Turn Off Track Changes in Word Without Losing Edits

To turn off Track Changes in Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, open the Review tab and select Track Changes; if the button is highlighted, selecting it again stops Word from tracking new edits. On Mac, go to Review > Track Changes. Turning tracking off does not accept or remove revisions already in the document.

Turn off Track Changes on Windows

In the desktop version of Word for Windows, use the Review tab to switch tracking off:

Open the document and select Review on the ribbon.
Find Track Changes in the Tracking group.
Select the button to turn tracking off. If it has a dropdown arrow, open it and choose Track Changes.

When tracking is off, the button should no longer appear selected. You can also use Ctrl+Shift+E to toggle Track Changes in Word for Windows. If you are unsure whether the shortcut changed the setting, check the Review tab rather than relying on the appearance of the text: existing revisions can remain visible after tracking has stopped.

The ribbon may look slightly different depending on the Word build, window size, or simplified ribbon setting. If you cannot see the command, widen the Word window, expand the ribbon, or use the Search box at the top of the app to find Track Changes. Do not choose a display option such as All Markup or No Markup as a substitute; those options control what you see, not whether Word records future edits.

What turning tracking off actually does

Track Changes records edits made after the feature is enabled. Depending on the markup settings, insertions, deletions, formatting changes, and some other edits may appear with colors, underlining, strikethrough, or balloons in the margin. Turning the feature off tells Word not to record subsequent edits as tracked revisions. It does not erase the revision history already present in the file.

That distinction matters when someone asks you to “turn off Track Changes.” They may mean one of two things: stop collecting new revisions, or deliver a document with no visible revision marks. The first is done with the Track Changes button. The second requires you to accept or reject the existing changes, or merely hide them for viewing. Ask which result is expected before removing edits, especially in a document being reviewed by colleagues.

For example, if a colleague has replaced “15 days” with “30 days,” switching tracking off does not decide which wording becomes final. The original and replacement can still be stored as a revision. You must accept the replacement to keep it or reject it to restore the original.

Accept or reject revisions already in the document

To make a tracked edit part of the document’s final text, accept it. To discard the edit and keep the previous text, reject it. In Word for Windows, select a revision and use Review > Accept or Review > Reject. The dropdown menus also provide commands for processing multiple changes.

Accept a change: Select the relevant revision, then choose Accept. The inserted text or formatting remains, and the revision mark disappears.
Reject a change: Select the revision, then choose Reject. Word discards the proposed edit and restores the prior content where applicable.
Finish all revisions: Open the Accept dropdown and choose Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking when that is the intended outcome. The Reject dropdown has corresponding options for rejecting changes.

Review the document before using an all-changes command. A file can contain edits from several people, and accepting everything may keep changes that were never approved. If you need a clean final copy but also want to preserve the review history, save a separate copy first. That gives you a version to finalize without overwriting the document that records the discussion.

Comments are separate from tracked changes. Accepting or rejecting edits does not necessarily remove comments, and turning tracking off does not delete them. If comments also need to be cleared, review them separately using the comments controls on the Review tab.

Hide markup or remove it?

Word’s display controls can make a document look clean without changing its revision history. On the Review tab, use the display menu—often labelled Display for Review—to choose No Markup. This hides revision marks from the current view; it does not accept, reject, or delete them. The marks may become visible again when someone switches back to All Markup or opens the file in another view.

This is useful when you need to read the proposed final text without distraction, but it is not a reliable way to prepare a clean copy for distribution. A recipient may still be able to reveal the revisions. To remove the tracked revisions from the document, accept or reject them. If you only need a printout without visible marks, check the print settings as well: display and printing options can differ, and hiding markup on screen does not always mean it is excluded from a printout.

A practical check is to save the document, close it, and reopen it after finalizing. Confirm that the intended wording remains and that the Review tab no longer shows unresolved revisions. If the file is sensitive, follow your organization’s document-handling rules before sharing it; a clean-looking page alone does not prove that revision history has been removed.

Turn off Track Changes on Mac or Word for the web

In Word for Mac, open Review and select Track Changes to switch the setting. The Mac keyboard shortcut is Command+Shift+E, compared with Ctrl+Shift+E on Windows. As on Windows, turning tracking off stops new tracked edits but leaves earlier revisions in place. Use the Accept and Reject controls on the Review tab if you need to resolve those revisions.

In Word for the web, open the document and use the Review tab to find the Track Changes control. The web interface and available review commands can differ from the desktop app and may change as Microsoft updates Word. If a command you need is missing, open the document in the desktop version of Word, provided you have access to it. In any version, confirm the state of the tracking control after changing it rather than assuming that switching views stopped tracking.

Documents stored in OneDrive or SharePoint may be edited by several people. Depending on the Word version and the options shown in the Track Changes menu, tracking can be set for everyone editing the document or for just your edits. Check that menu if you are collaborating and need to understand whether other contributors’ changes will also be tracked. A shared document can also contain changes made by other people while you are working.

When Track Changes is locked or unavailable

If the Track Changes button is unavailable, appears locked, or will not switch off, the document may have restrictions. One possibility is that someone enabled Lock Tracking, which can require a password to disable. In Word for Windows, check the Track Changes menu on the Review tab for a lock option. If a password is requested and you do not know it, ask the document owner or administrator; do not assume there is a legitimate way to bypass the restriction.

Other restrictions can come from document protection, editing permissions, or a file opened in a mode that does not allow changes. Check whether Word shows a protected-view banner, read-only status, or an editing restriction. If you have permission, switch to editing mode or ask the owner for an editable copy. Some organization-managed files may have rules that only an administrator can change.

Before changing a protected document, consider whether the restriction is intentional. A review copy may be locked so that participants can add comments but cannot alter the original text. Removing protection or accepting revisions without authorization can undermine the review process. When in doubt, make a separate copy only if your organization permits it, and confirm the expected workflow with the owner.

Common problems and quick checks

If changes continue to appear after you think you turned tracking off, check these likely causes:

The button is still on: Return to Review and inspect Track Changes. A shortcut may have toggled it back on accidentally.
You are seeing old revisions: These remain until accepted or rejected. Turning tracking off does not clear them.
You selected No Markup: That hides marks but does not stop tracking or remove revision data. Check the Track Changes button separately.
Another editor is working in the file: In a shared document, confirm the tracking scope and coordinate before making a final copy.
The control is locked: Ask the owner for the password or the correct permissions instead of trying to work around protection.
Comments are still present: Comments are not the same as tracked edits, so handle them separately.

Also check whether the apparent change is actually a tracked revision. Formatting marks, field shading, spell-check underlines, and comments can all affect how a page looks without being tracked text edits. Selecting a visible revision or inspecting the Reviewing Pane can help identify whether Word has recorded a change. The Reviewing Pane is available from the Review tab in many desktop versions and can summarize revisions in the document.

A safe workflow before sharing a final document

For an ordinary review, a reliable process is to stop recording new edits, resolve the revisions, and then check the result. Save a copy first if you may need to retain the review trail. Then work through the document in context rather than accepting every revision automatically. A change that looks small in isolation can affect a number, date, heading, or cross-reference elsewhere.

Save the current file, using a clear name such as “Review copy” if you need to preserve the original.
Turn off Track Changes so your own cleanup edits are not recorded as new revisions.
Review each outstanding change and accept or reject it according to the intended final text.
Check comments, formatting, and the document’s final appearance separately.
Save, close, and reopen the file to verify that it contains the version you intend to share.

If the document is part of a formal approval process, follow that process rather than treating “clean” as synonymous with “approved.” A recipient may need both a final version and a marked-up version showing how it changed. Keeping those as separate files makes their purposes clear and reduces the chance that someone mistakes a hidden revision for a resolved one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does turning off Track Changes delete existing revisions?

No. It stops Word from recording new edits as tracked changes. To remove existing revision marks, accept or reject the changes; choosing No Markup only hides them from view.

How do I turn off Track Changes with a keyboard shortcut?

In Word for Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+E. In Word for Mac, press Command+Shift+E. Check the Review tab afterward to confirm whether tracking is on or off.

Why can I still see red text after turning tracking off?

The red text may be an existing tracked insertion or another unresolved revision. Turning tracking off does not resolve it. Accept or reject the revision, or use No Markup temporarily if you only want to hide it.

Can I hide tracked changes without accepting them?

Yes. Choose No Markup from the Review tab’s display controls. This changes the view, not the document’s revision state, so the changes can be shown again later.

Why can’t I switch Track Changes off?

The document may have Lock Tracking enabled, editing restrictions, or permissions that prevent changes. Ask the document owner or administrator for the needed password or access.

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.