What tracking does and how to find it

Track Changes is a Word feature that records every edit someone makes to a document — deletions, additions, formatting changes, and comments. Instead of changing the text directly, Word marks what was removed (usually in red with strikethrough) and what was added (usually in a different color with underlining). The original author or editor can then review each change one at a time and accept or reject it.

This is most useful when multiple people work on the same document, or when you want a record of what changed between versions. If you are working alone and do not need to see a history of edits, you can leave it off. Tracking does not slow Word down noticeably, but it does make the document busier to read while it is on.

The Track Changes button lives in the same place whether you use Word on Windows, Mac, or the web version. You will find it on the Review tab at the top of the screen. Look for a button that says "Track Changes" — it usually has an icon that looks like a pen or pencil with a checkmark.

Key Takeaways

  • Track Changes is turned on and off using the Track Changes button on the Review tab, and the button will appear highlighted or pressed when tracking is active.
  • When tracking is on, Word shows deletions as strikethrough text and additions as underlined text, each in a different color to show who made the change.
  • You can review tracked changes one at a time using the Accept and Reject buttons, also on the Review tab.
  • If you forget whether tracking is on, look at the Review tab — the Track Changes button will look pressed or highlighted if it is currently active.

Turning Track Changes on in Word

Open the document you want to edit. Click the Review tab at the top of the Word window. Look for the Track Changes button — it is usually near the left side of the Review tab, often with a pen or pencil icon. Click it once.

The button will now appear pressed or highlighted (the exact look depends on whether you use Windows or Mac, but it will be visibly different from before). Word is now recording all changes. Any text you delete will appear with a strikethrough in a colored font. Any text you add will appear underlined in a colored font. The color usually matches the user account logged into Word, so if two people edit the same document, their changes show in different colors.

You do not need to do anything else to keep tracking on. It stays on until you click the Track Changes button again to turn it off. If you close the document and reopen it later, tracking will be in whatever state you left it in — on or off.

Turning Track Changes off

Click the Review tab. Click the Track Changes button. The button will no longer appear pressed or highlighted, and Word will stop recording changes. Any edits you make from this point forward will change the document directly without showing a record of what was removed or added.

Turning tracking off does not erase the changes that were already tracked. If you had tracked changes in the document before you turned it off, those changes are still there and still visible. You can still accept or reject them later. Turning tracking off only stops Word from recording new changes going forward.

Reviewing and accepting or rejecting changes

Once you have finished editing (or if someone else has sent you a document with tracked changes), you can go through each change one at a time. Stay on the Review tab. You will see buttons labeled Accept and Reject near the Track Changes button.

Word will highlight the first tracked change in the document. Click Accept to keep that change and make it permanent, or click Reject to undo it and remove the strikethrough or underline. Word then moves to the next change. Keep going until you have reviewed all of them.

If you want to accept or reject all changes at once without reviewing each one individually, click the small arrow next to the Accept button. A menu will appear with options like "Accept All Changes" or "Reject All Changes". Use this only if you are certain about every change in the document.

What happens if you forget to turn tracking off

If you finish editing and forget that Track Changes is still on, the document will look messy with strikethroughs and underlines everywhere. The good news is that nothing is broken — you can still turn tracking off at any time, and all the changes are still there to accept or reject later.

If you realize tracking was on the whole time and you do not want to keep any of the changes, click the Review tab, then click the arrow next to Reject All, and choose "Reject All Changes". This will undo every edit and return the document to its original state. If you want to keep some changes but not others, you will need to go through them individually using the Accept and Reject buttons.

Tracking in Word Online (web version)

The web version of Word works the same way. Open your document in Word Online, click the Review tab, and click Track Changes. The button will highlight when tracking is on. You can edit normally, and all changes will be marked the same way as in the desktop version.

One difference: in Word Online, you cannot always see the Track Changes button in the same spot depending on your screen size. If you do not see it, look for a menu icon (three dots) on the Review tab and click it — Track Changes should appear there. The rest of the process is identical: edit, then accept or reject changes when you are done.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

The most common mistake is not realizing tracking is on, then sending a document full of strikethroughs and underlines to someone who did not expect them. Before you send a document to anyone, glance at the Review tab. If the Track Changes button looks pressed or highlighted, decide whether you want to send it with tracking on or off. If you want to send it clean, turn tracking off and accept all the changes first.

Another mistake is rejecting a change you meant to accept, or vice versa. If this happens, use Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) to undo the last action. Word will put the change back in its tracked state so you can accept or reject it again.

A third mistake is turning off tracking and then forgetting you did, so you make more edits that do not get tracked. If you need to track everything, check the Review tab before you start editing and make sure the Track Changes button is highlighted. If it is not, click it to turn it back on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see who made each change?

Yes. Each person who edits the document shows up in a different color, and if you hover your mouse over a tracked change, a small box will appear showing the person's name, the date, and the time the change was made. The name comes from whoever is logged into the Word account on that computer.

What if I want to turn off tracking but keep the document looking clean?

Turn off tracking, then accept all changes. Click Review, then click the arrow next to Accept All, and choose "Accept All Changes". This makes all the tracked edits permanent and removes the strikethroughs and underlines. The document will look like a normal edited version with no change marks.

Does tracking work if I share the document with someone else?

Yes. If you share a Word document through OneDrive or SharePoint and both people have tracking on, each person's changes will show in different colors with their name attached. If one person has tracking on and the other does not, only the person with tracking on will see marked changes.

Can I turn off tracking for just one part of the document?

No. Track Changes is all or nothing — it is either on for the whole document or off for the whole document. You cannot track changes in one section and leave another section untracked. If you need that level of control, you would need to work in separate documents and combine them later.

What if the document has so many tracked changes that it is hard to read?

You can hide the tracked changes temporarily without accepting or rejecting them. On the Review tab, look for a button or option that says "Show Markup" or "Display for Review". Click it and choose "Final" to see what the document will look like after all changes are accepted. Choose "Original" to see what it looked like before any changes. Choose "All Markup" to see the changes again. This does not accept or reject anything — it just hides them from view.