February 2026 Word Update Alert: Key Changes for Patent Professionals
If you draft or review patents in Microsoft Word, February’s Microsoft 365 updates included a few important improvements to revision-heavy workflows.
What Changed
Tracked Changes in tables is more reliable
Microsoft fixed an issue where deleting table rows could cause revision markers to appear in the wrong place, especially relevant for claim charts and amendment tables.
Better performance with heavy revisions
Files with lots of tracked edits and long comment threads should now open faster and behave more smoothly during accept/reject review.
What to Watch
Heading numbering issues are still unresolved
Microsoft has acknowledged an ongoing problem where heading numbering can disappear in structured documents when certain formatting tools are used.
Bottom Line
The vast majority of patent professionals draft and review directly in Microsoft Word. When Word updates change how tracked edits, comments, or numbering behave, it directly affects prosecution workflows.
As AI becomes more integrated into patent practice, the drafting environment matters.
Junior is an AI-powered drafting assistant built specifically for patent professionals that works directly inside Microsoft Word. It helps generate and refine specifications and Office Action responses faster, while preserving tracked changes, formatting, and structured document integrity.
If Word is where your patent work happens, your AI should work there too.
See Junior Patent AI Agent in action inside Microsoft Word.
About Junior
Junior is the AI associate that never quits. Built by patent lawyers for patent lawyers, the patent AI agent ends the “junior associate problem” — where firms spend more than $200,000 training talent that leaves in 18 months. Pre-trained on partner-level judgment and firm-specific style, Junior integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Word and cuts drafting time 60% on average. No prompt engineering. No workflow changes. Just consistent, defensible output from day one. With enterprise-grade security (SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001), Junior enables shared prompt libraries that lock in institutional knowledge across practice groups. It scales infinitely — no headcount, no burnout, no benefits. For solo practitioners and small firms, Junior is the trained associate they cannot afford to hire. For large firms, it is the retention strategy they cannot afford to ignore. Junior does not replace lawyers — it clones senior expertise for repetitive tasks, freeing attorneys for strategy. In patent law, where training is costly and expertise scarce, Junior is the first AI that preserves knowledge, reduces churn and grows with the firm — in perpetuity. Learn more at junior.law.