Track Changes in Word: A Step-by-Step Guide

To track edits in Word, open the document, select Review > Track Changes, and then edit as usual. Word marks additions, deletions, and other changes so you or your collaborators can review them before accepting or rejecting them. Save a copy first if you need to preserve an untouched original, and turn tracking on before making edits you want recorded.

What You’ll Need

A document opened in Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows. The desktop steps below also apply to recent versions of Word, though some button placements can vary.
Permission to edit the document. If it is read-only or protected, you may need the owner to grant access or remove the restriction.
A place to save the file. If you are collaborating, a shared OneDrive or SharePoint copy can make it easier for everyone to work on the same document; confirm the file has finished saving before closing it.
Optional: a separate backup copy if the document is important. Track Changes records edits, but it is not a substitute for a backup.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and save a working copy if needed. In Word, use File > Save As to create a separate version before editing an important original. Give the copy a clear name, such as Report-review-copy.docx, and save it where you can find it. If the document is already in OneDrive or SharePoint, check the file name and location so you do not accidentally make changes to the wrong shared copy.
Turn on Track Changes before editing. Select the Review tab, then select Track Changes. The button or its indicator should show that tracking is active. In Word for Windows, the keyboard shortcut is Ctrl + Shift + E. On a Mac, use Command + Shift + E. If you are unsure whether it is on, click the button once and check its state before typing; clicking it again turns tracking off.
Make a small test edit. Add a word or make a minor change in a convenient place, then check that Word marks it as an insertion. Delete a test word only if it is safe to do so; a deletion should appear as markup rather than disappear without a trace. Undo the test edit if it is not part of the intended revision. This quick check is especially useful when continuing someone else’s document or using a different computer.
Choose how much markup to display. On the Review tab, open Display for Review and choose All Markup to see the tracked edits clearly. Simple Markup reduces visible detail, while No Markup shows a clean-looking view without removing the revisions. Original displays the document as it appeared before the tracked changes. For careful review, use All Markup rather than assuming that a clean view means the edits have been removed.
Review which kinds of changes are visible. Select Review > Show Markup and check the categories you want to see, such as Comments, Insertions and Deletions, or Formatting. If changes seem to be missing, make sure the relevant category is selected. Use the reviewer options in the same menu if you want to focus on particular contributors. These display settings affect what you see; they do not accept or delete edits.
Continue editing while tracking remains on. Add, replace, or remove text as needed. Word marks the changes, often using color, underlining, or strikethrough; the exact appearance depends on your markup settings and the number of reviewers. Formatting changes, such as changing a heading’s style, may also be recorded if formatting markup is enabled. If you need to insert a comment instead of changing the document text, use Review > New Comment. Comments and tracked edits are separate features.
Review edits one at a time. Select a marked change in the document, then use Review > Accept or Review > Reject. Accept keeps the proposed edit and removes its markup; reject discards the proposed edit and restores the prior text or formatting. The Accept and Reject menus also provide options to move through changes. Read the surrounding sentence before deciding, because a deletion or replacement can affect the meaning beyond the marked words.
Finish the review and save. When you have considered every edit, use the dropdown beside Accept or Reject to choose an option such as accepting or rejecting all changes, if that is appropriate. Do not choose a bulk option until you have confirmed that every revision should receive the same decision. To leave the document ready for another reviewer, keep unresolved changes and save the file. To finalize it, resolve the changes, turn off Review > Track Changes, and save again.

Word for Mac uses the Review tab for Track Changes and markup review as well, although the ribbon layout can differ slightly from Windows. In Word for the web, open the document in a browser and use the Review tab to turn on Track Changes and review edits. Some advanced review controls may be arranged differently or be unavailable in the web version, so open the file in the desktop app if a command you need is missing.

Common Mistakes

Editing before tracking is on. Word does not normally mark earlier edits retroactively. Turn tracking on before editing. If you already changed a document, you can compare the revised file with the original using Review > Compare > Compare in the desktop app. Choose the original and revised documents; Word creates a comparison document that shows differences for review. Check the comparison carefully, since it is a new review result rather than a restoration of the editing history.
Assuming No Markup removes revisions. No Markup changes the display, not the document’s revision content. A recipient may be able to show the edits again. Accept or reject revisions to resolve them; simply hiding markup is not a safe way to prepare a clean final file.
Turning tracking off instead of resolving edits. Switching Track Changes off only stops recording new edits. It does not accept or reject changes already in the document. Review existing markup separately before sending a final version.
Accepting everything without reading it. Bulk acceptance can keep an incorrect figure, wording, or formatting change. Review sensitive material and use one-at-a-time decisions when the changes have different consequences.
Confusing comments with revisions. A comment is a note attached to content; it does not itself alter the document text. Resolve comments and tracked changes separately, and do not assume that accepting edits also removes every comment.

Tips

Agree on a review process. For a shared document, tell collaborators whether they should leave edits for the owner to resolve or accept their own revisions. A simple rule prevents one person from finalizing changes that another person still needs to assess.
Use descriptive file names. Names such as Draft, Review, and Final can help, but include a date or version when several copies are circulating. Keep the original separate so you can compare or recover content if needed.
Use the Reviewing Pane for an overview. On the Review tab, select Reviewing Pane to see a summary of revisions. The pane can make it easier to navigate a long document, but still read the surrounding text before accepting or rejecting a change.
Check the displayed author names. Word may associate revisions with the Office profile or author name configured on the computer. If several people share a device or profile, review the author information before relying on it to identify who made a change.
Make a final privacy check. Hidden markup is not the same as removed markup, and documents can contain comments or identifying details. Before distributing a clean copy, resolve changes and comments as intended, save it, close and reopen it to verify the appearance, and use Word’s document-inspection options if you need to check for personal information.

Troubleshooting

Changes are not showing. First select Review > Display for Review > All Markup. Then open Review > Show Markup and confirm that Insertions and Deletions and any other needed categories are selected. If you are filtering by reviewer, show all reviewers. Also check whether Track Changes was on when the edit was made; turning it on afterward will not mark earlier work.

The Track Changes button seems unavailable. The document may be read-only, opened in a restricted view, or protected from editing. Look for a read-only notice or an editing banner, and request editing permission from the file owner. If the file is protected, use Review > Restrict Editing to inspect the restriction; you may need the password or the document owner to change it. Avoid trying to bypass a restriction you are not authorized to remove.

A collaborator’s edits are missing or not updating. Confirm that everyone is working in the same file, not separate email attachments with similar names. If it is stored online, check the save or sync status and allow Word to finish syncing. Ask the collaborator to save and close the document, then reopen the shared copy. If separate copies were edited, use Review > Compare > Compare in the desktop app to identify differences rather than copying changes blindly.

The document looks clean, but edits return when reopened. The changes were probably hidden with No Markup, not resolved. Select All Markup and then accept or reject the revisions. If the file must be sent without unresolved revisions, check the saved copy after reopening it. For sensitive documents, also inspect comments and document properties before sharing.

Word marks formatting changes or too many details. Use Review > Show Markup to hide categories that are distracting during review, such as formatting, while keeping text edits visible. This only changes the view. Restore the categories before final inspection so you do not overlook a change that matters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I track changes after I have already edited the document?
Track Changes does not usually reconstruct edits made while tracking was off. If you have an unchanged original and an edited copy, use Review > Compare > Compare to create a document showing their differences as revisions.

Does turning off Track Changes remove existing edits?
No. Turning it off stops Word from recording new edits; existing revisions remain until you accept or reject them. Use All Markup to see them if they are hidden.

Can I hide tracked changes without deleting them?
Yes. Select Review > Display for Review > No Markup for a cleaner reading view. The changes remain in the file and can be shown again, so this does not create a clean final document.

Can I accept or reject every change at once?
Yes. Use the dropdown beside Accept or Reject on the Review tab and choose the relevant all-changes command. Do this only after confirming that every revision should receive the same decision.

Can multiple people use Track Changes in one document?
Yes. Multiple collaborators can make tracked edits, especially in a shared OneDrive or SharePoint document. Use reviewer filters or the Reviewing Pane to navigate changes, and coordinate before anyone accepts or rejects revisions for the whole group.

Does Track Changes work in Word for the web?
Yes. The browser version supports tracking and reviewing changes through its Review controls. If a specific advanced command is unavailable, open the document in Word for Windows or Mac and continue there.

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.