Track Changes in Word on Mac: Review and Accept Edits

To track changes in Word on a Mac, open your document, select Review > Track Changes, and then edit as usual. Word marks additions and deletions so collaborators can review them, then accept or reject each change. Before you start, save a copy if you may need the original, and confirm you are editing the document rather than a read-only preview.

What You’ll Need

Microsoft Word for Mac, preferably a current Microsoft 365 version. The labels or ribbon layout can vary slightly in older releases.
A Word document you can edit. A .docx file is the usual format for sharing tracked edits.
Permission to edit the file if it is stored in OneDrive, SharePoint, or another shared location.

Step-by-Step

Open and save the document. Open the file in the Word desktop app. If it is an important original, choose File > Save As and save a separate review copy before making changes. If the document is in a browser preview or marked read-only, open it in Word and choose Enable Editing if that option appears. Saving a copy is especially useful when you are unsure whether other people will be editing the same file.
Turn on Track Changes. Select the Review tab in the ribbon, then click Track Changes. In many current versions, the button changes appearance or becomes highlighted when tracking is on. You can also use Command+Shift+E to toggle Track Changes in Word for Mac. Check the button state before editing; the shortcut is a toggle, so pressing it again turns tracking off.
Make a small test edit. Add a word or make a brief correction, then check that Word marks it as a tracked insertion. Delete a test word only if appropriate, or undo the test edit with Command+Z. This quick check confirms that tracking is active and that you are in the editable document. When you are sure it is working, continue with the real edits. You do not have to accept your own changes before sharing the document.
Edit the document normally. Add text, delete wording, and revise formatting as needed. Word records the edits while Track Changes is on. Depending on your display settings, new text may appear in a color or with an underline, while deleted text may show as a strikethrough or in a markup balloon. The exact colors can vary by author and Word version. Avoid using font color or manual strikethrough as a substitute: those are ordinary formatting changes, not reliable tracked edits.
Choose how to view the markup. On the Review tab, open Display for Review and choose All Markup to see insertions, deletions, and other recorded edits. Simple Markup reduces the visible detail, while No Markup shows how the document would look with edits applied. Original displays the document as it was before the tracked changes. These are viewing options; changing the display does not accept or erase edits. Use All Markup when checking what a reviewer actually changed.
Limit which details appear, if needed. In the Review tab, choose Show Markup to control which kinds of changes are displayed, such as comments, insertions and deletions, or formatting changes. Depending on your version, you may also be able to filter markup by reviewer. If a change seems to have disappeared, check these options before assuming it was removed. Hiding a markup category only changes what is shown on screen; it does not delete that category’s edits from the file.
Review each change and decide what to do. Use the Previous and Next controls on the Review tab to move through changes. Select a marked edit, then choose Accept to keep it or Reject to discard it. The dropdown beside either command may offer options to accept or reject the current change and move to the next one. Read the surrounding sentence before deciding, since accepting a deletion removes the marked text and rejecting an insertion removes the added text. Comments are separate: resolve or delete them using the comment controls if you also need to clear them.
Finish reviewing and save. Continue until you have checked all relevant changes. If appropriate, use the dropdown beside Accept or Reject for an option to apply that decision to all changes; review carefully before using a bulk command. Once you have finished, turn off Review > Track Changes so later edits are not accidentally recorded. Save with Command+S. Switching to No Markup is not the same as accepting all changes, so verify the document’s review status before sending a clean copy.

Common Mistakes

Assuming a clean-looking page has no tracked edits. No Markup can hide visible revision marks while leaving the changes in the document. Switch to All Markup to inspect them.
Turning tracking off instead of resolving changes. Turning off Track Changes stops recording new edits; it does not accept or reject edits already made. Review existing changes separately.
Forgetting the toggle is reversible. Track Changes can be switched off by clicking its button again or using its shortcut. Check its state before a major editing pass and after returning to a document.
Confusing comments with revisions. A comment is a discussion note, not an insertion or deletion. Accepting all revisions may not remove comments; handle them separately if the final document should not contain them.
Accepting everything without checking. A bulk accept can keep an incorrect edit just as easily as a correct one. Review each change first, or keep an untouched copy before applying a bulk action.
Sharing a different copy than the one you reviewed. If you use Save As or download a shared file, check the filename and location before sending it. Revisions may be present in one copy but not another.

Tips

Agree on a review method. For a group review, ask collaborators to leave Track Changes on and use comments for questions or explanations. That keeps proposed wording distinct from discussion.
Use All Markup for a final check. Before accepting edits, scan the document with all relevant markup visible. Then inspect the clean result with No Markup to catch awkward spacing or wording after revisions are applied.
Keep an original version. A separate copy gives you a fallback if you accept a change by mistake or need to compare the submitted version with the draft. Word’s Undo may help immediately, but it is not a substitute for a backup after closing or sharing.
Check reviewer filters. If several people edited the document, filter by reviewer when your version offers that option. You can then inspect one person’s edits at a time without confusing their changes with another reviewer’s.
Protect the review process, not just the display. Hiding markup makes a page easier to read but does not remove revision data. If you need a clean final document, resolve the changes and save it; do not rely on a display setting alone.
Use comments for context. If an edit could be misunderstood, add a brief comment explaining why you changed it. On the Review tab, choose New Comment where available. Keep the note concise so the reviewer can focus on the decision.

Troubleshooting

Track Changes is unavailable or will not stay on: Confirm that the document is not read-only, protected, or opened in a preview. If you see an editing prompt, choose Enable Editing. For a shared document, check that you have edit permission and that Word has finished syncing. If the ribbon is simplified or narrow, expand the Review tab or look for Track Changes in its overflow menu. In an older Word version, the button may be placed differently, but it remains a Review feature.

Your edits are not visibly marked: First select Review > Display for Review > All Markup, then check Show Markup to make sure insertions and deletions are included. Confirm Track Changes is on and make a harmless test edit. If it still does not appear, verify that you are editing the same file you plan to share. A document can have multiple downloaded or cloud copies with similar names.

Changes appear as balloons, or the page looks crowded: That is a display choice, not necessarily a problem with the edits. Use the markup and balloon options under the Review tab to adjust how changes are presented. If your ribbon does not show the same controls, maximize the Word window or look in the tab’s menus; options differ between releases.

You cannot remove a change or comment: Select the item and use the appropriate Accept, Reject, or comment command. A comment is not cleared by accepting a text revision. If a reviewer has restricted editing or locked tracking, ask the document owner for permission rather than making another copy and assuming the restrictions no longer apply.

A recipient cannot see the revisions: Save the file as a Word document, preferably .docx, and reopen the saved copy to confirm the markup is present. Tell the recipient to choose All Markup; their current display may hide revisions. If you exported a PDF or pasted the text into another app, the tracked-editing controls may not carry over in an editable form.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I turn on Track Changes with a Mac keyboard shortcut?
In Word for Mac, press Command+Shift+E. It toggles tracking on or off, so check the Review tab afterward to confirm the desired state. The Windows shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+E.

Can I track changes in Word without showing them?
Yes. Keep Track Changes on, then choose No Markup under Display for Review to see a cleaner page. The revisions remain recorded in the document. Switch back to All Markup when you need to inspect or resolve them.

Does turning off Track Changes accept edits already made?
No. Turning it off only stops Word from recording subsequent edits. To finalize existing revisions, review and accept or reject them using the Review tab.

Can I track changes in a shared Word document?
Yes, if you have permission to edit it. Track Changes can be used with documents stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, though edits may take time to sync. Make sure everyone is reviewing the same shared file rather than separate downloaded copies.

How do I remove all markup before sending the document?
Review the edits, then accept or reject them using the appropriate Review commands. Handle comments separately if they should not be included. Selecting No Markup only hides revisions; it does not remove them from the file.

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