Upon opening an existing document in Word for Windows or Mac there are three modes that may be available to you: Viewing, Reviewing and Editing. The Viewing mode is always available to anyone accessing a document. Permissions are needed for the other modes. The mode-switcher menu enables you to change modes accordingly.
About the modes
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Viewing |
In this read-only mode no revisions are allowed. This ensures that you won’t inadvertently type on the canvas while reading. |
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Reviewing |
This mode enables you to add comments and suggest revisions. It automatically turns on Track Changes Just Mine. |
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Editing |
Available if you’ve been granted permissions, this mode provides full editorial access to make and save changes in the document. |
Switching modes
Once in a document, you can see the currently selected mode and change mode via the document mode-switcher menu. Select a mode as follows:
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In the opened Word document, find the mode-selection button in the ribbon, located top-right, by the Share button. The mode-selection button name will reflect the current mode (including any mode change you might subsequently make).
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Note the available modes. If you have edit permissions for this document, all modes will be available to you.
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As allowed, select Editing, Reviewing or Viewing to change your working mode.
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Confirm your selection in the revised name of the menu button in the ribbon.
See also
Learn more here: Review mode in Word
