Track Changes in Microsoft Word: Review and Manage Edits

To use Track Changes in Microsoft Word, open the document, select Review > Track Changes, and edit as usual. Word marks additions, deletions, and many formatting changes so you or a collaborator can review them, then accept or reject each revision. Before sharing, check the markup display and save a copy of the original document.

What You’ll Need

A document open in Microsoft Word. These steps are for Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; most controls are also available in recent desktop versions.
Permission to edit the document if it is stored in OneDrive, SharePoint, or a shared workspace.
Optional: a separate copy of the file if you want to preserve an untouched original while reviewing changes.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and save a working copy if appropriate. In Word, choose File > Save As or File > Save a Copy, depending on how your file is stored, and give the review version a clear name. If you are working in a shared online document, confirm that you are editing the intended file and that it has finished syncing. Track Changes records revisions in the document; it does not create a backup by itself.
Go to the Review tab. Select Review on the ribbon. In the Tracking group, locate Track Changes. If the ribbon is simplified or the window is narrow, the command may appear in a compact menu; widen the window or open the Review tab’s additional commands to find it.
Turn tracking on before editing. Select Review > Track Changes. When it is enabled, the button is highlighted or otherwise indicates an active state. In Word builds that show a dropdown, select For Everyone if revisions by all editors should be tracked, or Just Mine if you only need to track your own revisions. The labels and placement can vary slightly by update.
Make edits normally. Add, delete, or replace text as you usually would. Word displays inserted text and deleted text as revisions instead of silently replacing the original. Formatting changes, such as changing a font or applying bold, can also be recorded. The exact appearance depends on your markup settings and the document’s review view.
Choose a useful review display. On the Review tab, use the Display for Review menu to choose a view. All Markup shows revisions and, where enabled, comments; Simple Markup gives a less crowded view with indicators for changes; No Markup shows how the document would look with revisions accepted, without actually accepting them; and Original shows the pre-revision text. These are display choices, not decisions about the changes.
Show or hide specific kinds of markup. Select Review > Show Markup to control whether insertions and deletions, formatting, comments, or particular reviewers’ changes appear. If a revision seems to have disappeared, check these settings and switch to All Markup before assuming it was removed. Hiding a category only changes what is visible on screen or in the view; it does not accept or reject those revisions.
Review revisions in order. Use Review > Previous and Review > Next in the Changes group to move through revisions. Read the surrounding sentence or paragraph before deciding. You can also open the Reviewing Pane from the Review tab to see a list or count of revisions; the pane is useful for navigation but does not replace reading the document in context.
Accept or reject each change deliberately. Select a revision, then choose Review > Accept or Review > Reject. Use the dropdown beside either command for options such as accepting or rejecting the current change and moving to the next one, where available. Accepting makes the revision part of the document and removes its markup; rejecting discards that revision and restores the affected text or formatting.
Handle comments separately. Comments are notes for discussion, not the same thing as tracked revisions. Reply to or resolve a comment when the conversation is finished, using the comment controls. Deleting or resolving a comment does not accept a nearby text change, so check both the comment thread and the revision itself.
Finish the review and decide whether tracking should stay on. When revisions have been reviewed, save the document. If no more edits need to be recorded, select Review > Track Changes to switch tracking off. To apply every remaining revision, use the dropdown beside Accept and choose an all-changes option; read the option carefully, because some versions also offer Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking. Do not choose an all-accept option if any revision still needs a decision.
Check the result before sending it. Switch to All Markup and confirm that outstanding revisions are resolved if the recipient needs a clean final document. Then switch to No Markup to preview the accepted text and check page breaks, tables, and formatting. Remember that No Markup only hides revisions. Save the file after making your review decisions, and share the .docx if the recipient needs to inspect or continue editing the revisions.

On Mac: The desktop Word interface uses the Review tab and a Track Changes control as well. Depending on the current Word for Mac version, the tracking and display menus may be arranged differently, but use the Review tab to turn tracking on, select a markup view, and accept or reject changes. On Word for the web, open Review and use its Track Changes and review controls; some advanced display, printing, or management options may be limited compared with the desktop app.

Common Mistakes

Editing before tracking is enabled. Word does not normally turn earlier untracked edits into revisions just because you enable the feature later. Turn it on first; if you already changed text, use Undo where possible or restore the original content and make the edit again with tracking active.
Assuming No Markup means the revisions are gone. That view hides the visible revision marks but leaves pending changes in the file. Accept or reject them if you need a finalized document.
Turning tracking off instead of resolving changes. Switching off Track Changes stops recording new edits; it does not accept or reject revisions already present. Review the outstanding markup separately.
Accepting everything without a final read. Bulk acceptance can make incorrect wording, deletions, or formatting changes permanent. Review the document carefully first, especially when several people have edited it.
Confusing comments with revisions. A comment may discuss a change, but resolving the comment does not decide the revision. Check each item independently.
Sharing a file based only on its appearance. A document that looks clean in No Markup may still contain pending changes. Confirm the review state before sending a final copy, and do not assume hiding markup removes document history or identifying information.

Tips

Agree on a review routine. For a team document, decide whether everyone should track edits, who will make final accept-or-reject decisions, and whether comments should be resolved before delivery. A simple process helps prevent edits from being mistaken for approved text.
Use reviewer filtering for crowded documents. In Review > Show Markup, filter by reviewer when you need to inspect one person’s contributions. Return to showing all reviewers before the final check so that someone else’s revision is not overlooked.
Keep a clean copy and a review copy when needed. A reviewed .docx preserves editable revisions, while a separate finalized copy can be useful for distribution. Give the files distinct names so recipients do not mistake a marked-up draft for the approved version.
Check print and PDF output. If you need a PDF, first decide whether it should show markup. Preview the print settings and the document view before exporting; the displayed review mode and print-markup settings can affect what appears in the output.
Protect sensitive information separately. Track Changes is a collaboration tool, not a privacy guarantee. Before distributing a document externally, inspect it for comments, remaining revisions, and document properties or other content you do not intend to share.

Troubleshooting

Track Changes looks off, but edits still appear marked. The document may contain revisions made earlier or by another editor. Turning tracking off only stops recording new edits. Choose All Markup, inspect the outstanding changes, and accept or reject them as needed.

I cannot see a change I know was made. Select Review > Display for Review > All Markup, then open Show Markup and make sure the relevant change types and reviewers are selected. Also check that you are viewing the latest saved or synced version of the file. In a shared document, another editor may still be working or the update may not yet have appeared.

The Track Changes button is unavailable or I cannot edit. Check whether the file is read-only, opened in Protected View, or restricted by editing permissions. If Word shows a security banner, only enable editing when you trust the file’s source. For a shared file, ask the owner for edit permission or make an authorized copy. A restricted document may prevent tracking or other edits.

My name or initials appear beside revisions. Word associates revision marks with editor identity settings or the account used to edit. In shared files, each person should use their own account rather than editing under a shared identity. If anonymity is required, check organizational policy and Word’s document inspection options before distribution; changing display settings does not necessarily erase identifying information already stored in the file.

I accepted a change by mistake. If you have not made many later edits or closed the document, use Undo immediately. If that is no longer available, restore the affected wording manually from a saved copy, version history, or a collaborator’s version, then enable tracking if the correction itself should be recorded. Save a new copy before attempting a substantial recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Track Changes save a separate copy of the original text?
It stores revisions in the document so they can be reviewed and accepted or rejected. It is not a substitute for a backup. Save a separate copy or use your organization’s version history when you need a recovery point.

Can I track changes made by other people?
Yes. When available, choose Review > Track Changes > For Everyone to track revisions from all editors. In a shared document, each editor’s account and the document’s permissions affect collaboration; confirm the setting before work begins.

Can I accept only one person’s changes?
You can use the reviewer filter under Review > Show Markup to focus on a particular person’s revisions, then review them individually. Filtering makes other revisions less visible; it does not remove them, so show all reviewers again before considering the document complete.

Does turning Track Changes off remove existing markup?
No. It stops Word from recording new edits. Existing revisions remain until you accept or reject them. Use All Markup to find and review what is still pending.

How do I send a document without visible change marks?
If you only need a temporary clean-looking preview, choose No Markup, but remember that revisions remain in the file. To create a genuinely finalized document, review and accept or reject every pending revision, save it, and check the result before sharing.

Is Track Changes available in Word for the web?
Yes. Word for the web includes Track Changes and basic review controls, though some options may differ from or be less extensive than the Windows and Mac desktop apps. If a control is missing, open the document in the desktop version and use the Review tab.

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