Track changes in Word

Note: If a document has been shared with you for review, you may not be able to turn off Track Changes. If you want to edit the document without tracking changes, you’ll need to either save a copy or ask the person who sent it to you to share it again with review mode turned off.

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Track changes drop down Off, For Everyone, Just Mine

Turn Track Changes on and off

Go to Review > Track Changes.

When Track Changes is on, the section is highlighted. Deletions are marked with a strikethrough, and additions are marked with an underline. Different authors' changes are indicated with different colors.
When Track Changes is off, the section is not highlighted. Word stops marking changes, but the colored underlines and strikethroughs are still in the document.

Tip: You also can add a Track Changes indicator to the status bar. Right-click the status bar and select Track Changes.

View tracked changes

Note: When a document is in Editing or Reviewing mode, you can select a tracked change to view a collaborator's full, suggested change in a card that displays. Hover over the Accept or Reject button to see a preview of what that action would do to your final document.

Choose whose changes to track

You can choose to track only your own changes or everyone's changes.

To track everyone's changes - Go to Review > Track Changes > For Everyone.
To track only your own changes - Go to Review > Track Changes > Just Mine.

Tip: to use a password to keep others from turning off Track Changes - Go to Review > Track Changes > Lock Tracking.

Choose how you would like to see the changes in the document

You can choose the type of markup you want to see.

Go to Review and select All Markup from the drop-down list.
Select one of the following options.

Simple Markup displays tracked changes with a red line in the margin.
All Markup displays tracked changes with different colors of text and lines for each reviewer.
No Markup hides the markup to show the document with changes incorporated.
Original displays the original document without tracked changes and comments showing. However, any tracked changes or comments in the document that have not been accepted, rejected, or deleted remain in the document.

Choose the way track changes display

You can choose the types of revisions that display and the way they display. If you choose to show revisions as balloons, they display in the margins of the document. If you choose to display them directly within the document in line. In line revisions display all deletions with strikethroughs instead of inside balloons.

Go to Review > Show Markup.
Select Balloons and then select the type of display you want.

Show Revisions in Balloons
Show All Revisions Inline
Show Only Formatting in Balloons

Note: If you want to see tracked changes in balloons, you must be in Print Layout view or Web Layout view.

Display changes by type of edit

Go to Review > Show Markup.
Select the type of edit.

Insertions and Deletions
Formatting

The check mark next to the item indicates that it's selected.

Note: Even if you hide a type of markup by clearing it on the Show Markup menu, the markup automatically displays each time the document is opened by you or a reviewer.

Display changes by reviewer(s)

Go to Review > Show Markup.
Select Specific People.
Select to clear all check boxes except the ones next to the names of the reviewers whose changes you want to show.

Note: To select or clear all check boxes for all reviewers in the list, select All Reviewers.

Navigate tracked changes in Changes menu section

You can navigate from one tracked change to another.

In Review > Changes, select Next to view the next tracked change.
In Review > Changes, select Previous to view the previous tracked change.

Accept or Reject tracked changes

There are multiple ways to address tracked changes. The most proficient method is to identify the commentor and respond to the tracked change is through the card display when you click the marked change. The card displays the commentor name and the option to accept or reject the suggestion.

Commentor card info and reject or approve choice

Accept or reject tracked changes in sequence using the main menu

You can resolve teach tracked change from the beginning of the document to the end of the document in sequence.

Select Review > Changes > Next.
Select Accept or Reject. The next sequential tracked change is highlighted for your review and action.

Note: You can also accept or reject individual tracked changes using the main menus' drop-down menus. This method is often used as a methodical approach to reviewing tracked changes.

Accept changes using the main menu

In Review > Changes, select Accept.
Select one of the options.

Accept and Move to Next
Accept This Change
Accept All Changes
Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking

Reject changes using the main menu

In Review > Changes, select Reject.
Select one of the options.

Reject and Move to Next
Reject This Change
Reject All Changes
Reject All Changes and Stop Tracking

Accept or reject changes within a document with a right click

Working within a document, you can right-click on a tracked change to accept or reject the change. Using the right-click method displays a banner menu option and a drop-down menu option.

Accept changes in-line with the right-click banner option

Right-click a tracked change in the document to review a single suggestion.
On the banner, select one of the following.

Accept > Accept and Move to Next
Accept > Accept This Change
Accept > Accept All Changes
Accept > Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking
Accept and Move to Next

Accept changes in-line with the right-click drop-down menu option

Right-click a tracked change in the document to review a single suggestion.
In the drop-down menu, select one of the following.

Accept Insertion (or Accept Deletion)
Reject Insertion (or Reject Deletion)

Accept or reject all tracked changes at once on the main menu

Accept all tracked changes

In Review > Changes, select Accept.
Select one of the options.

Accept All Changes Shown
Accept All Changes
Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking

Reject all tracked changes

In Review > Changes, select Reject.
Select one of the options.

Reject All Changes Shown
Reject All Changes
Reject All Changes and Stop Tracking

Note: When Review>Tracking>Show Markup>Specific People>All Reviewers is selected, the Accept All Changes Shown and Reject All Changes Shown options do not display.

Hide tracked changes and comments when printing

Hiding changes doesn't remove them from the document. You must use the Accept and Reject commands in the Changes group to remove markup from your document.

Go to File > Print > Settings > Print All Pages.
Under Document Info, select Print Markup to clear the check mark.

View all your changes in a summary list on the Reviewing Pane

Go to Review > Reviewing Pane.
Choose if you want to see the Reviewing Pane next to or below your document.

Select Reviewing Pane Vertical to see a list of all changes next to your document.
Select Reviewing Pane Horizontal to see a list of all changes below your document.

You can use the Reviewing Pane as a handy tool for to check that all tracked changes have been removed from your document so that they show up to others who might view your document. The summary section at the top of the Reviewing Pane displays the exact number of visible tracked changes and comments that remain in your document.

The Reviewing Pane also allows you to review long comments that don't fit within a comment bubble.

Note: The Reviewing Pane, unlike the document or the comment balloons, is not the best tool for making changes to your document. Instead of deleting text or comments or making other changes in the Reviewing Pane, make all editorial changes in the document. The changes will then be visible in the Reviewing Pane.

Important: Comments are no longer part of the Track Changes function.

Turn on Track Changes

You can set Word for the Web to track changes for all users who are collaborating on the document or to track only your changes.

Go to Review > Track Changes.
In the Track Changes drop-down list, select one of the following:
- To track changes to the document made by all users, select For Everyone.
- To track only the changes that you make to the document, select Just Mine.

Turn off Track Changes

Go to Review > Track Changes.
In the Track Changes drop-down list, select Off.

Select the Markup view

Go to Review > Markup view.
Select one of the markup options from the list drop-down.

Simple Markup - See suggestions in the margin.
All Markup - See suggestions on the page.

Review, accept, or reject changes

Accept or reject tracked changes in sequence

You can review each tracked change in sequence and decide whether to accept or reject the change.

Click or tap at the beginning of the document.
Go to Review > Track Changes and select Accept or Reject. As you accept or reject changes, Word moves to the next change.

Tip: To move through changes in the document without accepting or rejecting them, select Next or Previous.
Repeat until you've reviewed all of the changes in your document.

Accept or reject a single change

Rather than move through changes in sequence, you can accept or reject a single change. When you accept or reject the change, Word will not move to the next change in the document.

Select the change.
Select the option to accept or reject it.

When tracked changes are turned on, Word marks any changes made by any authors of the document. This is useful when you're collaborating with other authors because you can see which authors made a particular change.

Turn Track Changes on

On the Review tab, select Track Changes.
Select to track only your own changes or everyone's change.

To track everyone's changes - On the Review tab, select Track Changes > For Everyone.
To track only your own changes - On the Review tab, select Track Changes > Just Mine.

Note: To turn Track Changes off, select Track Changes again.

Accept or reject all tracked changes at once on the main menu

Accept all tracked changes

Select Reviewing > Accept.
Select one of the options.

Accept All Changes Shown
Accept All Changes
Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking

Reject all tracked changes

Select Reviewing > Reject.
Select one of the options.

Reject All Changes Shown
Reject All Changes
Reject All Changes and Stop Tracking

Track changes markup options

Word shows changes in the document by displaying a line in the margin. If you switch to All Markup view, you'll see changes inline and in balloons.

Markup is highlighted near the margin

Anytime someone adds a comment, it'll show up in a balloon.

A comment in the margin is highlighted

Review changes inline

To see changes inline instead of in balloons, do the following:

On the Review Tab, select Markup Options
Point to Balloons and select Show All Revisions Inline.

Keep Track Changes on

To prevent others from turning off Track Changes, lock Track Changes on with a password.

Important: Be sure to remember the password so you can turn Track Changes off when you’re ready to accept or reject the changes.

Lock Track Changes with a password

On the Review tab, select Protect > Protect Document.
In the Password box, enter a password.
Re-enter your password and select OK.

While tracked changes are locked, you can’t turn off change tracking, and you can’t accept or reject changes.

Unlock Track Changes

On the Review tab, select Protect > Protect Document.
Under Protection, uncheck Protect document for.
Enter your password and select OK.

For more info, see

remove the tracked changes and comments.

Turn Track Changes on or off

Tap the Review tab.
Tap the Track changes and Markup options button.
Tap Track Changes, then choose For Everyone or Just Mine.

Show or hide markup

On the Review tab, tap the Track changes and Markup options button.
In the list, tap the option you want.

Show tracked changes by type

On the Review tab, tap the Track changes and Markup options button.
Tap Show Markup.
In the Show Markup list, tap the option you want:
- Ink shows or hides any marks made by digital inking in the document.
- Insertions & Deletions shows or hides inserted or deleted text.
- Formatting shows or hides formatting changes.
- Show Revisions in Balloons shows changes in balloons in the right margin.
- Show Only Formatting in Balloons shows only formatting changes in balloons and keeps the other changes as inline tracking.

Show tracked changes by reviewer

If there are multiple reviewers for the document, Word will show all changes by default. However, you can choose to show only changes made by specific viewers.

On the Review tab, Track changes and Markup options button.
Tap Show Markup.
In the Show Markup list, tap Reviewers.
In the Other Authors list, tap the names of the reviewers whose changes you want to see or tap All Reviewers.

Accept changes

Tap twice on a change in the document to select it.
On the Review tab, tap the Changes button, then tap Accept.
Do one of the following:
- Tap Accept & Move to Next to accept the change and move to the next change in the document.
- Tap Accept Deletion, Accept Insertion, or Accept Change to accept the selected change, identified contextually by type, and not move to the next change in the document.
- Tap Accept All Shown to accept all changes that are visible but not changes that are hidden. For example, if you're viewing only changes made by a specific reviewer, tapping Accept All Shown accepts only the changes made by that reviewer.
- Tap Accept All to accept all changes in the document.
- Tap Accept All & Stop Tracking to accept all changes in the document and turn off Track Changes.
To move to another change without accepting or rejecting it, tap the Previous or Next icon.

Reject changes

Tap twice on a change in the document to select it.
On the Review tab, tap the Changes button, then tap Reject.
Do one of the following:
- Tap Reject & Move to Next to reject the change and move to the next change in the document.
- Tap Reject Deletion, Reject Insertion, or Reject Change to reject the selected change, identified contextually by type, and not move to the next change in the document.
- Tap Reject All Shown to reject all changes that are visible but not changes that are hidden. For example, if you're viewing only changes made by a specific reviewer, tapping Reject All Shown rejects only the changes made by that reviewer.
- Tap Reject All to reject all changes in the document.
- Tap Rejects All & Stop Tracking to reject all changes in the document and turn off Track Changes.
To move to another change without accepting or rejecting it, tap the Previous or Next icon.

Delete comments

Tap twice on a comment in the document to select it.
Tap the Review tab.
Tap the comment, tap the ellipses ..., then tap Delete thread.