How to Disable Track Changes in Word Without Losing Edits

To disable Track Changes in Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, open the document, select Review > Track Changes, and switch tracking off. This stops Word recording new edits; it does not accept, reject, or erase revisions already in the document. Save a copy first if you may need to compare versions, and decide separately what should happen to existing tracked edits.

What You’ll Need

The Word document you want to edit, open in the desktop app or Word for the web.
Permission to edit the document. If tracking is locked or the document is protected, you may also need the password or help from its owner.
A few minutes to check existing revisions and save the file after changing the setting.

Step-by-Step

Open the document in Word. If the file is shared, check that you have editing access rather than read-only access. In Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, the steps below use the ribbon. On a Mac, the Review tab has the corresponding Track Changes control; the exact layout can vary with the ribbon configuration.
Go to the Review tab. Select Review in the ribbon. This tab contains the tools for tracking revisions, reviewing comments, and accepting or rejecting edits. Do not use the display controls to try to turn tracking off: changing how markup appears is not the same as changing whether Word records new changes.
Switch off Track Changes. On Windows, select Review > Track Changes. If the button has a drop-down menu, choose the Track Changes control or the Off option shown there. The button should no longer appear selected or highlighted. In some Microsoft 365 layouts, the menu offers choices such as tracking changes for everyone or just your own edits; choose the option that turns tracking off, not one that limits who is tracked.
Use the keyboard shortcut if you prefer. In Word for Windows, Ctrl+Shift+E toggles Track Changes. On a Mac, use Command+Shift+E. The shortcut is a toggle, so check the Review tab afterward to confirm the state you intended. If you are unsure whether it was on or off, use the ribbon control instead of pressing the shortcut repeatedly.
Check that new edits are no longer marked. Make a small, harmless change in a place you can easily undo, such as adding and then removing a temporary word. With tracking off, the change should appear as ordinary text rather than a tracked insertion or deletion. Undo the test if needed. This check is useful in shared or protected documents where another setting may affect your ability to change tracking.
Choose what to do with existing revisions. Turning tracking off leaves earlier insertions, deletions, and formatting changes in the document. Review them before deciding whether to keep them. Use the Accept or Reject controls on the Review tab for individual revisions, or use the relevant drop-down option to accept or reject all changes if you have authority to make that decision. Accepting makes the proposed change part of the document; rejecting removes that proposed change. Neither action is required just to stop tracking new edits.
Save and verify the document. Select File > Save, or press Ctrl+S on Windows and Command+S on Mac. Close and reopen the file if you want to confirm that the tracking setting and your review decisions are preserved. For a shared file, tell collaborators that tracking has been switched off so they do not assume later edits will be marked.

Word for the web: Open Review and use the Track Changes menu to choose the Off setting if it is available for your document. Some review and protection options are more limited in the browser. If the control is missing or locked, open the file in the desktop version of Word or ask the document owner to change its permissions.

Word for Mac: Select Review and switch off Track Changes. The tab and control names are broadly similar to Windows, but their position can differ. The Mac keyboard shortcut is Command+Shift+E. Use the on-screen control to verify the result rather than relying only on the shortcut.

Common Mistakes

Hiding markup instead of stopping tracking. The display menu, commonly labelled Display for Review or Show Markup, changes what you see. For example, No Markup can make revisions disappear from view, but Word may still record new edits. Turn off Track Changes itself, then choose a display setting separately if you want a cleaner view.
Expecting old revisions to vanish. Switching the feature off affects future editing, not changes already recorded. Those revisions remain until someone accepts or rejects them. This is useful when you need to preserve review history, but can surprise people who expect a clean final document.
Accepting all changes without reviewing them. Accept All Changes can permanently incorporate edits you have not checked, while Reject All Changes discards them. Do not use either just to make the markup disappear. If you need a clean copy but must retain the review record, save a separate copy before accepting or rejecting revisions.
Pressing the toggle shortcut without checking its state. Ctrl+Shift+E and Command+Shift+E switch between on and off. Pressing the shortcut a second time turns tracking back on. Confirm the button state on the Review tab after using it.
Assuming comments are tracked edits. Comments are separate from revision tracking. Turning Track Changes off does not delete comments, resolve them, or prevent all comment activity. Review comments separately if the document needs to be finalized.

Tips

Keep an untouched original. Before accepting or rejecting a large set of changes, use File > Save As to create a review copy. Give the copy a clear name so collaborators can distinguish it from the original.
Use the markup view that fits the task. All Markup shows revisions, while Simple Markup reduces on-page detail. These views help with reading, but neither switches tracking on or off. Return to All Markup when you need to inspect each revision.
Coordinate with collaborators. If several people are editing the same document, agree on who can turn tracking off and who will resolve outstanding revisions. In a shared file, another editor may turn it back on, so check the control again if new edits unexpectedly appear as markup.
Separate stopping from finalizing. If your goal is only to stop recording edits, switch tracking off and leave the existing revisions intact. If your goal is a clean final copy, first review the changes, accept or reject them deliberately, and then confirm that tracking remains off.
Be careful with sensitive documents. Tracked deletions may remain visible to reviewers even when text looks removed in the main view. Before sharing a final version, inspect the revisions and comments, and follow your organization’s document-handling requirements.

Troubleshooting

The Track Changes button is unavailable or will not switch off. First check whether the document is read-only or you have view-only access. If it is shared, request editing permission from the owner. Also check whether editing restrictions or a password-protected tracking setting is in place. On Windows, review the protection controls under Review > Restrict Editing; if protection is enabled, only someone with the required password or permissions can remove it. Do not try to bypass a restriction—ask the owner or administrator to unlock the document.

New edits are still appearing as markup. Return to Review > Track Changes and check the actual tracking state, not just the display mode. If the control shows tracking is off but changes continue to be marked, check whether another editor has enabled tracking in the shared document. In menus that distinguish tracking for everyone from tracking just your own changes, make sure you selected Off rather than a narrower tracking option. Close and reopen the document if the ribbon has not refreshed.

Markup disappeared, but the document is not clean. You may have selected No Markup or another simplified display. Select All Markup to reveal the revisions again, then review and accept or reject them as appropriate. A hidden revision is still in the file; changing its display does not remove its content or history.

You cannot find the same commands. Word’s ribbon can be simplified, customized, or displayed differently on Mac and in the browser. Expand the ribbon or use Word’s command search to find Track Changes. If a control is absent in Word for the web, open the document in the desktop app. The document owner may also have disabled editing controls through protection or permissions.

The setting seems to change back after saving. Confirm that you edited the intended file and that it finished saving, especially if it is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint and the connection is unstable. Check the tracking state after reopening. If collaborators share the file, ask whether someone else changed the setting. Keep a separate copy if you need a stable version for final review.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does turning off Track Changes remove existing revisions?
No. It stops Word recording new edits but leaves existing tracked changes in the document. Accept or reject those revisions separately if you want to resolve them.

Can I disable tracking but keep the edits people already made?
Yes. Switch Track Changes off and leave the existing revisions untouched. They remain available for review, and you can decide later whether to accept or reject each one.

Does No Markup turn off Track Changes?
No. No Markup changes the way revisions are displayed; it does not switch off tracking or remove revision history. Use the Track Changes control on the Review tab to stop recording edits.

What is the shortcut to turn Track Changes off?
On Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+E. On Mac, press Command+Shift+E. Because each shortcut toggles the setting, check the Review tab afterward to make sure tracking is off.

Why is Track Changes locked?
The document may be read-only, protected, or configured to lock tracking. You need the required editing access or password to change it. Contact the file owner or your organization’s administrator if you do not have that access.

Will turning off tracking delete comments?
No. Comments are separate from tracked revisions. Review, resolve, or delete comments using the comment controls if you want to remove them from the document.

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

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