How to Close Track Changes in Word

To close Track Changes in Word, open the Review tab and select Track Changes to turn it off. This stops Word from recording new edits, but it does not remove revisions already in the document. Save a copy first if you may need to preserve the original review history; accept or reject existing edits separately if you want a clean final version.

What You’ll Need

The Word document you want to edit, open in the desktop app or Word for the web.
Permission to change the document. If tracking is locked with a password, you will need the password or help from the document owner.
Optional: a separate copy of the file if you want to keep an untouched version with all its revision marks.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and check its current state. If you received the file from someone else, save it to a location where you can find it. Consider using File > Save As to create a working copy before changing revisions, especially for a shared review or an important contract, report, or manuscript. Look at the text for colored insertions, deletions, or comment balloons. Their presence means there are existing revisions or comments, but it does not necessarily tell you whether tracking is currently on.
Go to the Review tab. In Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select Review on the ribbon. On a Mac, select Review in the ribbon as well. In Word for the web, open the document in your browser and choose Review. If the ribbon is minimized or simplified, expand it or use the tab menu so you can see the review controls.
Turn off Track Changes. Select Track Changes on the Review tab. In desktop Word for Windows, the button may have a small arrow; use the main button to toggle tracking off, or open its menu and select Track Changes. In Word for Mac, select Track Changes on the Review tab to switch it off. In Word for the web, use the Track Changes control on the Review tab and turn tracking off. The button’s highlighted or selected appearance usually indicates that tracking is enabled, although the exact visual style depends on the ribbon layout and version.
Confirm that new edits are no longer marked. Click in the document and type a short test only if it is appropriate to edit the file; then undo the test with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac. If tracking is off, a new edit should appear as ordinary text rather than a tracked insertion or deletion. You can also check whether the Track Changes control is no longer highlighted. Do not use the presence of older markup as the only test: earlier revisions remain visible until you resolve or hide them.
Decide what to do with revisions already in the file. If you need to keep the review history, leave the tracked changes in place and save the document. If you want a final text with a particular edit included, select that revision and choose Review > Accept. To discard a proposed edit, select it and choose Review > Reject. Review each change before deciding; accepting or rejecting changes alters the document’s contents and is different from merely turning tracking off.
Use an all-at-once option only when you mean it. In desktop Word, open the arrow beside Accept on the Review tab and, when available, choose Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking to apply every revision and switch tracking off. Some ribbon layouts or versions may present the wording or menu slightly differently. This action accepts all proposed edits, so it is not the right choice if you want to preserve the options for review. If you want to reject every revision instead, use the Reject menu and choose an all-changes option if your version offers one; check the result before saving.
Save and verify the result. Press Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac, or select File > Save. If the document is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, wait for Word to finish syncing. Close and reopen the file if necessary, then check that the Track Changes control is off and that the document shows the revisions or final text you intended. If you made a separate working copy, confirm you are saving the correct file rather than overwriting the original by mistake.

Common Mistakes

Hiding markup instead of stopping tracking. The Display for Review options, such as No Markup, change how revisions appear on screen. They do not turn Track Changes off and do not remove the revision history. A document can look clean in No Markup view while new edits are still being recorded. Toggle Track Changes separately, and choose an appropriate display view only for readability.

Assuming turning tracking off accepts existing edits. It does not. Earlier insertions and deletions remain revisions until someone accepts or rejects them. If the recipient needs a final copy, inspect and resolve the revisions deliberately; if they need an editable review copy, keep the outstanding revisions instead.

Accepting every change without reviewing it. Accept All Changes may make the document look finished, but it also removes the ability to handle those revisions individually in the usual way. Make a backup first and read the changes, especially when several people have contributed or edits affect meaning, figures, or instructions.

Confusing comments with tracked changes. Comments are separate review items. Turning off Track Changes does not delete comments, and accepting document revisions does not automatically resolve every comment. Review comments separately and use the comment controls to reply to, resolve, or delete them as appropriate.

Tips

Use All Markup when you need to inspect exactly what has changed, and use No Markup only as a temporary preview of how the text might look without visible revision marks. In desktop Word, these display choices are on the Review tab under Display for Review. Switching the view is reversible; accepting or rejecting revisions changes the document’s review state.

If the document will be passed to another person, tell them whether tracking is off and whether outstanding revisions remain. This avoids the common surprise of a recipient reopening a file and finding colored edits even though no new changes are being recorded. For a clean deliverable, check the body text, comments, headers, footers, and any other areas where revisions may have been made.

For faster toggling, Word for Windows uses Ctrl+Shift+E to turn Track Changes on or off. On Mac, the equivalent shortcut is Command+Shift+E. Shortcuts can be affected by keyboard settings or app versions, so use the Review tab if the shortcut does not work. A shortcut changes the tracking state; it does not accept, reject, or hide earlier revisions.

When you are collaborating, avoid changing review settings without checking whether someone else is still editing the document. Turning tracking off affects subsequent edits in that document, which can make it harder for collaborators to identify who changed what. If the file is shared, agree on whether the next person should continue reviewing with tracking enabled.

Troubleshooting

Track Changes seems to turn itself back on. Check the control again after reopening the file and confirm that you saved the document. A collaborator or an automated workflow may have changed the setting, or you may be editing a different copy than the one you switched off. In a shared file, check that your changes have synced and ask other editors whether they changed the review state.

You cannot turn it off or Word asks for a password. The document owner may have enabled Lock Tracking. Open the Track Changes menu on the Review tab and check whether the lock option is active. If Word requests a password, you cannot remove the lock without the password; ask the owner or administrator to unlock it. Do not confuse this with a document that is simply read-only, which can also prevent changes from being saved.

The document still shows red text or strike-throughs. This usually means revisions were already present, not that tracking is still recording new edits. Turn on All Markup to inspect them. Accept the changes you want to keep and reject those you do not, or leave them unresolved if the file is still under review. Selecting No Markup can hide the marks temporarily, but it does not finalize them.

You cannot see the Track Changes button. Make sure you are in an editable document and have opened the Review tab. If the ribbon is collapsed, expand it; if the window is narrow, some controls may be grouped under a menu. In Word for the web, confirm you are in editing mode rather than a viewing-only mode. If you only have permission to view the file, request editing access from its owner.

The file looks different after you close and reopen it. Check the display setting, not just the tracking toggle. Word can save a document with revisions displayed or hidden, and those view choices do not determine whether revisions have been accepted. Choose All Markup to check what remains, then verify the Track Changes button separately. If the file is shared, confirm that the latest version has finished syncing before making further decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does turning off Track Changes delete the changes already recorded?
No. It stops Word from marking new edits. Existing insertions, deletions, and formatting revisions remain until they are accepted or rejected. They may also be hidden by a display setting, so check All Markup if you cannot see them.

Can I turn off Track Changes but keep the revisions for someone else to review?
Yes. Turn off tracking on the Review tab and save the file without accepting or rejecting the existing revisions. The earlier edits remain available for review, but changes made afterward will not be tracked unless tracking is turned on again.

Is No Markup the same as turning off Track Changes?
No. No Markup hides revision marks from the current view; it neither switches tracking off nor removes the revision data. Use the Track Changes control to stop recording new edits.

How do I remove all tracked changes from a final copy?
Review the revisions, then accept the edits that should remain and reject those that should not. If every proposed edit should be applied, use Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking if that option is available. Save a separate copy first if you may need the original review history.

Does turning off tracking also remove comments?
No. Comments are separate from tracked edits. Review them independently and use Word’s comment controls to resolve or delete them when appropriate.

Do the same steps work in Word for Mac and Word for the web?
The basic method is the same: open Review and switch Track Changes off. Ribbon placement and menu wording can vary slightly by version. On Mac, Command+Shift+E is the toggle shortcut; on Windows, use Ctrl+Shift+E. In the web app, use the Review tab control if the desktop shortcut is unavailable.

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