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Change or anonymize the author name in Word comments

Author: Siluvia Last Modified: 2025-07-08

When collaborating on a document, you may wish to change or hide the author name shown in Word comments—whether for privacy, standardization, or anonymity before sharing the file. This article introduces multiple ways to change the default or existing comment author name, including built-in Word settings, VBA macros, and document metadata editing.

Change the default author name for new comments (default setting)

This method sets the author name used in all new comments or tracked changes. It does not affect existing comments.

  1. Open a Word document, then go to "File" > "Options".
  2. In the "Word Options" window:
    1. Stay in the "General" tab and locate the "User name" and "Initials" boxes.
    2. Enter your preferred author name and initials.
    3. (Optional but recommended) Check the box:
      Always use these values regardless of sign-in to Office
      This forces Word to use the custom name even if you're signed in with an Office account that has a different identity.
    4. Click "OK" to save the changes.
      User name box in Word Options

Now, any new comment you insert in the current or new document will use this custom author name.

a screenshot showing only the new comment use the custom author name
Notes:
  • Changing the default author name only applies to new comments. The author name of existing comments will remain unchanged.
  • Why check "Always use these values regardless of sign in to Office"?
    If unchecked, Word may revert to your Office/Microsoft 365 account name. Enabling it ensures your specified name is always used, regardless of login status.
  • After updating the User name in Word, the change will apply across all Office apps, like Excel and PowerPoint. However, Excel and PowerPoint often cache the previous name, so you might not see the new author name immediately when inserting comments.
    To ensure the new name takes effect, please reopen Excel or PowerPoint. Try inserting a new comment again — the updated author name should now appear.

Change the author name on existing comments (VBA macro)

To update the author name of existing comments in a document, use the following VBA macro:

  1. Open the Word document in which you want to change the author's name of existing comments.
  2. Select the portion of text with comments (or press "Ctrl" + "A" to select the entire document).
  3. Press "Alt" + "F11" to open the VBA editor.
  4. Click "Insert" > "Module", then paste this code:
    VBA code: Change the author name on comments in a selection
    Sub ChangeCommentAuthor()
'Updated by ExtendOffice 20250708
    Dim I As Long
    Dim xNewName As String
    Dim xShortName As String
    If Selection.Comments.Count = 0 Then
        MsgBox "No comments in your selection!", vbInformation, "Kutools for Word"
        Exit Sub
    End If
    xNewName = InputBox("New author name?", "Kutools for Word")
    xShortName = InputBox("New author initials?", "Kutools for Word")
    If xNewName = "" Or xShortName = "" Then
        MsgBox "The author name/initials can’t be empty.", vbInformation, "Kutools for Word"
        Exit Sub
    End If
    With Selection
        For I = 1 To .Comments.Count
            .Comments(I).Author = xNewName
            .Comments(I).Initial = xShortName
        Next I
    End With
End Sub
    a screenshot showing where to paste the VBA code
  5. Press "F5" or click the "Run" button.
  6. Enter the new author name and initials as prompted.
    a screenshot showing the two prompt boxes

All comment author names in the selected range will then be updated.

Comments' author names are changed

Tip: To fully anonymize comments before sharing, use a generic name like "Reviewer" and initials like "R".

Anonymize names in comment threads (document inspector)

If your goal is to share the document without revealing any personal information—including author names, email addresses, or tracked changes—you can use Word's Document Inspector to remove such data efficiently.

  1. Save a copy of your document (important!).
  2. Go to "File" > "Info".
  3. Click "Check for Issues > Inspect Document".
    a screenshot showing the location of the check for issues and inspect document option
    Note: If your document hasn't been saved, Word will prompt you to save it before inspection. Click "Yes" to proceed. This ensures the Document Inspector can access the most up-to-date version of your file.
    a screenshot of the prompt ask for saving
  4. In the "Document Inspector" dialog, make sure "Document Properties and Personal Information" is checked. Click "Inspect".
    a screenshot of triggering operation
  5. Once results appear, click Remove All next to "Document Properties and Personal Information".
    a screenshot of removing all document properties and personal information
  6. Close the dialog. A "PERSONAL INFORMATION REMOVAL ENABLED" notification bar will appear below the ribbon. Press "Ctrl" + "S" to save the document and apply the changes.

This will anonymize all metadata, including comment authors.

a screenshot showingthe result
Note: This method does not delete the author information entirely — instead, it replaces names with generic labels like "Author" to anonymize the content. It may also apply to tracked changes and other document properties.

Whether you're collaborating in teams, preparing documents for external sharing, or simply standardizing comment ownership, Word offers multiple ways to control how author names appear in comments. You can customize the default author identity for new comments, retroactively update existing ones via VBA, or use the built-in Document Inspector to anonymize your document entirely. Each method serves a different purpose—choose the one that best fits your scenario. Just remember: while cosmetic changes help with presentation and privacy, truly anonymizing a document requires inspecting and removing embedded metadata before sharing.

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