What Track Changes Does and When to Turn It On

Track Changes is a built-in Word feature that records every edit made to a document — insertions, deletions, formatting changes, and comments. When you turn it on, Word marks each change with a colored line, strikethrough, or balloon in the margin, along with the editor's name and timestamp. This lets you see exactly what changed, who changed it, and when.

Turn on Track Changes when you're working on a document with other people, or when you want a record of your own edits before you finalize something. It's especially useful for contracts, reports, proposals, and any document where you need to review changes before accepting them. Once Track Changes is on, every keystroke and deletion gets marked — you can accept or reject each change individually later.

If you're working alone and don't need a change history, you can leave it off. But if there's any chance someone else will edit the document, or if you might want to undo something weeks later and see what it was, turning it on takes no extra effort and gives you that safety net.

Key Takeaways

  • Track Changes records every edit with the editor's name and timestamp, shown as colored marks and balloons in the document margin.
  • Turn on Track Changes from the Review tab before you or anyone else starts editing, or enable it retroactively if edits have already been made.
  • You can accept or reject individual changes one at a time, or accept all changes at once when you're ready to finalize the document.
  • Comments let you ask questions or flag issues without changing the actual text, and they appear in balloons alongside tracked changes.
  • When you share a tracked document with others, each person's edits appear in a different color, making it straightforward to see who changed what.

How to Turn Track Changes On and Off

Open your document in Word and click the Review tab at the top of the screen. In the Tracking group, you'll see a button labeled Track Changes with a small arrow next to it. Click the button itself (not the arrow) to toggle tracking on. When it's active, the button will appear highlighted or pressed.

If you click the arrow instead, you'll see a dropdown menu with options like "Track Changes" and "straightforward Markup". straightforward Markup hides most of the change balloons and shows only a thin line in the margin — useful if the full markup is cluttering your view. You can switch between views without turning tracking off; it's just a display preference.

To turn Track Changes off, click the Review tab again and click the Track Changes button. The button will no longer be highlighted. Any changes you made while tracking was on stay marked in the document; turning it off just stops recording new edits.

Accepting and Rejecting Individual Changes

Once edits are marked, you need to decide whether to keep them. Click the Review tab and look for the Changes group on the right side. You'll see buttons for Accept and Reject, along with navigation arrows to move between changes.

Click the down arrow next to "Accept" or "Reject" to see your options. You can accept or reject the current change only, or use "Accept All Changes" or "Reject All Changes" to process everything at once. If you're reviewing someone else's edits, go through them one by one — click the navigation arrows to jump to each change, read it, then click Accept or Reject.

When you accept a change, the edit becomes permanent and the markup disappears. When you reject it, Word removes the change and restores the original text. Once all changes are accepted or rejected, the document is clean — no more colored marks or balloons.

Using Comments Alongside Tracked Changes

Comments let you ask questions or leave feedback without actually changing the document text. Click the Review tab, then click New Comment. A balloon will appear in the margin with your name and the current date. Type your question or note inside it.

Comments are separate from tracked changes — they don't alter the document content, and they don't get accepted or rejected. They stay in the document until you delete them. This is useful when you want to flag something for discussion without committing to a change. For example, you might comment "Is this the right figure?" instead of changing the number yourself.

When someone replies to your comment, their response appears in the same balloon. You can resolve a comment by clicking the checkmark inside it, which collapses it but keeps it visible. To delete a comment entirely, right-click it and select Delete Comment.

Understanding the Display Options and Markup Views

Word offers several ways to display tracked changes. The Display for Review dropdown on the Review tab shows you four options: All Markup, straightforward Markup, No Markup, and Original.

All Markup shows every change with full detail — insertions in color, deletions with strikethrough, and all comments in balloons. This is the most complete view and the default when tracking is on. straightforward Markup hides the balloons and shows only a thin colored line in the margin where changes occur; click the line to see what changed. No Markup shows the document as if all changes were accepted, but doesn't actually accept them — useful for reading the final version without the visual clutter. Original shows the document as it was before any changes, as if all edits were rejected.

These views don't change the actual changes in the document; they just change how you see them. You can switch between them freely while reviewing, then accept or reject changes in whichever view you prefer.

Sharing a Tracked Document with Others

When you send a document with Track Changes on to another person, Word automatically assigns them a different color for their edits. The first editor might see changes in blue, the second in red, the third in green, and so on. This color coding makes it obvious who made each change.

Before you send the document, make sure Track Changes is on. Save the file and send it as normal — you don't need to do anything special. When the other person opens it, they'll see your changes marked and can turn Track Changes on to add their own edits. Their changes will appear in a different color.

When the document comes back to you, open it and go to the Review tab. You'll see all the changes from both editors, each in their own color, with names and timestamps. Review them in order using the navigation arrows, accept or reject each one, and save the final version. If multiple people are editing the same document in sequence, each round of edits gets a new color, creating a clear audit trail of who changed what and when.

Turning Off Track Changes Before Final Distribution

Before you share the final version of a document, you need to accept or reject all remaining changes. Go to the Review tab, click the arrow next to Accept, and select Accept All Changes. This makes every marked edit permanent and removes all the colored markup from the document.

If you want to keep some changes and reject others, you'll need to go through them individually. Use the navigation arrows to move between changes, click Accept or Reject for each one, then save the file when you're done.

After you've accepted or rejected all changes, turn Track Changes off by clicking the Track Changes button on the Review tab. The button will no longer be highlighted. Save the document one more time. Now when you send it out, recipients will see clean text with no markup, change balloons, or editor names — just the final version you've approved.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see who made each change if multiple people edited the document?

Yes. Each editor's changes appear in a different color, and when you hover over or click a change, Word shows the editor's name and the date and time the change was made. This information is also visible in the change balloons in the margin.

What happens if I accidentally reject a change I wanted to keep?

Use Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) to undo the rejection when ready. This restores the change to "pending" status so you can accept it. If you've already saved the document, you won't be able to undo it, so be careful when rejecting changes.

Can I turn off Track Changes for just part of a document?

No. Track Changes is a document-wide setting — it's either on or off for the entire file. However, you can select a section of text and choose not to track changes to it by using the "Track Changes" dropdown menu and selecting "Lock Tracking", though this requires a password and is rarely necessary for everyday use.

Do I have to accept or reject changes before saving the document?

No. You can save a document with pending changes still marked. The changes stay in the file until you accept or reject them. This is useful if you want to save your work while you're still reviewing, or if you want to send the document back to someone else for further input.

What's the difference between Track Changes and version history?

Track Changes marks edits within a single document file and shows you exactly what text was added, deleted, or changed. Version history (available in OneDrive or SharePoint) saves separate snapshots of the entire document at different points in time. Track Changes is better for collaborative editing; version history is better for recovering an older version of a whole document.