Turn off 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 turn it off, open the document, go to the Review tab at the top, and click the Track Changes button to toggle it off. The button will no longer be highlighted when tracking is disabled.
If Track Changes is already on and you want to stop recording new edits without losing the existing marks, that same button turns it off when ready. If you want to remove all the marks that have already been recorded, you'll need a separate step: click Review > Accept All Changes or Reject All Changes depending on whether you want to keep the edits or discard them.
The location of these controls is the same in Word for Windows, Word for Mac, and Word Online, though the exact appearance of buttons may vary slightly between versions.
Key Takeaways
- Track Changes records every edit to a document and shows them as colored marks; the Review tab contains the button to turn it on or off.
- Turning off Track Changes stops recording new edits but does not remove marks from edits already made.
- To remove existing tracked changes, you must accept or reject them individually or use Accept All or Reject All from the Review menu.
- If you receive a document with Track Changes on and want to see clean text, you can hide the marks without accepting or rejecting them.
Where to find the Track Changes button
Open any document in Word and look at the ribbon menu at the top. Click the Review tab — it sits between References and View in most versions. The Track Changes button is in the top-left area of the Review ribbon, usually near buttons for comments and markup.
In Word for Windows, the button shows a circle with a checkmark or an X depending on whether tracking is active. In Word for Mac, it looks similar but may be labeled slightly differently. In Word Online, the button appears in the same location but the ribbon layout is more compact.
If you cannot find the Review tab, you may be in a different view. Switch to Print Layout view by clicking View > Print Layout at the top. The Review tab will then appear in the ribbon.
The difference between turning off and accepting changes
Turning off Track Changes stops Word from recording new edits. Any marks from edits made before you turned it off remain visible in the document. If you continue editing with Track Changes off, those new edits will not be marked.
Accepting or rejecting changes is a separate action. When you accept a change, Word removes the mark and keeps the edit in the document. When you reject a change, Word removes the mark and reverts the text to its original state. You can accept or reject changes one at a time, or use Accept All Changes and Reject All Changes to process them in bulk.
This distinction matters because you might want to turn off tracking to prevent new marks from appearing, but leave existing marks in place for someone else to review. Or you might want to accept all the changes and then turn off tracking for future edits.
How to hide tracked changes without removing them
If you receive a document with many tracked changes and want to read the clean text without accepting or rejecting anything, you can hide the marks temporarily. Go to Review > Display for Review and select Final. This shows the document as if all changes were accepted, but the marks remain in the file — they are just not visible.
To see the marks again, return to Display for Review and select All Markup. The marks will reappear exactly as they were. This is useful when you want to review the content without visual clutter, or when you need to send the document to someone else and want them to see the final version while keeping the option to view edits later.
Removing all tracked changes at once
If you have a document with many edits marked and you want to clear them all, go to Review > Accept All Changes to keep every edit and remove all marks. The document will show the final text with no colored marks or comments.
If instead you want to discard all the edits and return to the original text, click Review > Reject All Changes. Word will remove all marks and revert the document to its state before tracking began. Be careful with this option — it cannot be undone if you close the document without saving.
After accepting or rejecting all changes, Track Changes may still be on. Turn it off using the Track Changes button if you do not want new edits to be marked going forward.
Why Track Changes turns on unexpectedly
Track Changes sometimes activates on its own when you open a document that was created or edited by someone else with tracking enabled. Word does not automatically turn it off when you open the file — it preserves the state it was in when last saved.
If you are editing a shared document and do not want your changes marked, check the Review tab when ready after opening the file. If the Track Changes button is highlighted, click it to turn tracking off before you start editing. This prevents your edits from being recorded as changes.
Some organizations set Word to always track changes by default as a security or compliance measure. If Track Changes keeps turning back on even after you turn it off, your system administrator may have configured a policy that enforces it. Contact your IT department to confirm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off Track Changes delete the marks already in the document?
No. Turning off the Track Changes button stops recording new edits but leaves all existing marks in place. To remove the marks, you must accept or reject them. You can accept all at once using Review > Accept All Changes, or go through them one by one.
Can I turn off Track Changes for just my edits and not others?
No. Track Changes is a document-wide setting — it either records all edits or none. If multiple people are editing the same document, turning it off affects everyone's future edits. If you want to hide your changes from others, you would need to use a different document or ask the document owner to manage permissions.
What if I accidentally rejected all changes and need them back?
If you rejected all changes but have not closed the document, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) to undo the rejection. The changes will reappear. If you have already closed and saved the document, the original text cannot be recovered unless you have a backup or earlier version saved.
Why does my document show tracked changes even though I turned off Track Changes?
Track Changes records edits made while it is on. Turning it off stops new recordings but does not remove marks from past edits. To remove the marks, accept or reject the changes. If you want to see the document without marks but keep them in the file, use Display for Review > Final instead.
Can I turn off Track Changes in Word Online the same way as desktop Word?
Yes. Word Online has the same Review tab and Track Changes button in the same location. Click it to toggle tracking on or off. The process is identical to desktop Word, though the ribbon may look slightly different due to the browser interface.