GitLaw How-To guides

Add comments to a document

To add a comment in GitLaw, select the text you want to annotate, click Comment in the context menu or toolbar that appears, type your note and submit. The comment is anchored to the exact text you highlighted, carries your name and a timestamp, and can be replied to and resolved without changing the document itself.

Before you start: a document open in the GitLaw Editor.

How do I add a comment to a GitLaw document?

Comments in GitLaw are anchored to the exact text you highlight and kept in a separate layer, so your document content is never modified when you annotate it.

Select the text you want to annotate. This can span a single word, a clause, or multiple paragraphs.
Click Comment in the context menu or toolbar option that appears.
Type your note and submit. The highlighted range gains a visual indicator in the document body.

Comments carry your name and a timestamp automatically.

How do I reply to a comment thread?

Click the comment indicator on the highlighted text, or find the thread in the comments panel.
Click Reply beneath the thread.
Type your reply and submit.

Replies are nested under the original comment, keeping the discussion in one place.

How do I resolve a comment thread?

Once a point is addressed, click Resolve on the thread. The thread collapses and is marked as done. It is not deleted, so you can review it later: resolved threads remain visible in the comments panel when you filter for them.

If a comment is attached to a tracked change, accepting or rejecting that change will automatically resolve the paired comment. See Accept or reject tracked changes.

Comments on imported Word documents

When you import a Word (.docx) file, any existing comments are brought in and displayed with an External badge alongside the original author name. These imported comments are read-only records of the counterparty's annotations: GitLaw does not attempt to match them to a GitLaw user account.

Exporting a document with comments

When you export your document to Word, open comments are included as standard Word comments, so recipients see them in their usual review pane. Resolved threads are not included in the export: they stay in GitLaw.

When you re-import an exported file, for example after a counterparty has added their own notes, GitLaw matches the original comments back to avoid duplicates. Any new comments added by the counterparty are imported as External threads.

Frequently asked questions

Does commenting change the document text?

No. Comments live in a separate layer anchored to the text you highlight, so the document content is never modified when you annotate it.

What happens to resolved comments?

Resolving a thread collapses it and marks it as done, but does not delete it. Resolved threads remain visible in the comments panel when you filter for them.

Do comments survive export to Word?

Open comments do. They export as standard Word comments, and re-importing the file matches original comments back to avoid duplicates. Resolved threads are not exported: they stay in GitLaw.

Reviewed by the GitLaw team. Last updated 29 July 2026.