“Merging Word documents with comments” means two different jobs. Either several reviewers edited copies of one document, or you have separate documents whose comments must survive. Each job has its own tool.
- Combine reviewers’ copies of one document in Word (comments and track changes)
- Insert different documents with Text from File
- Merge different documents with comments in Google Drive
Combining reviewer copies with Review > Compare > Combine
Use this when you sent one document out for review and got several edited copies back.
- In Word, click Review > Compare > Combine.
- Under Original document, choose the version you sent for review.
- Under Revised document, choose the first reviewer’s copy.
- In Label unmarked changes with, type the reviewer’s name.
- Click More. Under Show changes in, click New document.
- Click OK, review the result and save it.
Result: A new document with the reviewer’s changes as tracked changes. Word shows the revisions, the combined document and both source documents side by side.
To add the next reviewer, run Combine again. Choose the saved combined document as Original document, the next copy as Revised document, and under Show changes in click Original document. Repeat for each copy.
These steps follow Microsoft’s Combine document revisions article. Each run handles exactly two documents.
Tip: Under More, the comparison settings let you choose what Word compares, such as comments, formatting and text changes. Microsoft lists them in Compare document differences. Keep Comments ticked so reviewers’ notes come across.
To hide the source panes, click Review > Compare > Show Source Documents > Hide Source Documents.
Combine only works for versions of the same document. For separate chapters or reports, use one of the methods below.
Merging different documents with Text from File
Use this when you want to append separate Word files into one, entirely inside Word.
- Open the base document and click where the other files should go.
- On the Insert tab, click the arrow next to Object and choose Text from File.
- Select the files and click Insert.
Result: The files’ contents are inserted at the cursor. The full walkthrough is in how to merge Word documents into one file.
Microsoft’s documentation doesn’t say whether comments and tracked changes come across with Text from File. Before you delete any originals, open the Review tab and check that every comment you need is in the merged file.
Merging Word documents with comments in Google Drive
Use this when you have separate Word documents, want their comments kept with replies, and are happy to finish in Google Docs.
Merge Docs Pro merges Word (.docx), ODT and RTF files into one Google Doc. Its Copy comments from source documents (BETA) option copies their comments through Google’s own conversion.
- Upload the .docx files to Google Drive.
- Open a Google Doc and click Extensions > Merge Docs Pro > Merge Multiple Docs into One.
- Under Merge Destination, choose Merge into a new Google Doc or Merge into current document.
- Tick Copy comments from source documents (BETA). To get a Word file at the end, also tick Save merged document as Word.
- Click Select Google Docs or Drive Files and Merge, select the Word files and click OK.
Result: One Google Doc with every file and its comment threads, each attached to the same text. The summary says how many comments were copied.
What to know about the copied comments:
- Replies are kept, and resolved threads stay resolved.
- Authorship: each comment starts with “Originally by [name] on [date]”, because you post the copies.
- Tracked changes: Google converts tracked changes into suggestions, and suggestions are not copied. In Word, accept or reject them first with Review > Accept > Accept All Changes.
- Missing text: if the commented text isn’t in the merged Doc, the comment goes at the start of that file’s section with the original quote.
The same option works for Google Docs; see how to merge Google Docs without losing comments.
Comparing the methods
| Method | Best for | Comments | Tracked changes | Works on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Review > Compare > Combine | Reviewer copies of one document | Yes | Yes | Word desktop, Windows and Mac |
| Insert > Text from File | Appending separate files in Word | Check the result | Check the result | Word desktop, Windows and Mac |
| Merge Docs Pro in Google Drive | Separate files with comments kept | Yes, with replies | No; accept or reject first | Google Docs in a desktop browser |
Platform differences
- Windows: the Combine article applies to Word for Microsoft 365, 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016.
- Mac: Word for Mac uses Review > Compare > Combine Documents, as described in Compare and merge two versions of a document.
- Word for the web and mobile: Microsoft’s Combine instructions cover the desktop apps. Use a computer for this method.
- Google Docs: add-ons run in a desktop browser, not in the Docs mobile apps.
Troubleshooting
- Changes land in the wrong file. Under Show changes in, pick New document for the first run and Original document for later runs, as Microsoft describes.
- All changes show one name. Type a name in Label unmarked changes with before clicking OK.
- Comments are missing after Combine. Click More and check that Comments is ticked in the comparison settings.
- Suggestions vanished in Google Docs. Tracked changes became suggestions, which aren’t copied. Accept or reject them in Word and merge again. If the files are already in Google Docs, accept or reject suggestions there instead.
- You need a PDF that shows the comments. See how to download a Google Doc with its comments.
- You need a Word file again. Download the Google Doc as Word and check that the comments came through. To start the other way, see how to convert Word to Google Docs.
For more on comments in Google Docs, see copying comments between Google Docs. Other merge methods are in the merge documents guides.