How to Begin Track Changes in Microsoft Word for Reviews

To begin tracking edits in Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, open your document, select Review > Track Changes, then edit as usual. On a Mac or in Word for the web, open the Review tab and turn on Track Changes. Word will mark new edits so you and other reviewers can inspect, accept, or reject them later.

Track Changes is useful when a document needs review because it preserves a visible record of additions, deletions, and some formatting changes instead of silently replacing the original text. Before you start, decide whether you are preparing your own edits for review or checking a document that already contains revisions. The steps below cover both situations and explain how to confirm that tracking is active.

What You’ll Need

A document open in Microsoft Word. For the clearest compatibility when sharing, use a Word document saved as a .docx file.
Access to the Review tab. The instructions focus on Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; Word for Mac and Word for the web have similar controls, with small differences noted below.
If other people will review the file, a way to share or return the document, such as your organization’s approved OneDrive or SharePoint location, or an email attachment.

Step-by-Step

Open the document you want to edit. Start Word and open the existing file, or create a new document. If you are working from a shared copy, check that you have opened the intended file rather than a downloaded duplicate or an older attachment. For a document stored online, confirm that Word has finished loading it before making changes. It is sensible to save a separate working copy first when you need to preserve an untouched original, especially if the document is important or has a complicated review history.
Go to the Review tab. On Windows, select Review on the ribbon at the top of the Word window. On Mac, select the Review tab in the ribbon. In Word for the web, choose Review from the top ribbon. If the ribbon is minimized, expand it or use the tabs to reveal the commands. Track Changes is a review setting, so look on Review rather than searching the Home tab’s font or paragraph tools.
Turn on Track Changes. In Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select Review > Track Changes. The button normally changes appearance or becomes highlighted to indicate that tracking is enabled. In some Windows builds, the control has a drop-down arrow with choices such as tracking changes for everyone or only your own edits; select the option that suits your review process. On Mac and Word for the web, choose Review > Track Changes and verify that it is switched on. The exact button appearance can vary with the Word version and ribbon layout.
Check that tracking is actually on before editing. Type a short test word in a safe spot, or make a small change that you can immediately undo. A tracked insertion usually appears in a revision color or with an underline, and a deletion may appear as struck-through text or in a balloon, depending on your markup settings. If the test looks like ordinary text with no revision mark, stop and check the Track Changes control again. Undo the test if it is not part of the document. Avoid relying only on the color: markup display settings can change how edits look.
Make your edits normally. With tracking active, add, delete, or replace text using the usual keyboard and editing commands. Word records these actions as revisions rather than silently treating them as final text. Formatting changes may also be recorded, depending on the settings. You do not need to insert comments to make edits track; comments are separate notes used to explain a suggestion or ask a question. If you are reviewing a colleague’s wording, make the proposed edit in the document and add a comment only when context would help.
Keep Track Changes on while the review is in progress. Continue editing the document as needed. Word generally remembers the setting for the open document, but do not assume tracking remains enabled after reopening a file or switching documents. Check the Review tab before each editing session, particularly in a shared workflow. Turning tracking off stops recording future changes; it does not remove revisions already recorded. This distinction matters if you are making final clean-up edits after a review.
Save and share the tracked copy. Save the file with File > Save or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+S on Windows. On Mac, use Command+S. If you use Word for the web, changes to an online document are typically saved automatically, but wait for the saved or synced indicator before closing or sharing. Make sure reviewers receive the tracked version, not an earlier copy. When sharing a link, check that the intended people have permission to edit or comment as required by your process.
Review the markup and finish deliberately. To inspect revisions, stay on the Review tab and use the navigation controls for moving between changes, or open the Reviewing Pane if available in your version. When you are ready to decide on an edit, use the Review tab’s Accept or Reject controls. You can handle changes one by one or use the menu options to accept or reject all changes, but choose an all-changes option only after reviewing the document. If the review is not finished, leave the revisions in place and keep the tracked file available to the next reviewer.

Common Mistakes

Editing before switching tracking on. Word does not normally convert earlier edits into revisions after you enable the feature. If you changed text first, undo those edits if practical, turn tracking on, and make them again. Otherwise, tell the reviewer which changes were made before tracking began.

Assuming hidden markup is missing. The display may show a simplified view, such as a clean-looking page, even when revisions are present. Use the Review tab’s markup display controls and inspect the document before concluding that changes were not recorded. A different display is not the same as accepting or deleting revisions.

Turning tracking off and expecting existing marks to disappear. Switching it off only affects later edits. Existing revisions remain until they are accepted or rejected. Conversely, accepting all changes is not a harmless way to hide markup; it commits revisions to the document text.

Confusing comments with tracked edits. A comment can explain a possible change, but it does not itself revise the text. If the intended wording should appear as a proposed edit, make the text change with Track Changes on and use a comment only for explanation.

Tips

Agree on a review routine. For a team document, decide whether each reviewer should leave revisions visible, add comments for questions, and avoid accepting other people’s edits until the designated editor has reviewed them. This prevents one person from unintentionally finalizing changes for everyone.
Use a clear filename. When you must send a separate copy, include a date or review stage in the filename, such as Draft-review-Nov-3.docx. Avoid creating several files called final, final-new, and final-updated; those names make it harder to identify the version with the current revisions.
Choose a useful markup view. Word’s display options can show all markup, simplify it, or hide it on screen. Use a view that makes the current task comfortable, then return to a full-markup view before handing the document to someone else. Display choices affect what you see, not necessarily whether the revisions are stored.
Use comments for reasoning, not every keystroke. A short note beside a substantial change can explain a factual correction, a question, or a proposed alternative. Keep comments focused so the reviewer can distinguish the actual text revision from the discussion around it.
Protect the original when necessary. Save a copy before a major editing pass, or make sure version history is available in your shared storage. Track Changes records revisions but is not a substitute for a backup or a complete document versioning plan.

Troubleshooting

The Track Changes button looks off or edits are not marked. Return to Review > Track Changes and switch it on. If the control is a drop-down, check the selected tracking option. Then make a small test edit and inspect it. If necessary, undo the test. Also check whether you are in the correct document and whether you have permission to edit it; a read-only file may prevent changes from being made.

Changes were made, but they are not visible. On the Review tab, change the markup display to show all markup or use the Reviewing Pane to see a list of revisions. The ribbon labels and exact view choices can differ slightly between Windows, Mac, and web versions. Also check whether the edits were already accepted: accepted edits become regular document content, so they no longer appear as pending revisions.

You cannot turn tracking on or off. A document may have restrictions or a policy set by its owner or organization. If the command is unavailable, ask the document owner whether editing or review restrictions are in place. Some Word versions offer options to lock tracking; if you see a lock or password prompt, you may need the person who set it to unlock the setting. Do not try to bypass a restriction on a document you do not own.

A colleague cannot see the revisions. Confirm that you saved the file after editing and sent the current .docx or shared the correct online document. Ask the colleague to open it in Word and check the markup display rather than relying on a preview pane or another app, which may render revisions differently. If the file was converted to a format that does not preserve Word’s review features, resend a .docx copy.

The document appears to have changed after you switched tracking off. That is expected if you continued editing: new changes made while tracking is off are not marked as revisions. If you need those specific changes recorded, use Undo while the edits are still reversible, enable tracking, and repeat them. If that is not practical, explain the untracked changes to the reviewer instead of implying that the revision history includes them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Track Changes record edits I made before turning it on?
No. It records changes made while the feature is enabled; it generally does not reconstruct earlier edits. Turn it on before beginning the review.

How do I know whether Track Changes is on?
Check the Track Changes control on the Review tab for its active or highlighted state, then make a small test edit and confirm that Word marks it as a revision. The appearance of the button and markup varies by version and display settings.

Does turning Track Changes off erase revisions already in the document?
No. It stops recording later edits but leaves existing revisions in place. Use Accept or Reject to resolve recorded changes, and review them before applying an option to all changes.

Can I use Track Changes in Word for Mac or Word for the web?
Yes. In both, open the Review tab and turn on Track Changes. Button placement and some display options may differ from Word for Windows, but the basic purpose and review workflow are similar.

Can other people see who made each change?
Word associates revisions with an author identity, which can depend on the account or author information used on that device. The name shown may not always identify a person clearly, especially on a shared computer. Check the displayed author name and follow your organization’s privacy and review practices.

Should I accept all changes before sending the document?
Only if the review is complete and the recipient should receive a clean, finalized version. If another person still needs to inspect or respond to the edits, keep the revisions pending and share the tracked copy instead.

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