WD: Error Message When Merging Documents Containing Comments

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Word for Windows NT, version 6.0
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, versions 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.1a
• Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you merge multiple documents that contain comments (annotations), you receive the following message:

   The merged documents contain unmarked changes. Do you want to merge up
   to the first untracked change?

CAUSE

This functionality is by design. When you insert a comment into a document, Word automatically turns on the "Track changes while editing" option.

WORKAROUND

When you receive the message listed in the "Symptoms" section of this article, click OK. Word will continue to merge the comments into the original document.

MORE INFORMATION

To combine comments from several reviewers into one document, follow these steps.

Word 97 for Windows and Word 98 Macintosh Edition

1. Open the copy of the original document into which you want to merge changes.

2. On the Tools menu, click Merge Documents.

3. Locate and click one of the documents that has changes to be merged, and then click Open.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all copies of the document are merged.

5. Review the comments.

Earlier Versions of Word

1. Open the document that has the revisions and annotations you want to merge into the original document.

2. On the Tools menu, click Revisions.

3. Click Merge Revisions.

4. Click the name of the document you want to merge revisions into, or type its name in the File Name box.

5. Review the annotations.

   ARTICLE-ID: Q178730
   TITLE     : WD: Comments/Annotations Scramble When Merging Documents

REFERENCES

Word 97 for Windows and Word 98 Macintosh Edition

Click the Office Assistant, type "comments," click Search, and then click to view any of the comment topics.

NOTE: If the Assistant is hidden, click the Office Assistant button on the Standard toolbar. If Word Help is not installed on your computer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q120802
   TITLE     : Office: How to Add/Remove a Single Office
               Program or Component

Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a

On the Help menu, click Answer Wizard. On the Answer Wizard tab, type "comments" (without the quotation marks), and click Search. Click to select the topic "Review another's document" and then click Display.

Word 6.0 (Windows and Macintosh)

On the Help menu, click "Search for Help on." On the Index tab, type "comments" (without the quotation marks), and click Display. Click to select the "Annotating, Revising, and Routing Documents" topic, and then click Display.