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

To track edits in red in Microsoft Word, turn on Review > Track Changes, then open the advanced tracking options and set the insertion and deletion colors to red. This makes edits easier to spot while you review; it does not simply recolor the document’s original text. The steps below are for Microsoft 365 on Windows, with Mac and Word for the web notes where the controls differ.

What You’ll Need

Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows or Mac. The desktop app is recommended because it provides the full set of markup color controls.
A document you can edit. Save a working copy first if the file is important, and check whether it is protected or shared with review restrictions.
Optional: the names of the people who will review the document, so you can coordinate how edits and comments will be displayed.

Step-by-Step

Open and save the document. Open the file in Word and save it with a clear name, such as Draft for review. If you are working from a shared document, confirm that you have editing permission. A separate copy gives you a safe version to return to if you later accept or reject the wrong changes.
Open the Review tab. On Windows, select Review on the ribbon. Find the Tracking group. If the ribbon is simplified or the window is narrow, some controls may be collapsed into a menu; maximize Word or open the relevant group menu to see them.
Set the markup colors. In the Tracking group, select the small dialog box launcher, usually at the lower-right corner of the group, to open Track Changes Options. Select Advanced Options if it appears as a separate button. In the advanced options, set the color for Insertions and Deletions to Red. If you want formatting revisions or changed lines marked in red too, set those options separately where available. Select OK to apply the choices.
Turn on Track Changes. Select Review > Track Changes. In some Word layouts, the button has a dropdown; choose the option that turns tracking on. If Word asks whether to track changes for everyone or only your edits, choose the setting that matches the review arrangement. The button or its menu should indicate that tracking is active.
Choose a useful markup view. On the Review tab, open Display for Review and select All Markup to see insertions, deletions, and formatting changes. Simple Markup may show a cleaner page with indicators in the margin, but it can hide some detail until you select an indicator. Use All Markup while checking whether the red settings are working.
Make a small test edit. Add a short word or sentence, then delete a few words. New text should appear with red insertion markup, and deleted text should be shown as a red deletion mark, often with a strikethrough or in a balloon depending on your view. This quick test helps identify a settings issue before you revise several pages.
Continue editing normally. With tracking on, type, delete, move, or format text as needed. Word records the edits as revisions instead of silently replacing the original text. You can still save, close, and reopen the document; the tracked revisions remain in the file.
Review the changes before sharing. Use Review > Previous and Next to move between revisions, or select an individual change. Choose Accept or Reject when you have made a decision. Do not accept or reject a change merely to make the page look clean; either action changes the document’s revision status.
Turn tracking off when editing is finished. Select Review > Track Changes again to stop recording new edits. Turning tracking off does not remove revisions already in the document. Keep them for the review, or accept or reject them deliberately before producing a clean copy.

On Mac: Word’s ribbon names are similar, but the color controls may be located under Word > Settings or Word > Preferences > Track Changes, depending on the release. Look for the markup color choices for insertions and deletions, set them to red, and confirm the change. Then use the Review tab to turn tracking on. If you cannot find the advanced color controls, update Word or open the file in Word for Windows; menu placement can vary between Mac releases.

In Word for the web: You can use the Review tab to track and review edits, but the web app may not offer the same detailed color controls as desktop Word. If you need to specify red for insertions and deletions, choose Open in Desktop App and set the colors there. After saving, reopen the document in the web app to continue collaborating if that suits your workflow.

Common Mistakes

Changing the font color instead of the markup color. The Font Color control on the Home tab changes actual document text. To color revisions, use the Track Changes advanced options. Applying red font to a paragraph does not turn on tracking and can leave the text permanently red after revisions are accepted.
Expecting earlier edits to appear as tracked changes. Word records edits made while Track Changes is on. Enabling it after revising a section does not reconstruct the earlier editing history. If you need those edits tracked, compare against an earlier copy or make the revisions again with tracking enabled.
Assuming every reviewer’s edits will be red. Word can use author-based colors, and the color controls or display preferences can behave differently across installations and versions. Set the insertion and deletion colors explicitly, and check how the file appears on the device that will be used for review.
Using Simple Markup and concluding that edits are missing. Simple Markup can reduce visible detail. Switch to All Markup and inspect the document before assuming that Word failed to record a revision.
Confusing a tracked deletion with text that has disappeared. A deleted passage may remain visible with a strikethrough or in a margin balloon. It is a recorded revision, not necessarily a final deletion. Accept or reject it to decide what belongs in the final text.

Tips

Agree on a review convention. Tell collaborators whether you want all changes tracked, whether comments should be used for questions, and whether reviewers should leave revisions unresolved. This reduces confusion when several people edit the same document.
Use comments for discussion. Track Changes is best for edits to the document itself. For a question such as why a date was changed, add a comment rather than inserting the explanation into the body text.
Keep the markup view distinct from the final view. All Markup is useful during review. Before sharing a clean reading copy, accept or reject the revisions in a separate copy, or use a view that hides markup only when you understand that hiding it does not remove the revisions.
Check the printed or exported result. If you intend to send a PDF with revisions visible, inspect Print Preview or the exported PDF. Markup display and print settings can affect what appears, so do not assume the screen view will match the shared output.
Protect sensitive information separately. Turning off Track Changes does not erase revision history, comments, or other document metadata. If you must share a clean document, inspect it carefully and use Word’s document inspection tools as appropriate, rather than relying only on a clean-looking page.

Troubleshooting

Changes are not appearing in red. First confirm Track Changes is on and Display for Review is set to All Markup. Open the advanced options again and check that both Insertions and Deletions are set to Red, not By Author or another color. Make a fresh test edit after changing the settings; existing revisions may not redraw exactly as expected until the view refreshes.
You cannot find Advanced Options. Expand the Review ribbon or maximize the Word window, then look for the small dialog box launcher in the Tracking group. The control may be hidden in a compact ribbon. On Mac, check the Track Changes settings under the Word menu as well as the Review ribbon. If the detailed choices are unavailable in the web app, open the file in the desktop application.
The Track Changes button is unavailable. Check whether the document is read-only, protected, or opened with viewing permission only. In Word, inspect Review > Restrict Editing if that command is present, and ask the document owner to grant editing access or remove restrictions. A shared file may also be locked by another editing condition; resolve the access issue before trying again.
Edits seem to vanish when you switch views. Change Display for Review to All Markup and check whether the revisions are hidden rather than removed. Also inspect the Reviewing Pane, if available from the Review tab, to see a list of recorded changes. Do not use Accept All or Reject All as a troubleshooting shortcut; those commands can permanently resolve every revision at once.
Another person sees a different color. The revisions are stored in the document, but how markup is displayed can depend on Word’s version, user settings, and author-color behavior. Ask the reviewer to open the file in desktop Word, select All Markup, and check their tracking color options. If exact appearance matters, exchange a PDF showing markup after verifying its preview, while keeping the editable Word file for decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make all tracked changes red in Word?
Set the insertion and deletion colors to Red in the advanced Track Changes options. You may need to set formatting changes and changed-line indicators separately. The exact appearance can vary with the reviewer’s Word version and settings.

Does turning on Track Changes make all text red?
No. It marks new edits as revisions. Existing unchanged text generally retains its normal formatting; tracked insertions and deletions receive markup. Font Color is a separate formatting control.

Can I change the color of a revision after it has been made?
You can change the markup color settings, but that changes how Word displays revisions rather than accepting or rejecting them. Try it on a small test edit first, especially if collaborators use different versions or settings.

Will tracked changes stay in the document if I turn tracking off?
Yes. Turning tracking off stops recording new revisions; it does not remove revisions already saved. Review and accept or reject them if you want to resolve the change history.

Can I track changes in Word for the web?
Yes, Word for the web supports tracked editing and review. For precise red markup color settings, use the desktop app because the web version may not expose all advanced options.

How do I make a clean copy without visible revisions?
Save a separate copy, then review and accept or reject the changes in that copy. Hiding markup or turning tracking off does not remove revision history, so confirm the final document is genuinely resolved before sharing it as clean.

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.