How to Edit and Track Changes in Word Step by Step

To edit a Word document while keeping a visible record of your revisions, open it in Microsoft Word, select Review > Track Changes, and then make your edits. Word marks insertions and deletions so collaborators can review, accept, or reject them instead of having to compare two files manually. Save a working copy first, especially if the document is important or shared.

What You’ll Need

A document you can open and edit in Microsoft Word. The instructions below use Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; most of the same controls are available in recent desktop versions.
Permission to edit the file. If it is read-only or protected, you may need the owner to grant access or remove the restriction.
A place to save a copy or a clear plan for saving the original file. A .docx file is the usual format for sharing an editable Word document.
If you are collaborating, agree with other reviewers on whether to add comments, make tracked edits, or both.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and make a working copy. In Word, open the file and check that you can edit its text. To preserve the original, choose File > Save As or File > Save a Copy, depending on the version and where the file is stored, then give the copy a clear name. If the document is in OneDrive or SharePoint and you intend to collaborate on the same file, check with the owner before making a separate copy; a duplicate can split feedback between two versions. Confirm that the file is saved in .docx format if other people need to edit it in Word.
Turn on Track Changes before editing. Select the Review tab, then select Track Changes. In Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, the button may have a dropdown; choose the command that turns tracking on. The button or its menu should indicate that tracking is active. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+E on Windows to toggle Track Changes. On a Mac, use Command+Shift+E. If you are unsure whether it is on, look at the Review tab rather than assuming a change will be recorded.
Make your edits normally. Insert, delete, or replace text as you usually would. With tracking on, Word displays additions and deletions as markup, often with colored text, underlining, strikethrough, or a change indicator in the margin. For example, if you replace “send the report on Friday” with “send the report by Thursday,” Word records the removed wording and the replacement rather than silently overwriting it. Formatting changes, such as changing a heading to bold, may also be recorded, depending on the document and tracking settings. Keep editing in the document; you do not need to type changes into a separate review pane.
Add comments when you need to explain an edit. A tracked change shows what was altered, but not necessarily why. Select the relevant text, open Review, and choose New Comment to add a note such as “Please confirm this date with the project lead.” On Windows, Ctrl+Alt+M creates a new comment in many desktop versions; on Mac, use Command+Option+A. Shortcuts can vary with keyboard layouts and versions, so use the Review tab if a shortcut does not work. Comments are separate from tracked edits: resolving or deleting a comment does not accept or reject a text change.
Choose a markup view that is easy to read. On the Review tab, use the Display for Review menu to choose a view. All Markup shows tracked changes and is the safest view when checking exactly what reviewers proposed. Simple Markup reduces on-page clutter while indicating where changes exist; select the indicators or change bars to inspect them. No Markup displays the document as if changes were applied, but it does not accept those changes. Switching views changes what you see, not the underlying review status. To control which kinds of annotations appear, open Show Markup and select the relevant options, such as insertions and deletions, comments, or formatting.
Review changes one at a time or by reviewer. Place the cursor in the document and use Review > Previous or Review > Next to move between changes. The Review tab also provides Accept and Reject controls. Read the surrounding sentence before deciding: accepting an insertion keeps the added wording, while accepting a deletion removes the deleted wording from the final text. Rejecting a change restores or keeps the wording that existed before that proposed edit. If several people have reviewed the file, use the author or reviewer options under Show Markup to focus on a particular person’s changes, where available.
Accept or reject the changes you have decided on. For an individual edit, select it or navigate to it, then choose Accept or Reject. Use the dropdown beside either command for options such as accepting or rejecting all displayed changes, or all changes in the document. Be careful with the all-changes commands: they can apply decisions to edits you have not read. If you are responsible for the final version, review each proposal first, then accept or reject it. If someone else owns the approval decision, leave the edits pending and return the document rather than accepting them on that person’s behalf.
Turn off tracking only when you are ready. Select Review > Track Changes again, or use the keyboard toggle, to stop recording new edits. This does not remove or approve changes already tracked. Those remain until accepted or rejected. Before sending a clean final copy, resolve the pending changes and comments that should not remain, then inspect the document with All Markup to confirm nothing is awaiting a decision. Save the file. If recipients need both a clean version and the review history, save a separate copy for each purpose rather than hiding markup and assuming it has been removed.

Common Mistakes

Editing before tracking is on. Those earlier edits are not automatically converted into tracked changes. Turn tracking on before revising, or compare with an earlier copy if you need to identify what changed.
Confusing No Markup with a clean document. This view hides visible revision marks, but the changes may still be pending. Accept or reject them if the goal is a finalized document.
Turning tracking off and expecting old edits to disappear. Turning it off only stops recording new revisions. It does not accept, reject, or delete existing markup.
Accepting all changes without reviewing them. This can approve an incorrect date, a missed deletion, or another reviewer’s proposal. Move through the changes and check context first.
Using comments as a substitute for edits. A comment that says “change this to Thursday” does not change the sentence. Make the revision with Track Changes and use a comment to explain it if useful.
Sharing the wrong copy. A locally saved duplicate may not include the latest edits from the shared OneDrive or SharePoint file. Check the filename, save status, and location before sending it.

Tips

Make one clear change at a time. Smaller revisions are easier for someone else to review and less likely to obscure the intended meaning.
Use comments for questions, not lengthy explanations in the text. Anchor a brief comment to the relevant words so the reviewer can see which edit it concerns.
Check who made a change. Word associates revisions with the editing identity configured in the app. If several people use the same computer or account, agree on a way to identify contributions; do not assume the displayed name proves who edited the file.
Use All Markup for a final review. A simplified view can make a long document easier to read, but checking All Markup helps reveal outstanding insertions, deletions, comments, and formatting revisions.
Keep a clear handoff. When returning a document, say whether the changes are proposals or approved edits, and mention any unresolved comments. This prevents the next person from mistaking a review copy for a final version.
Know the platform difference. Word for Mac has the same core review workflow on the Review tab, though controls may be arranged differently; its tracking shortcut is Command+Shift+E. Word for the web also supports tracked changes and review, but some advanced options and menu placements differ from desktop Word. If a command is missing, open the file in the desktop app.

Troubleshooting

My edits are not appearing as tracked changes. Open Review and check that Track Changes is switched on; switching it on now will not mark edits you already made. Also check whether the document is protected or opened with read-only permissions. If another person owns the file, ask them to grant editing access.

I cannot see any markup, but I know edits were made. Change Display for Review to All Markup. Then check Show Markup to ensure insertions, deletions, and the relevant reviewer’s changes are selected. No Markup and Simple Markup can conceal details without removing the revisions.

Accept or Reject seems unavailable. Click inside a tracked change or use Review > Next to navigate to one. If there are no pending changes, those commands may have nothing to act on. In a protected document, the owner may need to permit editing or review. If the file is open in Word for the web, try the desktop app for controls that are not available in the browser version.

Someone else’s changes are missing or the document looks out of date. Check that you opened the shared file from its current OneDrive or SharePoint location, not an older attachment or downloaded copy. Confirm that syncing has finished and that Word shows the latest saved state. Ask collaborators to save their work and identify which filename is the current master before combining revisions.

The final copy still shows revision marks. Set the view to All Markup and navigate through every pending change, accepting or rejecting each as appropriate. Check comments separately, since accepting edits does not automatically remove comments. Save, close, and reopen the file to verify the saved version. If you only changed the view to No Markup, the revisions are still in the document.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does turning off Track Changes accept the edits already made?
No. It stops Word from recording new edits. Previously tracked changes remain in the document until you accept or reject them.

Can I track changes after I have already edited the document?
Turning tracking on does not retroactively record earlier work. If you have an unchanged earlier copy, use Word’s Review > Compare feature to compare the two documents and identify differences. Review the comparison carefully; it may not reflect the reason behind each change.

Can I hide tracked changes without deleting them?
Yes. Choose No Markup under Display for Review to view the document without visible revision marks. This is only a display choice; use All Markup to see pending revisions again. Do not treat hidden changes as approved.

Can I accept one person’s changes but leave another person’s pending?
In many desktop versions, use the reviewer filters under Review > Show Markup to display changes by a selected author, then review and apply the appropriate commands. Verify the selected reviewer before using a command that affects all displayed changes, since filters can change which edits are included.

Do comments count as tracked changes?
No. Comments are discussion notes attached to text; tracked changes record edits to the document. Use both when you need to make a proposed revision and explain or ask about it.

Can multiple people edit with Track Changes at the same time?
Yes, when they have permission to edit a shared document, such as one stored in OneDrive or SharePoint. Word can show revisions from different collaborators, though syncing or conflicts may take time to resolve. Make sure everyone is using the same shared file and avoid circulating separate copies as if they were one document.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

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

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