The fastest way to accept all tracked changes

Open the document with tracked changes, then go to the Review tab at the top of Word. In the Changes group, click the dropdown arrow next to Accept (not the button itself), and select Accept All Changes. Word will incorporate every tracked change into the document in a few seconds, and the change markers will disappear.

This works the same way in Word on Windows, Mac, and the web version. If you do not see the Review tab, your document may not have any tracked changes yet, or you may be in a view that hides it — try clicking View and making sure you are in Print Layout or Web Layout mode.

Key Takeaways

  • The Accept All Changes button is in the Review tab under the Changes group, accessed through a dropdown menu next to Accept.
  • Accepting all changes at once overwrites the original text with every edit, so make sure you have reviewed the document first if you are unsure about the edits.
  • You can undo Accept All Changes when ready after by pressing Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) if you change your mind.
  • If you want to accept only some changes, use the single Accept button instead and go through them one at a time.

Why you might want to review changes before accepting them all

When you accept all changes at once, Word does not show you what each one is. If the document has many edits — deletions, rewording, moved paragraphs — you lose the chance to see them side by side with the original. This matters most when you are working with someone whose edits you do not fully trust, or when the document is long and complex.

A safer approach is to go through changes one at a time using the single Accept button (not the dropdown). This shows you each change in context before you commit to it. You can also Reject individual changes if you disagree with them. This takes longer, but you keep control over what actually ends up in the final version.

How to reject all changes instead

If you want to discard all tracked changes and keep only the original text, click the dropdown next to Reject in the Review tab and select Reject All Changes. Word will remove every edit marker and revert the document to its state before tracking began.

This is useful when you receive a document with many unwanted edits and want to start fresh, or when you decide that the original version was better. Like Accept All, you can undo this action when ready with Ctrl+Z or Command+Z if you realize you made a mistake.

What happens to the document after you accept changes

Once you accept all changes, the document becomes a single, clean version with no edit markers. The change history is gone — Word does not keep a separate record of what was changed after you accept. If someone else needs to see what edits were made, you should save a copy of the document with changes still visible before you accept them.

If you need to go back and see what was changed after you have already accepted, your only option is to use the undo history (Ctrl+Z repeatedly) to step backward through the changes one by one. This is slow and impractical for large documents, so it is worth thinking ahead about whether you need to preserve a record of the edits.

Accepting changes when working with others

When you are the final reviewer of a document that multiple people have edited, accepting all changes signals that you have approved the document in its current form. Make sure you actually want every change before you click Accept All. If you are unsure about a specific edit, reject it and ask the person who made it to explain their reasoning.

After you accept all changes, send the final version to the other people involved so they know the document is locked in. If they need to make more edits later, they will have to start a new round of tracked changes on top of your accepted version.

Keyboard shortcuts and faster methods

Word does not have a single keyboard shortcut for Accept All Changes, so you have to use the menu. However, once you have done it once, you can add it to your Quick Access Toolbar for faster access in the future. Right-click the toolbar at the top of Word, select Customize Quick Access Toolbar, search for "Accept All Changes", and click Add.

In Word on the web, the process is identical — go to Review, click the Accept dropdown, and select Accept All Changes. The web version does not support custom toolbars, so the menu is your only option.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo Accept All Changes after I have already saved the document?

If you saved the document after accepting changes, undo will not work — the change history is gone. You would need to close the document without saving, reopen it, and avoid accepting the changes. If you have already saved, your only option is to ask the person who made the edits to send you the version with tracked changes still visible.

What if Accept All Changes is grayed out?

This usually means the document has no tracked changes to accept. It can also happen if the document is in a read-only mode or if you do not have permission to edit it. Try clicking on the document to make sure it is active, and check that Track Changes is turned on if you are expecting to see changes.

Does accepting changes in Word on the web work the same way as the desktop version?

Yes, the steps are identical. Open Review, click the Accept dropdown, and select Accept All Changes. The web version has the same functionality, though it may be slightly slower on large documents with many edits.

Can I accept changes from only one person and reject changes from another?

Word does not have a built-in filter to accept by author, so you would need to go through changes one at a time and check who made each one. The change marker shows the author's name, so you can manually accept or reject based on that. For documents with many contributors, this is tedious — you might ask the person who compiled the edits to do a first pass and remove changes you definitely do not want.