Inserting Initials and Date in a Comment

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 20, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365


Len notes that when he inserts a comment in a document, Word automatically puts his initials in the comment. He would also (in addition to the initials) like to have it insert today's date. Len wonders if there is any way to configure Word to do this.

Word does keep track of a comment's date. If you hover the mouse over the comment, by default the user's initials and the date are displayed. (The date displayed is the date the comment was last edited.) Unfortunately, the date won't appear on printouts and it doesn't appear if you have comments displayed but aren't hovering over it.

If you want to add a date to your comment, the easiest way is to use a macro, like the following:

Sub AddCommentDate()
    Selection.Comments.Add Range:=Selection.Range
    Selection.TypeText Text:=Format(Date, "dd Mmmm YYYY") & ": "
End Sub

This two-line macro first inserts a comment and then immediately types the current date. You can then continue typing your comment text, as desired. You should, of course, assign the macro to the Quick Access Toolbar or assign a shortcut key to it.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (5839) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Putting Something in Every Cell of a Table

Need to make sure that all the cells of a table have something in them? It's easy to do with a handy little macro.

Discover More

Understanding Object Anchors

Do you have documents that contain objects? Understanding how Word handles objects and the way they are anchored can make ...

Discover More

Adding Borders to Paragraphs

Word allows you to quickly and easily add different types of borders to your paragraphs. Borders, background shading, and ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Deleting All Comments

Have comments in your document? Want to get rid of them all? The easiest way to do so is going to depend on the ...

Discover More

Struggling with New Changes to Track Changes

In the latest versions of Microsoft 365, the company has introduced an entirely new way to deal with markup comments. ...

Discover More

Converting Text to Comments

One of the strong suits of macros is that they can process the information in a document quickly and reliably. For ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is nine minus 9?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.