Use a screen reader to track and review changes in a document in Word
Applies ToWord for Microsoft 365 Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac Word 2024 Word 2024 for Mac Word 2021 Word 2021 for Mac Word 2019 Word 2016 Word for iPhone Word for Android phones Word Mobile

This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Windows tools or features and Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Accessibility help & learning content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.

 

Use Word with your keyboard and a screen reader to track, show, and list the changes in your document. We've tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll also learn how to accept or reject tracked changes.

Decorative icon. Need instructions on how to track changes or accept tracked changes in a Word document, but not using a screen reader? See Track changes in Word or Accept tracked changes.

Notes: 

  • New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.

  • To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.

  • When using a screen reader, you'll use that screen reader's modifier key, sometimes along with other related keys, to navigate and interact within the app and execute commands. In our documentation this will sometimes be indicated by "SR key."

In this topic

Turn on Track Changes

When you turn on Track Changes, Word marks up and shows any changes that anyone makes to your document. You can turn this feature on using either a direct keyboard shortcut, or the ribbon.

  1. To turn on Track Changes, do one of the following:

    • To use the direct shortcut, press Ctrl+Shift+E.

    • To use the ribbon, press Alt+R, G, G.

Choose how to show changes (revisions)

You can choose how to show the tracked changes in your document.

  1. Press Alt+R, T, D. The markup menu is expanded, and you hear the name of the currently selected markup.

  2. In the markup list, press the Up or Down arrow keys until you hear the name of the option you want. The following options are available:

    • Simple Markup is the default option, and indicates where the changes are with a vertical line in the document margin. Your screen reader announces that there's a change at the beginning of a changed paragraph.

    • No Markup hides markup to show what the incorporated changes will look like. This option does not delete the changes.

      Tip: To show the markup again, choose Simple Markup or All Markup.

    • All Markup shows all edits with different colors of text and lines. This option is the recommended markup. Your screen reader announces the change and change type where the change happened.

      If formatting has been changed, JAWS also reads the details of the change. With Narrator, you need to move to the margin notes or Reviewing Pane to hear the details. For instructions, go to Move to the details of formatting changes with Narrator or Show all changes in the Reviewing Pane.

    • Original shows the document in its original form.

    To select and apply an option, press Enter.

  3. To select which changes are tracked, press Alt+R, T, M. The Show Markup menu is expanded. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the option you want, and then press Enter.

    Repeat this step for all the markup types you’d like to select.

Check and navigate the tracked changes

You have several options to check and navigate the tracked changes in a document. You can simply let your screen reader read the document announcing the changes. If the document is long or there are many tracked changes, you might want to use the listing options that Word or the screen reader offers for an overview of the changes. Alternatively, you can navigate through the document change by change.

Show all changes in the Reviewing Pane

  1. Press Alt+R+T, P. The Reviewing Pane menu is expanded.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • To display the pane horizontally, press H.

    • To display the pane vertically, press V.

  3. To browse the changes in the pane, press the Up or Down arrow key.

  4. When you are done working with the Reviewing Pane, to close it, press Alt+R+T, P, and then press Enter.

Show all changes in the JAWS Virtual Viewer

  1. Press the Windows logo key+Semicolon (;). The Items to Display in Virtual Viewer dialog box opens.

  2. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Revisions," and then press Enter. The Virtual Viewer opens and you hear the total number of revisions in the document.

  3. Press the Tab key to browse the list of revisions. JAWS reads the change and its details.

  4. When on a change, press Enter to jump into the document body.

Show all changes in the JAWS Revisions window

  1. Press Shift+SR key+R. The Revisions window opens.

  2. Press the Down arrow key to browse the list of changes.

  3. When on a change, press Enter to jump into the document body.

Read the tracked changes inline

The way your screen reader announces the changes and change types when reading through the document depends on the selected markup and the screen reader you're using.

For instructions on how to use a screen reader to read a Word document, go to Read a document.

Tip: With JAWS, you can open the speech history if you want to check what JAWS has been saying. At any point, press the SR key+Spacebar, followed by H. To browse the speech history, press the Up or Down arrow key.

Navigate the changes one by one

You can use keyboard shortcuts to move through the tracked changes one by one.

  • To go to the next change in the document, press Alt+R, H, 1.

  • To go to the previous change in the document, press Alt+R, F.

Move to the details of formatting changes with Narrator

You can navigate from the document editing area to the margin to check the details of a tracked formatting change.

  1. Select the All Markup option as instructed in Choose how to show changes (revisions).

  2. Let your screen reader read the body text until it announces a formatting change. Then press the SR key+A.

  3. The focus moves to the margin and Narrator announces the change detail. To return back to the body text, press the Left arrow key.

Remove tracked changes

The only way you can remove tracked changes permanently in a document is to accept or reject them.

Accept a single tracked change

You can accept single changes in the document body, Reviewing Pane, or margin notes.

  1. Navigate to the tracked change you want to remove.

  2. To accept the change, do one of the following:

    • Press Shift+F10. The context menu opens. Press E. The change is accepted, and the focus returns to the body text.

    • Press Alt+R, A, 2. You hear: “Accept and Move to Next.” Then press Enter. The change is accepted, and the focus moves to the next change.

Reject a single tracked change

You can reject single changes in the document body, Reviewing Pane, or margin notes.

  1. Navigate to the tracked change you want to remove.

  2. To reject the change, do one of the following:

    • Press Shift+F10. The context menu opens. Press R. The change is rejected, and the focus returns to the body text.

    • To reject the change, press Alt+R, J. You hear: “Reject and Move to Next.” Then press Enter. The current change is rejected, and the focus moves to the next change.

Accept or reject all tracked changes

  • To accept all tracked changes, press Alt+R, A, 2, L.

  • To reject all tracked changes, press Alt+R, J, L.

Keep Track Changes turned on

To prevent someone else from turning off Track Changes, turn on Lock Tracking and add a password. When Tracked Changes is locked, anyone opening your document can view the changes but they can't turn off the feature, and they can’t accept or reject changes.

  1. Press Alt+R, G, L. You hear: “Lock Tracking.”

  2. Choose and type a password, and press the Tab key. You hear: “Re-enter to confirm.” Type your password again, and then press Enter.

Turn off Lock Tracking

  1. Press Alt+R, G, L. You hear: "Unlock Tracking window, password.”

  2. Type your password and press Enter.

Turn off Track Changes

When you turn Track Changes off, Word stops marking up new changes. All changes that were already tracked remain marked up in the document, until you remove them. You can turn this feature off using either a direct keyboard shortcut or the ribbon.

  • To turn off Track Changes, on the keyboard, press Ctrl+Shift+E.

  • To use the ribbon to turn off Track Changes, on the keyboard, press Alt+R, G, G.

See also

Use a screen reader to add, read, and delete comments in Word

Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Word

Keyboard shortcuts in Word

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word

What's new in Microsoft 365: Release notes for Current Channel

Technical support for customers with disabilities

Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.

If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.

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