Track Changes in Word 365: A Practical How-To Guide

To track edits in Word 365, open your document, go to Review > Track Changes, and choose whether to track changes from everyone or just your own edits. Make your revisions, then use Review > Accept or Review > Reject to decide which changes stay. Track Changes makes additions, deletions, and some formatting edits visible so you and your reviewers can check what changed before finalizing a document.

What You’ll Need

Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows or Mac, or Word for the web.
A document you can edit. If it is shared, you may need the owner’s permission to make changes.
A separate copy of the original if you want a fallback before reviewing or accepting a large batch of edits.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and check that you can edit it. Open the file in Word and look for a read-only notice, an editing restriction, or a request to view rather than edit. If the document is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, confirm that you have editing permission. Save a copy first if you need to preserve an untouched version; tracked edits can be accepted or rejected, but a separate copy is a useful safeguard.
Go to the Review tab. On Windows, select Review on the ribbon, then select Track Changes. If the control has a dropdown arrow, open it to see the tracking choices. In Word for Mac, use the Review tab and its Track Changes control; the layout can differ slightly by version. In Word for the web, open Review and select Track Changes.
Choose who Word should track. In desktop Word, the dropdown can offer For Everyone and Just Mine. Choose For Everyone when edits by all collaborators should be recorded, or Just Mine if you only want your own edits tracked. The available choices and their placement can vary by platform or update. If you only see a toggle, turn tracking on and check the control’s menu for scope options.
Confirm tracking is on before editing. The Track Changes control should appear selected or highlighted when the feature is active. You can also use Ctrl+Shift+E on Windows to toggle Track Changes; on Mac, use Command+Shift+E. Because shortcuts or ribbon states may be affected by customization, verify the control visually before making important edits. Changes made before tracking is enabled will not be added to the revision history.
Edit the document normally. Type new text, delete wording, move paragraphs, or change formatting as needed. Word marks insertions and deletions in the document, often with underlining, strikethrough, or colored markup. The exact appearance depends on your display settings and the document’s review options. Continue to save the file as you work, especially when reviewing a long document or collaborating online.
Set the markup view so changes are easy to inspect. On the Review tab, use Display for Review to choose All Markup when you want to see the full set of visible revisions. Simple Markup gives a less detailed view, while No Markup shows how the document would look without displaying revisions. Original shows the document as it was before tracked edits. These options change what you see, not whether revisions have been accepted.
Choose which kinds of markup appear. Open Review > Show Markup and check the categories you want to inspect, such as Comments, Insertions and Deletions, or Formatting. If an expected edit seems to be missing, first check that its category is enabled. If the document has edits from several people, use the reviewer or author options in this menu, when available, to narrow the view. Hiding a category does not remove its underlying changes.
Review each change and decide what to keep. Select a marked edit, then use Review > Accept or Review > Reject. You can also use the next- and previous-change controls on the Review tab to move through the document in order. Accepting an insertion keeps the new text; accepting a deletion removes the deleted text from the final document. Rejecting a change restores the affected text or formatting to its earlier state. Read the surrounding sentence before deciding, since a small edit can affect meaning.
Use the Reviewing Pane for a longer review. Select Review > Reviewing Pane to open a list or summary of revisions. The pane can help you find changes that are difficult to spot in a long file and gives you an overview of the revision count. Use it alongside the document text: the list helps locate edits, but context in the paragraph is still important when judging whether to accept or reject them.
Finish the review, then turn tracking off if appropriate. When every revision has been considered, use the dropdown beside Accept or Reject for a bulk option such as accepting or rejecting all changes. Use bulk actions only when you are sure every remaining revision should receive the same decision. Then turn off Review > Track Changes to stop recording new edits. Turning it off does not accept, reject, or erase changes already in the document.
Check the final view and save. Choose No Markup to preview the document without revision marks, then read through it for missing words, awkward transitions, and formatting problems. If you want a clean version for sharing, save the reviewed file after accepting or rejecting the revisions you intend to resolve. If you need to preserve a marked-up record, save that version separately before creating a clean copy.

Common Mistakes

Editing before switching tracking on: Word does not retroactively record ordinary edits made before Track Changes is enabled. If that happens, undo the edits if practical, turn tracking on, and make them again. Otherwise, explain or identify the untracked changes separately so reviewers know they are not part of the revision markup.

Assuming No Markup means the edits are gone: No Markup only hides revision marks from the current view. The edits are still in the file and can appear again when someone selects All Markup. Accept or reject the revisions to resolve them.

Turning tracking off instead of resolving edits: Switching the feature off stops Word recording future edits, but it leaves existing revisions pending. A document can therefore look unfinished when another reviewer opens it with markup displayed.

Confusing comments with revisions: Comments are notes attached to a document, while Track Changes records edits to its content and formatting. Accepting a revision does not necessarily remove a related comment. Review comments separately and resolve or delete them when appropriate.

Accepting everything without checking: A bulk accept can keep an unwanted deletion, wording change, or formatting adjustment. Review the remaining changes first, especially if several authors contributed or the document contains important instructions.

Tips

Agree on a review process before collaborating: decide who will make edits, who will approve them, and whether reviewers should use comments for questions rather than silently changing text.
Use All Markup when you need a thorough audit, then switch to No Markup only to preview the clean reading experience. Switching views is safer than accepting changes just to make the page look tidy.
Keep the Review tab open while checking revisions. The next/previous, accept, and reject controls make it easier to move through edits consistently instead of hunting through the document manually.
When working with a shared OneDrive or SharePoint document, save and allow the file to sync before closing it. Track Changes records edits in the document; it is not a substitute for checking that collaborators have the right access or that the latest version has finished syncing.
For a formal review, keep a marked-up copy and a clean final copy if your team needs both. Give the files clear names so reviewers can tell which one contains pending revisions.

Troubleshooting

Track Changes appears off or edits are not marked: Return to Review > Track Changes and turn it on before editing. Check that you chose the intended tracking scope and that the ribbon control is selected. If you have already edited while tracking was off, those earlier edits will not acquire revision marks automatically.

You cannot accept or reject a change: Check whether the file is read-only, protected, or restricted to viewing. Ask the document owner for editing access, or request that they remove or adjust the restriction. In a shared document, make sure you are working in the editable file rather than a downloaded or read-only copy.

Changes seem to have disappeared: Select Review > Display for Review > All Markup, then open Review > Show Markup and enable the relevant categories. Also check whether the view is filtered to a particular author. If the changes still do not appear, confirm that you opened the latest saved version rather than an older copy.

The document looks cluttered: Use Simple Markup for a calmer reading view, or adjust Show Markup to hide categories you do not need at that moment. Do not mistake a cleaner view for a resolved review. Return to All Markup before making final decisions so you can confirm no revisions were overlooked.

A collaborator’s changes are not being tracked: Confirm the document is shared as an editable Word file and that the tracking scope is set appropriately, such as For Everyone when available. Ask the collaborator to check the Review tab and ensure they are editing the shared file rather than a separate local copy. If the document is being edited in different Word versions, save and reopen it in Word 365 and compare the latest synchronized copy.

The Mac or web interface does not match these steps: Word’s ribbon can change slightly with updates and window size. Look for the Review tab and the controls named Track Changes, Display for Review, and Show Markup. If a control is hidden, widen the window or open the tab’s overflow menu. Word for the web may offer fewer review controls than the desktop app; open the file in desktop Word if you need an option that is not shown.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know Track Changes is on?
On the Review tab, the Track Changes control should look selected or highlighted. Make a small test edit in a safe place and confirm Word marks it, then undo the test if you do not want it in the document.

Can I track only my own changes?
In desktop Word, open the Track Changes dropdown and choose Just Mine if that option is available. Choose For Everyone when the document should track edits by all collaborators. Options vary by platform and version.

Can I hide changes without accepting them?
Yes. Choose No Markup from Review > Display for Review to hide revision marks in your current view. The pending changes remain in the document until you accept or reject them.

Does turning Track Changes off remove old revisions?
No. Turning it off prevents new edits from being tracked, but existing revisions remain pending. Resolve them with Accept or Reject if you want them incorporated or removed.

Can I accept or reject all changes at once?
Yes. Open the dropdown beside Accept or Reject on the Review tab and choose the relevant all-changes option. Check the document first, because a bulk action applies the same decision to every pending revision.

Are comments tracked changes?
No. Comments are separate discussion notes. Review them independently from insertions, deletions, and formatting revisions, and resolve or delete them according to your team’s review process.

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

Spotted an error in this guide? Let us know.