Turn on Track Changes before you start editing

Track Changes is a Word feature that records every edit made to a document — insertions, deletions, formatting changes — and shows who made each change and when. To start tracking, go to the Review tab at the top of Word, then click Track Changes. A checkmark appears next to it when it is on. From that moment forward, every keystroke and deletion shows up as a marked change rather than disappearing silently.

The document does not look different when Track Changes is on, but edits appear in a different color (usually red for the first editor, then blue, green, and other colors for additional people). Deleted text stays visible with a strikethrough. New text appears underlined. This colored markup stays in place until someone accepts or rejects each change.

If you are working with others, turn Track Changes on before you hand the document over. If you turn it on after edits have already been made, those earlier changes will not be tracked — only changes made after you flip the switch will show up.

Key Takeaways

  • Track Changes is on the Review tab and must be turned on before edits are made to record them.
  • Tracked edits appear in color with strikethrough for deletions and underline for additions, and stay visible until accepted or rejected.
  • You can review all changes at once using the Review pane, which lists every edit with the editor's name and timestamp.
  • Accept changes one at a time or all at once; rejected changes disappear and the text reverts to its original state.
  • You can turn off Track Changes to edit without recording, then turn it back on later to resume tracking.

Review all changes in the Review pane

Once edits are tracked, open the Review pane to see them all in one place. On the Review tab, click Review Pane (or Reviewing Pane in older Word versions). A panel opens on the left side showing every change in order: who made it, what changed, and the exact time. This is the fastest way to see the full picture of what has been edited.

The Review pane also shows you how many changes remain. At the top it displays a count like "5 of 12 changes" so you know how many edits you still need to decide on. You can click any change in the pane to jump straight to it in the document.

Accept or reject individual changes

To deal with changes one at a time, click into the document where a tracked change appears. On the Review tab, you will see Accept and Reject buttons. Click Accept to keep the edit and remove the colored markup — the text stays but the tracking disappears. Click Reject to undo the edit and return the text to what it was before.

When you accept or reject a change, Word automatically moves you to the next one. This is the best approach when you want to think about each edit individually, or when you disagree with some changes but not others.

Accept or reject all changes at once

If you trust all the edits and want to clear the markup quickly, click the dropdown arrow next to Accept on the Review tab and select Accept All Changes. Every tracked change in the document is accepted immediately, and all the colored markup disappears. The text remains exactly as it was edited, but now it looks like a normal document with no revision history.

The same dropdown next to Reject has a Reject All Changes option that undoes every edit at once and returns the document to its original state. Use this only when you want to discard all revisions and start over.

Once you accept or reject all changes, you cannot undo that action by pressing Ctrl+Z — the changes are final. If you are unsure, review them one at a time instead.

Turn Track Changes off when you are done

After all changes have been accepted or rejected, turn off Track Changes so future edits do not get marked. Go to the Review tab and click Track Changes again to toggle it off. The checkmark disappears, and any new edits you make will not be tracked.

You can turn Track Changes on and off as many times as you need. Some people turn it off to make quick fixes without cluttering the document, then turn it back on when they are ready to share the document again. There is no limit to how many times you can switch it.

Understand the colors and symbols

Each person who edits a tracked document gets their own color. The first editor's changes appear in red, the second in blue, the third in green, and so on. This makes it easy to see at a glance who changed what. Hover your mouse over any tracked change to see a tooltip with the editor's name, the type of change (insertion, deletion, formatting), and the exact date and time.

Deleted text shows with a strikethrough and appears in the editor's color. New text appears underlined in the same color. If someone changes formatting — like making text bold or changing the font — Word marks that as a formatting change and shows it in the margin with a vertical line. Comments appear as colored bubbles in the margin and do not count as tracked changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see who made each change?

Yes. Hover over any tracked change to see the editor's name, the type of change, and the timestamp. The Review pane also lists the editor's name next to each change. If you are working with others and changes show as "Unknown Editor," the person who made the edit did not have their name set up in Word — ask them to go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Personal Information and enter their name.

What happens if I close the document without accepting or rejecting changes?

The tracked changes stay in the document. When you reopen it, all the edits are still there in the same colors, waiting to be reviewed. Word does not automatically accept or reject changes — you have to do that manually or click Accept All or Reject All.

Can I track changes in a document that is shared online?

Yes. If the document is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint and opened in Word Online or the desktop version, Track Changes works the same way. Each person's edits appear in their assigned color, and you can accept or reject them as usual. Online documents sometimes show changes slightly differently, but the feature works.

How do I know if Track Changes is on?

Look at the Review tab. If Track Changes has a checkmark or appears highlighted, it is on. You can also look at the status bar at the bottom right of the window — it may show "Track Changes: On" depending on your Word version. If you are unsure, turn it on before you start editing.

Can I undo accepting a change after I have already accepted it?

Not directly. Once you accept a change, it is final and cannot be undone by rejecting it again. If you accepted all changes at once and regret it, your only option is to close the document without saving and reopen the version with tracked changes still in place. If you have already saved, you may be able to recover an earlier version through your file history or backup.