in the top-left corner, then select “Print” from the left-hand menu. This opens the print preview and settings panel.
Locate the “Print All Pages” dropdown — In the print settings, find the section that says “Settings”. The first dropdown usually shows “Print All Pages” (or “Print All Pages” with a number). Click it to expand the options.
Turn off “Print Markup” — In the dropdown menu, you will see a checkbox or toggle labeled “Print Markup” (sometimes called “Print Comments”). Uncheck or toggle it off. This tells Word to ignore comments, tracked changes, and ink annotations when printing.
Confirm the preview shows no comments — Look at the print preview on the right side of the screen. The comment bubbles and margin notes should disappear. If they still appear, go back and make sure “Print Markup” is unchecked.
Select your printer and adjust other settings — Choose your printer from the “Printer” dropdown. Set the number of copies, page range, and other preferences (like color or double-sided) as needed.
Click “Print” — Press the large “Print” button at the top of the panel. Your document will print without any comments.

Common Mistakes

Forgetting to uncheck “Print Markup” — The most common error is leaving this option enabled. It is easy to overlook because it sits inside the dropdown, not on the main print screen.
Using the wrong dropdown — Some users accidentally change the “Pages” dropdown (which selects page range) instead of the “Print All Pages” dropdown. Make sure you are in the correct menu.
Printing from the wrong view — If you are in “Read Mode” or “Web Layout”, the print settings may look different. Always use Print Layout view for the most predictable results.
Not checking the preview — Skipping the preview step can lead to a wasted printout. Always glance at the preview to confirm comments are gone.

Tips

Use the keyboard shortcut — Press Ctrl+P (Windows) or Cmd+P (Mac) to jump straight to the Print menu, then follow the same steps.
Save as PDF for sharing — If you want to share a clean version electronically, choose “Microsoft Print to PDF” as your printer (Windows) or “Save as PDF” (Mac) after unchecking “Print Markup”. This creates a PDF with no comments.
Check the “Print Markup” default — Word remembers your last setting for this option. If you often print without comments, it may stay off, but it can also reset unexpectedly, so always verify.
Use “Print All Pages” vs. specific pages — If you only want certain pages, select “Print Custom Range” and enter page numbers. The “Print Markup” toggle still applies.

Troubleshooting

Comments still appear after unchecking — This can happen if you have multiple sections or if the document has comments in text boxes or footnotes. Try switching to “Draft” view (View > Draft) and then back to Print Layout, then re-check the print settings. Also, ensure you are not printing a “copy” that has comments baked into the layout.
Print Markup option is greyed out — This occurs when the document has no comments or tracked changes. If you know there are comments, make sure you are in the correct document and that comments are actually present (look for the comment icon in the ribbon).
Comments print on some pages but not others — This is unusual but can happen if comments are anchored to text boxes or floating objects. Try removing the comments temporarily (copy the document, delete comments, print) or use “Print All Pages” with “Print Markup” off and check the preview.
Print preview shows comments even when toggle is off — This may be a display glitch. Close the Print panel, reopen it, and re-uncheck the option. If it persists, restart Word and try again.
Document prints with a red line or strikethrough — That is tracked changes, not comments. You need to either accept/reject all changes or uncheck “Print Markup” (which also hides tracked changes). If you want to keep changes but print clean, consider saving a copy with changes accepted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does turning off “Print Markup” also hide tracked changes?

Yes, unchecking “Print Markup” hides both comments and tracked changes (insertions, deletions, formatting changes) from the printout. If you only want to hide comments but keep tracked changes visible, you cannot do that directly in the print settings — you would need to hide comments separately in the Review tab.

Can I print comments separately?

Yes. In the Print settings, click the “Print All Pages” dropdown and choose “Print Markup” (or “List of Markup”) to print a list of comments on a separate page. This is useful for reviewing without cluttering the main document.

Will this work in Word Online (browser version)?

Word Online has limited print options. You can print, but the “Print Markup” toggle may not be available. To ensure no comments print, download the document as a PDF (File > Save As > Download as PDF) and then print the PDF — the PDF will not include comments.

Why does my printout still show comments even though I unchecked the box?

This usually means the document has comments in a different format, like in text boxes or as part of the layout. Check the Review tab to see if there are comments, and try deleting them temporarily (copy the document first). Alternatively, save a copy without comments (Review > Delete > Delete All Comments in Document) and print that.

Can I set Word to always print without comments by default?

Word does not have a permanent global setting for this, but you can change the default in the document’s settings: go to File > Options > Display and uncheck “Print markup” under “Printing options”. This applies to the current document only, but you can save it as a template.

Does this work on Mac versions of Word?

Yes, the steps are essentially the same. In Word for Mac, go to File > Print, click the “Copies & Pages” dropdown, select “Microsoft Word”, and uncheck “Print Markup”. The preview will update accordingly.

Sources: Microsoft Support. Menus and buttons can differ slightly by version. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.