Word: track changes explained
Track Changes lets you and your colleagues edit a document while Word keeps a record of every addition, deletion and formatting change. It is ideal for checking each other's work, because nothing is lost until someone accepts it.
Menu names can differ slightly between versions of Microsoft 365, but the ideas below stay the same.
Turn it on and off
- Open the document and click the Review tab.
- Click Track Changes so it looks pressed in. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+E.
- Start typing or deleting. Your edits now show in colour, usually with a line in the margin.
Click the button again to turn tracking off. Anything already marked stays marked.
Read the changes
Next to the Track Changes button is a menu with options such as Simple Markup, All Markup, No Markup and Original. Simple Markup shows a red line in the margin and keeps the page tidy. All Markup shows every change in full. No Markup shows how the document will look if everything is accepted, but the changes are still there, hidden.
Accept or reject changes
- Click on a change.
- Click Accept to keep it, or Reject to throw it away. These buttons are in the Changes group on the Review tab.
- Word jumps to the next change. Repeat until done.
The small arrow under Accept gives the choice Accept All Changes. Use that only when you have read everything.
Comments
Comments are separate from tracked changes. Use New Comment on the Review tab to leave a note in the margin. You can reply to a comment or mark it as resolved.
Common problems
- Text looks wrong or has odd colours: the document may be showing All Markup. Switch to No Markup to see the clean version.
On a Mac the Review tab is in the same place.
When to get more help
If a document is full of changes you cannot make sense of, or Track Changes seems to switch itself on, contact us before you accept everything and lose someone's work.