How to Delete Track Changes in Word and Accept Edits

To remove tracked edits in Microsoft Word, save a copy of the document, then go to Review > Accept and choose Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking if you want to keep every edit. To discard the edits instead, choose Reject > Reject All Changes and Stop Tracking. Hiding markup or turning off Track Changes alone does not delete existing revisions, so check the document before sharing it.

Tracked changes record additions, deletions, and other edits so reviewers can see what changed. Removing them means making a decision about those edits: accepting them keeps the revised text, while rejecting them restores the original text. You cannot permanently delete every revision while leaving its text undecided. The instructions below are for Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; Mac differences are noted where useful.

What You’ll Need

The Word document you want to clean up, open in the desktop app.
Permission to edit the file. A protected or read-only document may prevent you from accepting or rejecting changes.
A saved backup or a separate copy if you might need to review or restore the revisions later.
A clear decision about whether to keep or discard the tracked edits. If different edits need different decisions, review them individually rather than accepting or rejecting everything at once.

Step-by-Step

Make a safe working copy. Open the document and use File > Save As to create a copy, or duplicate the file in its folder or cloud storage. Give the copy a name that distinguishes it from the original, such as “Proposal-clean.” This matters because a bulk accept or reject action can change the document substantially. Undo may reverse the action while the file is still open, but it is not a substitute for keeping a backup.
Check whether changes are being tracked. Select the Review tab and look at Track Changes. If the button is selected or highlighted, tracking is on. Click it to turn tracking off before cleaning up, so new edits you make during the process are not added as revisions. Turning it off does not remove the revisions that are already in the document. On Word for Mac, use the Review tab and its Track Changes control as well.
Decide what should happen to the edits. Read the revisions, especially where a change affects meaning, figures, names, dates, or commitments. If you agree with all edits, accept them. If you want the document restored to its pre-edit wording, reject them. If some edits are useful and others are not, handle each revision separately; a single bulk choice applies the same decision to all tracked changes.
Accept every revision you want to keep. On Windows, select Review > Accept to open the menu, then choose Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking. Word incorporates inserted text and removes text marked for deletion, then stops tracking further edits. Depending on the Word build, the menu may also show Accept All Changes without the stop-tracking wording. If you use that option, turn off Track Changes separately afterward. On Mac, open the Review tab, open the Accept menu, and select the corresponding accept-all option.
Reject every revision you want to discard. If the edits should not remain, choose Review > Reject > Reject All Changes and Stop Tracking. Word removes proposed insertions and restores text marked for deletion. If the accept-all-and-stop option is not shown in your version, choose Reject All Changes, then make sure Track Changes is off. On Mac, use the equivalent choices in the Review tab’s Reject menu.
Process a mixture of edits one at a time. Click a revision in the document, or move through changes with Review > Previous and Next. Choose Accept or Reject for each one. Repeat until you have reviewed every change. If you only see some revisions, change the display setting to show all markup before making your decisions; filtering the display does not necessarily mean the hidden revisions are gone.
Remove comments separately if needed. Comments are not the same as tracked changes. Accepting or rejecting revisions does not necessarily remove comments. To remove them, use Review > Delete for a selected comment, or open the Delete menu and choose Delete All Comments in Document if you are sure all comments can go. Check replies and threaded discussions too. The wording and location can vary slightly between Word versions and Mac.
Save and verify the cleaned copy. Press Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on Mac. Look through the document for colored markup, balloons, or revision bars. Then select Review > Display for Review and choose All Markup to make sure you are not merely viewing a simplified display. If unresolved revisions appear, decide whether to accept or reject them. You can also close and reopen the saved copy to confirm the changes persisted.

Common Mistakes

Choosing No Markup and assuming the revisions are deleted. This setting hides the revision indicators temporarily; it does not resolve or remove the tracked changes. The document may show them again when another person selects All Markup. Accept or reject the revisions to clear them.
Turning off Track Changes and stopping there. That prevents new edits from being tracked, but it leaves earlier revisions in place. You need a separate accept or reject action for existing changes.
Accepting everything without reviewing it. Accept All Changes can keep incorrect or unwanted edits, including changes to numbers or important wording. Preserve a copy and scan the revisions first, particularly in shared or high-stakes documents.
Confusing comments with revisions. Comments are discussion notes; tracked changes are proposed edits to document content. Use the relevant Review commands for each, and verify both if the goal is a clean document.
Assuming every author’s changes are visible. The display can be filtered by reviewer or markup type. Select All Markup and check the reviewer or markup filters before concluding that no revisions remain.
Forgetting to save the right file. If the original and clean copy have similar names, it is easy to share the wrong one. Confirm the filename and location before attaching or sending it.

Tips

Use individual decisions when authors disagree. If a document has mixed revisions, select each change and accept or reject it on its merits. The Previous and Next controls help you move through the markup without overlooking changes elsewhere.
Keep the original until the clean copy is approved. A separate copy gives you a practical recovery route if someone later needs to compare the edits or restore a rejected passage.
Check the whole document, not just the first page. Revisions can occur in tables, headers, footers, footnotes, text boxes, or other sections. Review the document from beginning to end and inspect unusual formatting or page breaks after accepting changes.
Remember that editing after cleanup can change the result. If you share the file with Track Changes still enabled, the recipient’s edits may be tracked. Confirm the control is off before making final edits and again before sharing.
Consider document privacy separately. Removing revisions and comments does not automatically remove every kind of hidden information or file metadata. If the document must be sanitized, inspect it for other content and properties as well; do not treat accepting changes as a complete privacy check.

Troubleshooting

The Accept or Reject controls are unavailable. The file may be read-only, protected, or opened in a mode that does not allow editing. Check the title bar for a read-only notice, and look under Review for Restrict Editing or protection settings. If you have authority to edit, remove the applicable restriction or ask the document owner for an editable copy. Some organizational protections require the owner or administrator to change them.

Markup still appears after using Accept All. First set Display for Review to All Markup and check whether the remaining marks are comments, formatting revisions, or changes excluded by a filter. Use the Accept or Reject menus for any remaining revisions, and delete comments separately. If the document is shared and another person is editing it, make sure their changes have synchronized before you clean and save your copy.

The changes came back after reopening the file. Confirm you saved the correct document and that the file finished syncing if it is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint. Reopen it in Word, check All Markup, resolve any revisions that remain, and save again. If you were working in a downloaded copy, your edits may not have been applied to the shared original; verify the file path and version before replacing anything.

You accepted an edit by mistake. If the document is still open and the action is recent, use Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac. If you have saved, closed, or made many further edits, restore the backup or use the available version history for the file. The exact version-history options depend on whether it is stored locally, in OneDrive, or in SharePoint.

There is no “Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking” option. Word’s menus can differ by version or window size. Choose Accept All Changes from Review > Accept, then click Track Changes to turn tracking off. Verify with All Markup afterward. Do not choose a display-only option such as No Markup as a substitute.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete track changes without accepting or rejecting them?
No. A tracked edit is a proposed change, so Word needs a decision: accepting keeps the edited wording, and rejecting discards it. You can hide markup from view, but that does not remove the pending revisions from the file.

Does turning off Track Changes remove old edits?
No. It stops Word from recording new edits as tracked revisions. Resolve existing revisions separately with the Accept or Reject commands.

What is the difference between Accept All and Reject All?
Accept All incorporates the proposed edits into the document. Reject All discards those edits and restores the previous text where applicable. Review the document first, because either command applies broadly.

Will accepting all changes delete comments too?
Not necessarily. Comments are separate from tracked edits. Delete them through the Review tab if you want them removed, and inspect replies as well.

Can I remove tracked changes in Word for Mac?
Yes. Use the Review tab and its Accept or Reject menus, then turn off Track Changes if the bulk option does not stop tracking. Menu labels can vary slightly by release.

How can I tell whether revisions are really gone?
Select All Markup under Review > Display for Review, inspect the document, and check that there are no unresolved revision marks. Save, close, and reopen the file to confirm the clean state was retained.

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Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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