Redlining in Word means turning on Track Changes, which records every edit you make

Track Changes is Word's built-in tool for marking edits. When you turn it on, Word shows insertions, deletions, and formatting changes in a different color — usually red for the first reviewer, then blue, green, and other colors for additional reviewers. The original text stays visible with strikethrough, and new text appears alongside it. This is what people mean by "redlining" a document.

You do not need special software or plugins. The feature lives in the Review tab at the top of Word, and it works the same way in Word for Windows, Word for Mac, and Word Online. Once Track Changes is on, every keystroke is recorded until you turn it off again.

Key Takeaways

  • Turn on Track Changes in the Review tab, and Word will mark every insertion, deletion, and format change in color until you turn it off.
  • Comments let you leave notes without changing the text itself — useful for questions or suggestions the document owner should consider.
  • The document owner can accept or reject each change one at a time, or accept all changes at once to finalize the document.
  • Track Changes works across Word versions and in shared documents, but the original file must be saved as .docx or .doc for the marks to show.

How to turn Track Changes on and off

Open the document in Word. Click the Review tab at the top. Look for the button labeled Track Changes — it usually shows a pen with a checkmark. Click it once to turn tracking on. The button will highlight or change appearance to show it is active.

From that moment forward, every edit you make appears marked. If you delete a word, it shows with strikethrough. If you add a word, it appears in a different color. If you change formatting — bold, italics, font size — Word records that too. To turn tracking off, click the Track Changes button again. Turning it off does not erase the marks already made; it just stops recording new ones.

What the marks actually look like on screen

When Track Changes is on, Word uses color and formatting to show what changed. Deleted text appears with a line through it in the margin color. New text appears in the same color, usually without strikethrough. A vertical line appears in the left margin next to any paragraph that contains a change.

If multiple people edit the same document, Word assigns each person a different color automatically. The first reviewer's changes appear in red, the second in blue, the third in green, and so on. Word also records the name of the person who made each change and the date and time. When you hover over a marked change, a small box appears showing who made it and when.

Using comments instead of changing text

Sometimes you want to flag something without actually editing it. That is what comments are for. Click the Review tab, then click New Comment. A comment box opens on the right side of the screen. Type your note — a question, a suggestion, a concern — and click outside the box when you are done. The comment stays attached to that spot in the document without changing any text.

Comments are useful when you want the document owner to make a decision rather than making the change yourself. For example, you might comment "Should this say 'quarterly' instead of 'annual'?" instead of changing it outright. The owner can then decide whether to accept your suggestion.

How the document owner accepts or rejects changes

Once you send back a redlined document, the owner opens it and goes to the Review tab. They will see a button called Accept or Reject next to each change. They can click through one change at a time and decide whether to keep it or throw it out. If they want to accept everything at once, they can click Accept All Changes, which finalizes the document in one step.

After all changes are accepted or rejected, the owner should turn off Track Changes and save the file. At that point, the document looks normal again — no colors, no strikethrough, just the final text. The change history is still stored in the file if anyone needs to look back, but it is no longer visible on screen.

Why Track Changes sometimes does not work the way you expect

Track Changes only works if the document is saved in a format Word understands. If the file is a .pdf, a .txt, or a Google Doc, Word cannot track changes in the same way. You have to save it as .docx (modern Word) or .doc (older Word) first. If someone sends you a document in another format, read it, save it as a Word file, and then turn on Track Changes.

Another common surprise: if Track Changes was already on when you opened the document, you might not realize it. Your edits are being marked even though you did not turn it on yourself. Check the Review tab when you open any document you plan to edit. If the Track Changes button is highlighted, turn it off if you do not want your changes marked, or leave it on if you do.

Sharing a redlined document with others

You can email a redlined document to anyone with Word, and they will see all the marks. They do not need special software. However, if you are working with multiple people on the same document, email back-and-forth gets messy quickly — version 1, version 2, version 3 with conflicting changes.

If you use Microsoft 365 (the subscription version of Office), you can store the document in OneDrive or SharePoint and share the link instead. Everyone edits the same file, and Track Changes shows who changed what and when. Word also shows you when someone else is editing the document at the same time, which prevents accidental overwrites.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change the color Word uses for my tracked changes?

Yes. Click the Review tab, then click the small arrow next to Track Changes. Select Change Tracking Options. You can choose a different color for insertions, deletions, and formatting changes. You can also change how Word displays the marks — for example, showing deletions in balloons on the side instead of strikethrough in the text.

What happens if I turn off Track Changes and then keep editing?

The edits you made while Track Changes was on stay marked. New edits after you turn it off are not marked — they appear as normal text with no color or strikethrough. If you want to mark everything, keep Track Changes on the whole time. If you want to stop marking partway through, turn it off and the document will show a mix of tracked and untracked changes.

Can I see a list of all the changes in one place?

Yes. Click the Review tab and look for Reviewing Pane. Click it, and a panel opens on the left side showing every change and comment in order. You can click any change in the list to jump to it in the document. This is helpful when a document has many changes scattered across multiple pages.

What if someone sends me a document with Track Changes already on, and I do not want to see the marks?

Click the Review tab and look for Display for Review. It usually shows "All Markup" by default. Click it and select Final to see what the document will look like after all changes are accepted. Select Original to see what it looked like before any changes. You can switch between these views without accepting or rejecting anything.

Does Track Changes work in Word Online?

Yes, but with some limits. Word Online has the same Track Changes button and works the same way for basic edits. However, some advanced formatting changes may not track the same way they do in the desktop version. If you are doing complex document work, the desktop version of Word is more reliable.