How to Change Track Changes Color in Word

In Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, go to File > Options > Advanced, scroll to Track Changes, and choose a color for insertions, deletions, or other markup. This changes how tracked edits appear on your screen, making different kinds of revisions easier to distinguish. Have the document open in the desktop version of Word; the web version does not offer the same detailed color controls.

What You’ll Need

Microsoft Word desktop: Use Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows for the steps below. The labels and locations can vary slightly in older releases.
A document with tracked changes: If you are setting colors before anyone edits, you can still follow the steps; the chosen colors will apply when markup is displayed.
Permission to edit the document, if needed: A protected or read-only file may prevent you from changing its contents, although the color controls are Word settings.

Step-by-Step

Open the document in the Word desktop app. If the file opened in a browser, choose the option to open it in the desktop app. Color customization is limited in Word for the web, so use the installed application for the full controls.
Open Word Options. Select File > Options. In the Word Options window, select Advanced from the left-hand list. This is a Word application settings screen, not the document’s page-formatting settings.
Find the Track Changes settings. Scroll down through the Advanced options until you reach the section labeled Track Changes. The section can be well below the options at the top, so use the scroll bar rather than looking only at the first screen.
Choose a color for the type of markup you want to change. Use the relevant dropdowns, such as Insertions, Deletions, Formatting, or Comments. Depending on the Word build, you may also see settings for changed lines, moves, or table cell highlighting. Select a named color, or choose By author if you want Word to assign colors to different reviewers automatically.
Set each category separately if necessary. For example, you could make inserted text blue and deleted text red, while leaving formatting changes and comments at their existing settings. Changing the insertion color does not necessarily change the deletion or comment color; review each dropdown you care about.
Confirm the changes. Select OK to close Word Options and apply the settings. If you opened the options through a Track Changes dialog, confirm that dialog as well. Return to the document to inspect the markup.
Make sure tracked markup is visible. Select the Review tab and check the display choices in the Tracking group. Choose All Markup if you want to see the revisions, rather than No Markup or a simplified view. The exact labels can vary slightly by Word version.
Check the result with an example. If the document already contains an insertion or deletion, inspect it in the body or in a comment balloon. To create a quick test, turn on Review > Track Changes, insert a short word, and check its color. Undo the test edit afterward if you do not want it in the document.

Alternative route: In some Windows versions, you can open the detailed controls from Review. In the Tracking group, open the small dialog box launcher, then select Advanced Options or the similarly named control. Choose the markup colors there. If that route is not visible in your ribbon, use File > Options > Advanced instead.

On a Mac: Word’s settings are arranged differently. Open Word > Settings (called Preferences in some releases), then look for Track Changes and its color controls. In some builds, the options are available from the Review tab’s Track Changes menu. Choose the colors for the markup categories and close the settings. If the options are missing, update Word or try the Windows desktop version; menu names and available controls depend on the release.

Common Mistakes

Changing the display mode instead of the color. The Display for Review menu controls how much markup is shown. It does not set the color of insertions or deletions. Use the Advanced Track Changes color options to change colors, then use the Review tab to choose how much markup to display.
Expecting one setting to recolor every kind of revision. Insertions, deletions, formatting changes, comments, and other categories may have separate controls. If only one kind of markup remains unchanged, return to the options and inspect its own dropdown.
Assuming a chosen color will look identical for everyone. Word’s color choices are primarily a display preference for the person using Word. Another reviewer may see different colors because of their settings, author-color assignments, or application version. Do not use color alone to communicate an essential instruction.
Turning off Track Changes to hide the markup. Switching off tracking stops Word from recording new edits; it does not accept or remove existing revisions. To show a clean reading view temporarily, use a display option such as No Markup, and remember that the revisions remain in the file.
Confusing text color with revision color. Applying a font color from the Home tab changes the formatting of document text. It is not the same as setting the color Word uses to identify tracked insertions or deletions, and it can itself be recorded as a formatting change.

Tips

Choose colors that remain easy to read. A bright color can stand out on a white page but may be difficult to read in a printed copy or for someone with color-vision differences. Prefer clear contrast and use labels or written explanations when a color distinction matters.
Use author colors for multi-person reviews. The By author setting lets Word distinguish reviewers automatically. It does not let you reliably assign a permanent custom color to a named person; the assigned color can differ across users or sessions.
Use balloons and inline markup deliberately. The way comments and some deletions appear depends on the markup display and balloon settings. If a color seems missing, inspect both the document text and the margin balloons before concluding the setting failed.
Keep a clean copy before finalizing. When review is complete, save a copy before accepting or rejecting changes. Hiding markup is not the same as removing it, and recipients may still be able to inspect revisions in the document.
Check the document on the device that will be used for review. Different Word versions and user preferences can display the same tracked change differently. If a team needs a consistent review experience, agree on display conventions rather than relying only on a particular shade.

Troubleshooting

The color dropdowns are missing. Confirm that you are using the Word desktop app rather than Word for the web. In Windows, open File > Options > Advanced and scroll to Track Changes. If the section is not available, check for Office updates or consult the options in your installed Word version; older and simplified interfaces may place the controls elsewhere.

The edits still look the same after you choose a color. First confirm that you selected the right category and clicked OK. Then switch the Review display to All Markup and inspect a tracked edit of that category. A comment color setting will not recolor inserted text, for example. Some markup may be shown in balloons or underlines rather than as colored text, depending on the display settings.

Some revisions change color, but others do not. Return to the Track Changes options and check each category individually. Also consider whether those revisions were made by different authors while By author is selected. If a document has revisions from several people, Word may use different author colors rather than one uniform color.

Another person sees different colors. This is usually expected. The color settings can be specific to each reviewer’s Word setup, and author colors can be assigned differently. Ask the other person to set their own display preferences, or share a PDF if you need a fixed visual snapshot. A PDF is useful for viewing, but it is not a substitute for the editable document when reviewers need to accept or reject changes.

The Review tab is not showing the expected controls. The ribbon may be collapsed, customized, or simplified. Expand the ribbon or use the Word Options route. On a Mac, check Word > Settings/Preferences > Track Changes, since Windows ribbon paths do not always match Mac menus.

I want to remove the colored markup, not recolor it. To preserve the text while clearing revision marks, review and accept or reject changes from the Review tab. Do not rely on No Markup, because that only hides changes from view. Save a separate copy first if you may need the original review history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set one color for all tracked changes?
Word provides separate color controls for different kinds of markup. Check the available categories and set each one to the same color if you want a uniform appearance. Some categories or displays may still behave differently.

Can I assign a specific color to each reviewer?
You can select By author so Word distinguishes authors automatically, but you generally cannot depend on a fixed custom color being assigned to a particular person on every computer. The assignment can vary with the Word setup.

Does changing the color alter the document or its tracked edits?
It changes the appearance of markup, not the underlying words or whether an edit is accepted. The color may be a local display preference, so another person can see the same revision in a different color.

Why can’t I change track changes colors in Word for the web?
The browser version has fewer advanced Track Changes controls than Word desktop. Open the document in the desktop app to adjust the detailed color settings, then save the document as usual.

Will the colors appear when I print the document?
They may, depending on the print and markup settings, but the printed result can differ from the on-screen view. Use Print Preview and check the printer’s color settings before printing a review copy.

How do I hide the colors without deleting the revisions?
On the Review tab, change the display setting to No Markup or another less detailed view. This hides markup temporarily; it does not accept, reject, or remove the tracked changes.

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