How to Track Changes in Microsoft Word and Review Edits

To track changes in Microsoft Word, open the document, select Review > Track Changes, then edit as usual. Word will mark insertions, deletions, and many formatting changes so you or a collaborator can review them and accept or reject each one. In Word for Mac, use the Review tab and select Track Changes there as well. Tracking changes records edits; it does not automatically approve them or prevent someone from editing the document.

What You’ll Need

A desktop or web version of Microsoft Word. These instructions focus on Microsoft 365 for Windows; the core controls are also available in Word for Mac and Word for the web, though some options may be arranged differently.
A document you can edit. If it is shared, make sure you have permission to make changes. For collaboration, save it to OneDrive or SharePoint so other people can open the same current copy.
A little time to review the markup before sharing or publishing. Tracked edits remain in the document until someone accepts or rejects them.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and save a working copy if needed. If you are editing an important original, use File > Save As to create a separate review copy before you start. This is especially useful when you need to preserve an untouched version. If the file is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, check that you are working in the intended shared document rather than an older downloaded copy.
Open the Review tab. On Windows, select Review on the ribbon. On Mac, select the Review tab in the ribbon. If the ribbon is collapsed, expand it or use the Word search box to find “Track Changes.” In Word for the web, open Review and locate the Track Changes control; the web layout may differ slightly from the desktop ribbon.
Turn tracking on. Select Track Changes. In Word for Windows, the control is in the Tracking group. When enabled, it is usually highlighted or otherwise shown as active. In some Windows builds, the arrow beside the control opens choices for tracking everyone’s changes or only your own. Choose the option that suits the review. On Mac, select the Track Changes control on the Review tab and confirm it is enabled before editing.
Make an obvious test edit if you are unsure. Type a short word or delete a character in a safe part of the document, then check that Word marks the edit. Undo the test with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac. This quick check helps catch the common problem of editing with tracking turned off. Avoid using a real change as a test if the document is sensitive or already under review.
Edit the document normally. Add text, remove text, or change formatting. Word displays inserted text and deleted text differently, often with color, underlining, strikethrough, or balloons in the margin. The appearance depends on the markup view and the document’s settings. Do not try to make the page look clean by deleting marked text or changing its color; that can alter the actual content or hide useful review information.
Choose a useful markup view. On Windows, go to Review > Display for Review and select a view such as All Markup, Simple Markup, No Markup, or Original. All Markup shows tracked edits in detail; Simple Markup gives a less crowded view; No Markup shows how the document would look without displaying the edits; Original shows the earlier wording. These are display choices, not decisions about the changes. Switching to No Markup does not accept revisions or remove their record.
Review edits one at a time. Select a marked change, or use Review > Previous and Next to move through revisions. Choose Accept to keep a change or Reject to discard it. Word then moves the text toward the accepted or original version, depending on your choice. Read the surrounding sentence before deciding: a deletion or replacement may affect meaning beyond the marked words. On Mac, the Review tab provides corresponding navigation and Accept and Reject controls.
Review comments separately. Comments are not the same as tracked changes. A comment is a note attached to text; accepting or rejecting a revision does not necessarily resolve its comment. Open the comments pane or select a comment to read it, then reply or resolve it as appropriate. Keep a comment if it explains a decision someone still needs to make.
Finish deliberately, then save. Continue through the revisions until each one has a clear outcome. If you want to approve everything, use the arrow beside Accept and choose the appropriate accept-all option; if you want to discard all revisions, use the corresponding reject-all option. Read the menu wording carefully, because some versions also offer an option that accepts all changes and stops tracking. When finished, save with Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac. Before sending the file, decide whether tracking should remain on for the next editor or be turned off.

Common Mistakes

Assuming markup is the same as a final document. A page shown with No Markup can look finished while unaccepted revisions are still present. Switch to All Markup when checking whether anything remains unresolved.
Turning tracking on only after editing. Word does not normally convert earlier untracked edits into tracked revisions. If you need a record of those edits, compare the edited file with the original using Word’s document comparison feature, or repeat the work with tracking enabled.
Rejecting a change just to remove its visual mark. Rejecting restores the previous content; it is not a display cleanup command. Accept the change if it is correct, or leave it for the document owner to decide.
Forgetting that comments and revisions are different.} A clean revision list does not mean all comments have been handled. Review both before treating a document as complete.
Editing the wrong copy. Email attachments and downloaded files can become separate versions. Confirm the filename and storage location, and coordinate with collaborators when several copies exist.

Tips

Agree on a review process first. Tell collaborators whether they should make direct edits with Track Changes on, add comments for suggestions, or do both. A short agreement prevents people from making silent changes when the group expects revisions to be visible.
Use All Markup for the final review. It is the safest view for finding unresolved edits. Simple Markup is convenient while drafting, but a less cluttered display can make a revision easier to overlook.
Check who made each edit. Word associates tracked revisions with an author name or initials. In a shared review, use the author information to understand the edit’s source, but still assess the wording itself. Author details can depend on the user’s Office settings.
Keep tracking on while collaborators are still editing. Turning it off affects whether subsequent edits are recorded. It does not erase earlier tracked edits, but later changes may appear without markup.
Use a copy before bulk decisions. Accepting or rejecting all changes can substantially alter a document. Save a backup first when the revision history may be needed for reference or when you are not certain every change should receive the same decision.
Remember the shortcut. In Word for Windows, Ctrl+Shift+E toggles Track Changes. On Mac, the equivalent is Command+Shift+E. Check the button’s state afterward, especially if you pressed the shortcut while another window or control had focus.

Troubleshooting

Edits are not appearing as markup. Return to Review > Track Changes and confirm it is on. Then set Display for Review to All Markup. If the edit was made before tracking was enabled, it will not become a tracked revision just because tracking is now on.
You cannot switch Track Changes off. The document may have tracking locked. In Word for Windows, check the Track Changes menu for a lock or protection option, such as Lock Tracking. A password may be required to unlock it. If you do not know the password, ask the document owner or administrator rather than trying to bypass the protection.
The document still looks edited after you accept changes. Confirm that you accepted the revisions, not merely changed the display to No Markup. Select All Markup and inspect the document again. Also check comments, since those are handled separately from revisions.
Another person’s edits are missing. Confirm that everyone opened the same file from OneDrive or SharePoint and that changes have finished syncing. Check for a second file with a similar name, and ask the collaborator to save or close their copy if needed. In a locally emailed document, revisions made to a different attachment will not appear in your copy automatically.
Ribbon controls are hard to find. Maximize the Word window or expand the ribbon. If the Review tab is hidden, use Word’s ribbon settings to show it, or type “Track Changes” into the search box. Word for Mac and the web app may group controls differently, so use the in-app search if the named button is not visible.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I turn Track Changes off?

Select Review > Track Changes again to switch it off. In Word for Windows, Ctrl+Shift+E toggles the feature; on Mac, use Command+Shift+E. Turning tracking off stops recording new edits but does not remove revisions already in the document.

Can I track changes in Word without showing them?

Yes. Keep Track Changes enabled, then choose No Markup under Review > Display for Review. This hides revision marks from the current view but does not accept or reject them. Use All Markup later to review what remains.

How do I accept all changes in Word?

On the Review tab, open the arrow beside Accept and choose the accept-all command. Some Word versions include a separate option to accept all changes and stop tracking. Check the exact menu label before selecting it, and save a backup if you may need to restore the earlier wording.

Can I track changes in Word for the web?

Yes. Open the document in Word for the web, go to Review, and turn on Track Changes before editing. The web version can show and review revisions, but some advanced controls and layout options may differ from the desktop app. If a control is unavailable, open the document in Word for Windows or Mac.

Can I track changes in a document after edits were made?

Turning tracking on will record future edits, not usually changes already made. To identify earlier differences, compare the edited document with its original using Word’s comparison tools, or restore the original and repeat the editing with Track Changes enabled.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

More in How-to basics

Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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