14 DAY TRIAL // The collaboration side of Microsoft Office has long been one of Microsoft’s main focuses, with the company rolling out new features and improvements on a regular basis.
This week, the Redmond-based software giant is announcing a new so-called review mode for Microsoft Word. The purpose of this feature is once again to enhance the way multiple users work on the same documents, as the app now allows users to invite others specifically to review the content and offer suggestions.
Previously, invited users could only view the content or make edits, so with this new feature, Microsoft Word also comes with an option to review the content and make suggestions without making any changes to the file.
“When you open a document that was shared with you for review, you are automatically placed in Review mode. In Review mode, you won’t have full edit control but instead are allowed to add suggestions to the document in the form of comments or tracked changes. Document owners or other collaborators who have full edit permissions will then need to approve the incorporation of any suggested changes to the document,” Microsoft explains in an announcement.
Feature already rolling out
Using this feature is a process that’s as straightforward as possible. When you share a document and pick the contacts that will get access to the contents, you are now allowed to choose who can edit, view, and review the file.
The feature is currently available for all users of Word for the web, and to all Beta Channel, Current Channel (Preview) and Current Channel users in Word for Windows and Word for Mac. Microsoft says it’s working on expanding the availability to more users.
“The ability to share a document for review via the Can review option is rolling out to all Word for the web users. It will soon also rollout to Beta Channel, Current Channel (Preview) and Current Channel users in Word for Windows and Word for Mac,” it says.