Track Changes Options in Microsoft Word: Where to Find Them

To get to Track Changes options in Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, open the document, select Review, open the arrow next to Track Changes, and choose Track Changes Options (the command may be called Change Tracking Options in some versions). Use the options window to adjust how insertions, deletions, formatting, and other edits are marked. You can change these settings without turning tracking on; enable Track Changes separately when you are ready to record edits.

What You’ll Need

A desktop version of Microsoft Word with the document open. The steps below use Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; the Mac and web differences are noted below.
Permission to edit the document if you need to turn tracking on or make changes. A protected or read-only document may limit what you can do.
If the document is shared, check whether your organization or document owner has locked tracking or applied editing restrictions.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and go to Review. Open the file in the Word desktop app, then select the Review tab on the ribbon. If the ribbon is collapsed, expand it by selecting a tab or using the ribbon display control near the top-right of Word. The Review tab contains the controls for recording and displaying edits.
Find the Track Changes control. In the Tracking group, locate Track Changes. The main button switches change tracking on or off. The small arrow beside it opens a menu with related commands. Select the arrow rather than the main button if your goal is to reach settings; clicking the main button may simply start recording changes.
Open the options window. In the menu, choose Track Changes Options. Some Word builds use the label Change Tracking Options. If you do not see either label, check that you are using the desktop app and that the Review ribbon is expanded. Labels and menu layout can differ slightly after Office updates.
Choose how insertions and deletions appear. In the options window, look for the markup settings for inserted and deleted text. Depending on your version, you may be able to choose a color, underline, strikethrough, or another marking style. For instance, a reviewer may prefer inserted text to be underlined and deleted text to have a strikethrough, making both types of edits easy to distinguish in a printed review.
Set formatting and other change indicators. If you want Word to flag changes such as bold, font size, or paragraph formatting, keep formatting changes enabled and choose how they should be identified. Some versions also provide settings for moves or table-cell changes. Turn off a category only if you intentionally do not want that type of edit highlighted; hiding or disabling a category can make a review less complete.
Choose where markup appears. Find the options for showing revisions in balloons or inline with the text. Balloons can place comments and some changes in the margin, while inline markup keeps edits close to the words they affect. The exact choices depend on the Word version and page layout. If the document is crowded, try balloons; if you need to compare wording line by line, inline display may be clearer.
Apply your choices. Select OK or the equivalent confirmation button to save the display settings. These preferences change how markup is presented; they do not automatically accept, reject, or remove existing revisions. Existing tracked changes should remain in the document unless someone resolves them separately.
Turn on tracking when you want future edits recorded. On the Review tab, select Track Changes. In some versions, use its arrow and select the tracking command. Make a small test edit if appropriate, such as adding a word in a copy of the document, and check that Word marks it. Avoid testing in the only copy of an important document if you are unsure how the settings work.
Set the review display separately if needed. The display menu is not the same as the tracking-options window. On the Review tab, open Display for Review and select a view such as All Markup, Simple Markup, No Markup, or Original. Use All Markup when you need to inspect every visible revision. A view such as No Markup can make the page look clean while tracked edits are still present.
Check which markup categories are visible. If expected edits do not appear, open Show Markup on the Review tab and check the categories you want to see, such as insertions and deletions, formatting, or comments. Also check whether markup from all reviewers is displayed. A reviewer filter or a hidden markup category can make changes seem missing even when they are still in the file.
Save the document and confirm the result. Save the file after changing options or editing. If the document will be reviewed by someone else, reopen it or check it in a second view to confirm that the tracked edits and display are understandable. Remember that each collaborator may have their own display preferences; the document’s revisions and the way an individual sees them are not always the same thing.

On Mac: Open the Review tab and use the arrow beside Track Changes to look for Track Changes Options or a similarly named command. The location and available choices can vary by Word for Mac release. In some versions, additional preferences are under Word > Settings (or Preferences) > Track Changes. Word for the web has a more limited set of advanced markup controls; for detailed appearance options, open the file in the desktop app.

Common Mistakes

Clicking the toggle instead of its arrow. The prominent Track Changes button is mainly for switching recording on or off. To find settings, open the adjacent menu arrow. If the button changes state unexpectedly, check its status before editing further.
Assuming No Markup removes revisions. No Markup changes the on-screen presentation; it does not accept or delete revisions. Before sharing a clean final copy, decide whether changes should remain available for review or be accepted or rejected. Do not treat a hidden display as a final cleanup.
Confusing options with visibility controls. Track Changes Options determine how Word marks or presents edits. Display for Review and Show Markup control what is currently visible. If a setting seems to have no effect, check both places.
Turning off tracking and expecting old edits to vanish. Switching tracking off stops Word recording new changes; it does not remove revisions already in the document. Existing edits need to be reviewed and resolved individually or by an appropriate document-level action.
Assuming the chosen color identifies a particular reviewer. Word may assign colors based on reviewer identity or its own display rules. The color is not always a fixed personal color across every document or computer. Use the reviewer information or markup details rather than color alone to identify who made a change.
Changing options in a restricted file. A protected document, shared-workspace policy, or locked tracking setting may prevent changes. Repeatedly clicking the control will not bypass those restrictions; ask the document owner for access or an unlocked copy.

Tips

Use All Markup for a thorough review. It is a useful view when checking that no visible category has been overlooked. If the page becomes difficult to read, switch to Simple Markup temporarily, then return to All Markup before making a final review.
Keep comments and revisions distinct. Comments are review notes, while tracked changes record edits to the document text or formatting. Use Show Markup to include or hide these categories as needed; hiding comments does not remove them.
Agree on a review style with collaborators. If several people are editing, decide whether they should use balloons or inline markup and which kinds of changes should be tracked. A shared convention makes the document easier to interpret, even though each person’s local display preferences may differ.
Check the status before editing. The Track Changes control indicates whether new edits will be recorded. When working in a shared document, confirm that tracking is on if the group expects revisions, and check whether it is locked if you cannot turn it off.
Protect the original during experiments. If you are learning the options or testing a layout, make a copy first. That gives you a safe place to try different markup styles without confusing the review history in the main document.
Remember that printing can differ from editing view. Markup settings and print settings are separate considerations. Before printing a review copy, use Print Preview and check whether markup is included or omitted so that the paper copy matches your purpose.

Troubleshooting

The options command is missing. Confirm you are in the Word desktop app, not a browser preview or another application that can open the file. Expand the ribbon, select Review, and open the arrow beside Track Changes. If the menu still lacks an options command, update Word if permitted and check the Mac or web notes above; some editions expose fewer controls or use a different label.

Track Changes is dimmed or cannot be switched. The file may be read-only, protected, opened in viewing mode, or governed by a locked-tracking setting. Check the title bar and editing permissions, then use Word’s editing or protection controls only if you have authorization. If the document belongs to someone else, request edit access or ask its owner to unlock tracking.

Edits are not showing after you turn tracking on. Make sure the Track Changes toggle is actually active, then make a new test edit. Existing edits do not prove that tracking is currently enabled. If the new edit is not visible, choose All Markup, open Show Markup, and confirm that insertions and deletions are checked. Also check whether a reviewer filter is hiding the author of the change.

The page looks clean but revisions may still be there. Change Display for Review to All Markup. If changes reappear, they were hidden by the current view rather than removed. To produce a final document without revisions, review them and accept or reject them as appropriate, then save a separate final copy when a review history needs to be preserved.

The markup is hard to read or overlaps the text. Try switching between balloons and inline display, widening the Word window, or changing the zoom level. You can also use the Reviewing Pane from the Review tab to inspect a list of revisions, where available. If a printed page is crowded, check page orientation and print preview before changing the document’s content.

A collaborator sees different colors or a different layout. That can happen because Word’s display choices and reviewer color assignment can differ by user or version. Confirm that both people are looking at the same document and have selected comparable Display for Review and Show Markup settings. If a revision’s author matters, inspect its reviewer information instead of relying on its color.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Track Changes in Word?
In the desktop app, select Review and look in the Tracking group. The Track Changes button controls recording; its adjacent arrow provides related commands and, in supported versions, the options window.

Do Track Changes options turn tracking on?
No. The options customize how tracked edits are marked or displayed. Use the Track Changes control itself to start or stop recording new edits.

Can I hide tracked changes without deleting them?
Yes. Choose a less-marked view, such as No Markup, using Display for Review. This hides revisions from the current view but leaves them in the document. Select All Markup to display them again.

How do I see formatting changes?
On the Review tab, open Show Markup and make sure Formatting is selected. In the tracking options, check that formatting changes are set to be tracked or shown. The exact labels vary by Word release.

Can I change the options in Word for the web?
Word for the web supports basic reviewing and tracking, but it may not offer every desktop option for markup style and display. For more detailed settings, choose to open or edit the document in the Word desktop app.

Why does Word show old changes when tracking is off?
Turning tracking off only stops recording future edits. It does not accept, reject, or remove revisions already saved in the file. Use All Markup to review them, then resolve them only when appropriate.

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