Comments and Track Changes both support document review, but they solve different problems. A useful distinction is: tracked changes show what should change; comments explain or discuss why.
When Track Changes is the better tool
If you want to propose a concrete edit, tracking the change is usually more direct. Replace a sentence, remove a word, or add a paragraph and the reviewer can see exactly what changed.
That works well for wording, contract revisions, and structural edits.
When comments are better
Comments are useful for questions, explanations, and decisions that cannot be expressed as a single text edit. Examples include “Should this number be updated?” or “Do we need a source here?”
When several alternatives need discussion, a comment is often clearer than several competing edits.
Why the two work well together
A strong review uses each tool for its purpose. You can make the proposed wording change directly and add a short comment explaining the reasoning. The document stays concrete while the discussion remains separate.
What to avoid
- holding long discussions inside the document text
- adding a comment to explain every tiny edit
- using comments as a permanent knowledge base
- sending a final file with unintended internal comments
- accepting changes without reading the discussion around them
Reviewing in several passes
For larger revisions, a clear order helps: resolve content questions first, then structural changes, then language and formatting. Doing everything at once can create conflicting comments and revisions.
Who makes the final decision?
Before review starts, make it clear who has responsibility for accepting or rejecting changes. Otherwise, a document can contain perfectly organized suggestions without anyone owning the final version.
Moving between applications
Comments and Track Changes are widely used in DOCX workflows, but different word processors can display them differently. For important collaboration, test whether revisions, comments, and author information survive the exchange.
Priviot Write
Priviot Write includes comments and visible review tools, including change tracking. That lets you keep questions and concrete edits distinct inside the same document workflow.
Conclusion
Use Track Changes for concrete edits and comments for questions, reasoning, or discussion. The clearer those roles are, the easier it becomes to finish the review and produce a clean final document.