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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.

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.

  1. Go to Review and select All Markup from the drop-down list.

  2. 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.

  1. Go to Review > Show Markup.

  2. 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 

  1. Go to Review > Show Markup.

  2. 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)

  1. Go to Review > Show Markup.

  2. Select Specific People.

  3. 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.

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

  2. 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. 

  1. Select Review Changes > Next.

  2. 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

  1. In Review Changes, select Accept.

  2. 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

  1. In Review Changes, select Reject.

  2. 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

  1. Right-click a tracked change in the document to review a single suggestion.

  2. On the banner, select one of the following.

  • Accept Accept and Move to Next

  • Accept > Accept This Change

  • Accept > Accept All Changes

  • AcceptAccept All Changes and Stop Tracking

  • Accept and Move to Next

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

  1. Right-click a tracked change in the document to review a single suggestion.

  2. 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 

  1. In Review Changes, select Accept.

  2. Select one of the options.

  • Accept All Changes Shown

  • Accept All Changes

  • Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking 

Reject all tracked changes 

  1. In Review Changes, select Reject.

  2. 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.

  1. Go to File > Print > Settings > Print All Pages.

  2. Under Document Info, select Print Markup to clear the check mark.

    Print Markup option

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

  1. Go to Review Reviewing Pane.

  2. 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.

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