📎 This article includes 1 downloadable practice file ↓
In this article
You send a draft to three people and get back three files with silent edits nobody can spot. Track Changes records every insertion, deletion and formatting change with the reviewer’s name, so you can see and decide on each one.
Turn it on
Review › Track Changes (Ctrl+Shift+E). Now insertions appear underlined in colour, deletions struck through or in balloons, with a line in the margin showing where something changed.
Choose what you see
| Display for Review | Shows |
|---|---|
| Simple Markup | Clean text with a red line in the margin where changes are |
| All Markup | Every change in colour, with names |
| No Markup | How it will look if everything is accepted |
| Original | The text before any changes |
Show Markup filters by type (comments, formatting) or by reviewer.
Comments
- Select text, Review › New Comment (Ctrl+Alt+M), type the comment.
- Type @name to mention a colleague in files on OneDrive/SharePoint; they get an email.
- Reply keeps a conversation in one thread; Resolve marks it done without deleting it.
Accept or reject
Use Next to walk through changes one by one and click Accept or Reject for each. The drop-downs offer Accept All Changes or Accept All Changes Shown (after filtering to one reviewer).
Make others track their changes
Track Changes › Lock Tracking with a password: reviewers can’t switch it off. Or Restrict Editing › Tracked changes.
Someone edited without tracking? Compare
Review › Compare › Compare: pick the original and the revised document. Word creates a third document showing every difference as tracked changes. Lifesaver for contracts returned by the other party.
Change your display name
Changes show the name in File › Options › General › User name. Set it properly so colleagues know who changed what.
Where beginners go wrong
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Final file sent with tracked changes | Accept all, delete comments, check with No Markup and Inspect Document |
| “I can’t see any changes” | View is set to Simple or No Markup |
| Reviewer turned tracking off | Lock Tracking, or use Compare |
| Changes show as “Author” | Set the user name in Options |
More: track changes and compare documents.
Practice
Download the practice document below. Edit the report with tracking on, add a comment, then accept and reject changes. The task list is at the top of the document; tick each one off as you go.
📎 Practice files for this article
- 📘Lesson 7 practice documentA report to edit with tracking on, comment on, and then accept/reject changes.⬇ DOCX · 36 KB
Free to use for learning. Files with macros (.bas) are plain text — import them with Alt+F11 → File → Import File, and always test on a copy.
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