How to View Track Changes in a Word Document Clearly

To view tracked edits in Word, open the document, select Review > Display for Review (in the Tracking group), and choose All Markup. This displays insertions, deletions, and other tracked revisions without accepting or removing them. You need a copy of the document that contains tracked changes; you do not need to turn Track Changes on just to see existing edits.

What You’ll Need

A Word document that has tracked changes, comments, or both. If there are no revisions in the file, changing the display setting will not create any.
Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, Word for Mac, or Word for the web, with permission to open the document. The names and placement of some controls can vary slightly between versions.
Optional: a saved copy of the document if you plan to accept or reject changes later. Viewing markup alone does not alter the document’s text.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and check that it is editable or viewable. Open the file in Word and wait for it to finish loading. If it opens in Protected View, select Enable Editing only if you trust the file and need to make changes. You can usually inspect markup without editing, but a protected or read-only file may limit some review actions. If the document is stored online, confirm that you have opened the right file and that the latest version has loaded.
Go to the Review tab. On Windows, select Review on the ribbon. Find the Tracking group. In Word for Mac, select Review and look for the tracking and markup controls; depending on the window size and ribbon layout, they may be grouped or condensed. If the ribbon is simplified, expand it or use Word’s search box to find a command such as Display for Review.
Choose All Markup. Open Display for Review in the Tracking group, then select All Markup. This is the fullest standard view of revisions: inserted text and deleted text are indicated, and formatting changes can appear as markup. Depending on the document’s settings, edits may show in colored balloons beside the page, inline in the text, or in a combination of locations. Colors are used to distinguish contributors; a color does not indicate whether an edit is correct.
Read the revision indicators in context. Inserted text is commonly underlined or shown in a contributor color, while deleted text may appear struck through or in a balloon. A vertical change bar in the margin can mark a line or area containing revisions. Move through the text in order and compare each marked passage with its surrounding sentences. Do not assume that a deletion is missing because it is not part of the final visible wording: Word may display it as a balloon or strike-through instead.
Show the kinds of markup you need. If you still cannot see a type of change, select Review > Show Markup and check the relevant options, such as Comments, Insertions and Deletions, and Formatting. A cleared option hides that category from the current view; it does not remove the underlying comment or revision. Use Specific People in the same menu if you want to show or hide revisions by author. Restore the relevant check marks when you want to see everything again.
Choose how changes appear on the page. If the page is crowded, use Review > Show Markup > Balloons to select an available layout, such as showing revisions in balloons or showing revisions inline. Balloons can make the original sentence easier to read, while inline markup makes it easier to see exactly where text was inserted or deleted. The available choices can vary by Word version. Changing the layout affects how you inspect revisions, not the revision data itself.
Use the Reviewing Pane for a list of revisions. On Windows, select Review > Reviewing Pane in the Tracking group. Choose a vertical or horizontal pane if Word offers that choice. The pane provides a summary of revisions and can help you find edits that are difficult to spot on the page. Select an item in the list to navigate to its location in the document. Close the pane when you want more room for the page. On Mac, look for Reviewing Pane on the Review tab; its position and available layout options may differ.
Separate viewing from accepting edits. If your task is only to inspect changes, leave them as they are and do not use Accept or Reject. Those commands change the document by incorporating or discarding revisions. Also, the Track Changes button controls whether future edits are recorded; turning it on or off is different from choosing All Markup. When you finish, save only if you have made changes you intend to keep.

Word for the web: Open the document in Word in a browser and select Review. Use the available markup or reviewing controls to display revisions, and check that the view is set to show all markup rather than a simplified or clean view. The web version may arrange controls differently and may not include every desktop balloon or Reviewing Pane option. If a control is unavailable, open the file in the Word desktop app using Open in Desktop App, if your account and file permissions allow it.

Common Mistakes

Choosing No Markup and assuming the revisions were erased. No Markup hides revision indicators to show a cleaner reading view; it does not accept or delete changes. Switch back to All Markup to inspect them.
Turning on Track Changes instead of changing the view. Track Changes records edits made from that point onward. It is not the control that reveals revisions already in the file. Use Display for Review to choose how existing markup is shown.
Looking only for red text. Word can use different colors for different contributors, and a document’s markup may be displayed with balloons, underlines, strike-throughs, or margin bars. Check the Show Markup categories and the Reviewing Pane rather than relying on color alone.
Hiding a category and forgetting it is filtered. If Insertions and Deletions, Formatting, or Comments is unchecked under Show Markup, that kind of item may appear to be absent. Recheck the options before concluding that the document contains no such changes.
Accepting or rejecting edits while trying to make them easier to see. These actions alter the revision state. Use the display and balloon options for readability, and reserve Accept and Reject for a deliberate editing decision.

Tips

Start with All Markup, then filter only when necessary. This reduces the chance of overlooking an edit. If the page becomes busy, temporarily hide one category, inspect the remaining markup, and restore the category afterward.
Use the Reviewing Pane for long documents. It is useful when revisions are spread over many pages or when comments and edits are easy to miss in the page layout. Selecting a listed revision can take you directly to its location.
Check the author filter before reviewing a contributor’s work. Specific People can help you focus on a particular editor, but a filtered view is not a complete record of all changes. Clear the filter when you need to review everyone.
Keep a clean reading view separate from a review view. No Markup or Simple Markup may make it easier to read the current text, but switch back to All Markup before approving the document or reporting that you have reviewed every change.
Coordinate review choices with collaborators. Display settings are usually a viewing preference, whereas accepting or rejecting a revision changes the document for other people who open the shared file. Tell collaborators if you have made actual revision decisions.

Troubleshooting

All Markup is selected, but no changes appear. First confirm that this copy of the file contains revisions. Then open Show Markup and make sure the relevant categories are checked. If Specific People is filtering authors, select all contributors or remove the filter. A document that has already had all its changes accepted or rejected will not show those revisions as pending markup.

Comments appear but text edits do not, or the reverse. Comments and tracked text changes are separate categories. In Review > Show Markup, enable Comments and Insertions and Deletions as appropriate. Also check Formatting if you are looking for changes such as a font or paragraph adjustment.

The page looks different from another reviewer’s screen. Reviewers can choose different display modes, markup categories, author filters, or balloon layouts. Select All Markup, enable the categories you need, and clear Specific People filters to establish a full view. The document may also be open in a different Word version, where some controls are arranged differently.

The Review controls are missing or unavailable. Expand the ribbon, select the Review tab, or search for the command using Word’s search box. If you are using Word for the web, open the file in the desktop app to access desktop-only controls. If the file is read-only or protected, ask its owner for permission before attempting to edit or resolve revisions.

A revision seems to disappear after changing views. Switch back to All Markup and check the filters; the change may only be hidden. If the text itself has changed and the revision no longer appears, someone may have accepted or rejected it, or you may be viewing a different saved copy. Compare the file name, location, and version history if available before continuing the review.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does All Markup turn Track Changes on?
No. All Markup controls how existing revisions are displayed. To record new edits, use the Track Changes control on the Review tab. You can view revisions without enabling tracking.

Does No Markup remove tracked changes?
No. It hides the revision indicators for a cleaner view. Choose All Markup to display them again. Accepting or rejecting changes is what resolves revisions in the document.

Can I view changes from just one person?
Yes. Open Review > Show Markup > Specific People and select the contributor you want to inspect. Clear the filter or select all contributors when you need a complete review.

Why are some changes in balloons and others in the text?
Word’s layout settings and the type of revision affect where markup appears. Check Review > Show Markup > Balloons and choose an available layout. Some versions offer fewer layout choices.

Can I print a copy that shows the revisions?
In desktop Word, select All Markup and check the print settings for an option to print markup or the document with markup, if available in your version. Preview the print layout first; printing a clean copy with No Markup will not show the revision indicators.

Are Track Changes controls the same on Mac and Windows?
The Review tab provides the main tracking and markup controls on both, but their location and labels can vary with the ribbon layout and Word version. On Mac, check the Review tab and expand the ribbon if needed; Word for the web has a more limited set of review features.

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