Close Track Changes in Three Steps

Track Changes is a Word feature that records every edit made to a document — insertions, deletions, formatting changes — and shows them as colored marks in the margin. To stop recording changes, go to the Review tab at the top of Word, find the Track Changes button (it looks like a pen with a checkmark), and click it once. The button will no longer be highlighted, and Word will stop logging new edits.

If you want to hide the visual marks of changes already made without deleting them, click the arrow next to Track Changes and select Show Markup, then uncheck All Markup. The changes stay in the document but become invisible until you turn markup display back on. This is useful if you want to review changes later without the visual clutter while you work.

If you want to permanently remove all tracked changes from the document, you must accept or reject each one. Click the arrow next to Track Changes and select Accept All Changes to keep every edit and remove the tracking marks, or Reject All Changes to undo every edit and return the document to its original state.

Key Takeaways

  • Click the Track Changes button on the Review tab to stop recording new edits when ready.
  • Use Show Markup to hide the visual marks of existing changes without deleting them from the document.
  • Click Accept All Changes to keep all edits and remove the tracking marks permanently.
  • Click Reject All Changes to undo all edits and return the document to its original state.
  • You can also accept or reject individual changes one at a time using the buttons in the Changes group on the Review tab.

Why Track Changes Stays On by Default

If you opened a document that someone else was editing with Track Changes on, Word will keep recording your changes too — even if you did not turn it on yourself. This happens because the feature is document-specific, not user-specific. The document "remembers" that tracking was active, and anyone who opens it will see that setting.

This is a privacy consideration worth understanding. If you receive a document with Track Changes already on, every keystroke you make will be visible to whoever reviews it next. Turning it off when ready prevents your edits from being logged, which matters if you are making corrections you do not want attributed to you or if you are working on a sensitive document.

The Difference Between Stopping and Hiding Changes

Stopping Track Changes (turning off the button) prevents Word from recording new edits. Any changes you made before you turned it off remain in the document as tracked changes, marked in the margin with your name and timestamp.

Hiding changes (using Show Markup) makes those marks invisible on screen, but they are still in the document. If you send the file to someone else or reopen it later, the marks will be visible again. Hiding is temporary and visual only — it does not alter the document itself.

Accepting or rejecting changes is permanent. Once you accept a change, the edit becomes part of the document and the tracking mark disappears. Once you reject a change, the edit is undone and the mark is removed. There is no undo for accepting or rejecting — if you change your mind, you have to manually re-edit the text.

Accepting or Rejecting Changes One at a Time

If you want to review each change before committing to it, use the Next and Previous buttons in the Changes group on the Review tab. Word will highlight each change in sequence. Click Accept to keep it or Reject to undo it.

This method takes longer than accepting or rejecting all changes at once, but it gives you control. You can see exactly what was changed, who made the change, and when. This is especially useful if multiple people edited the document or if you are unsure whether a particular edit should stay.

The Accept and Reject buttons are in the same Changes group. Some versions of Word also show a dropdown arrow next to Accept that lets you accept the current change and move to the next one in a single click, which speeds up the process.

What Happens When You Send a Document with Track Changes On

If you send a Word document to someone else while Track Changes is still on, they will see all your edits marked in the margin with your name. They can then accept or reject your changes, or turn off Track Changes themselves and continue editing without logging their own changes.

This is intentional for collaborative editing — it lets multiple people see who changed what and when. But it also means your edits are visible and attributed to you. If you want to send a "clean" version without visible marks, you must accept all changes before sending, or hide the markup and ask the recipient not to turn it back on.

Some organizations have policies about this. If you are working on a shared document in a workplace or school setting, check whether your team expects Track Changes to be on or off before you send the file.

Turning Off Track Changes in Older Versions of Word

In Word 2010 and earlier, the Track Changes button is in the same location — the Review tab — but the interface looks slightly different. The button may be labeled Track Changes or Record Changes depending on your version. Click it once to turn off tracking.

The steps for accepting, rejecting, and hiding changes are the same across all recent versions of Word. If you are using a very old version or a different process like Google Docs or LibreOffice, the feature may have a different name or location, but the concept is identical.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does turning off Track Changes delete the changes I already made?

No. Turning off the button stops Word from recording new changes, but it does not affect changes you already made. Those changes remain in the document as tracked marks until you accept or reject them.

Can I turn Track Changes back on after I turn it off?

Yes. Click the Track Changes button again to turn it back on. Word will resume recording edits. Any changes you made while it was off will not be logged.

What if I accept all changes by accident?

Use Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) to undo the action when ready. If you have made other edits since then, undo will revert those too. If too much time has passed, you may need to manually re-edit the text or revert to an earlier saved version of the file.

Will the other person know if I turn off Track Changes?

They will know if they open the document and see that Track Changes is off, but they cannot see the moment you turned it off. If you turn it off and then continue editing, those new edits will not be marked, so they will appear as if they were part of the original document.

Can I see who made each change?

Yes. Hover your mouse over any tracked change in the margin, and Word will show a tooltip with the person's name, the date, and the time of the change. This information is embedded in the document and travels with it if you send it to someone else.