If someone asks you to review a document, you might use a red pen on a printed copy. You would cross out words, mark mistakes, and write notes in the margins. Microsoft Word allows you to do this electronically with Track Changes and Comments.

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What is Track Changes?

When you turn on Track Changes, any edits you make will show as colored markups.

• Deleted text will not disappear. Instead, it will be crossed out.
• Added text will be underlined.
  

  
  

This helps you see edits before making them final. If multiple people edit the document, each person will have a different markup color.

How to Turn On Track Changes

1. Go to the Review tab.
   
   
   
2. Click Track Changes.
   
   
   

Now, any edits you make will appear as markups.

Reviewing and Accepting Changes

Tracked changes are just suggestions. You can accept or reject them.

1. Click on the change you want to review.
   
   
   
2. Go to the Review tab.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Click Accept or Reject.

The markup will disappear, and Word will move to the next change. You can accept or reject each change one by one.

To accept all changes at once:

• Click the Accept drop-down arrow.
• Select Accept All.
  
  
  
• Choose Accept All and Stop Tracking to finish reviewing.

Track Changes Viewing Options

Too many changes can make a document hard to read. You can choose how edits appear:

• Simple Markup – Shows the final version with red markers in the margin.
• All Markup – Displays all changes inline.
• No Markup – Hides changes and shows the final version.
• Original – Shows the document before edits.

To change the view:

1. Go to the Review tab.
2. Click Display for Review.
3. Select your preferred option.

You can also click the red marker in the margin to switch between Simple Markup and All Markup.

Showing Revisions in Balloons

By default, changes appear inline. You can move them to the right margin using balloons.

To show revisions in balloons:

1. Go to the Review tab.
2. Click Show Markup > Balloons > Show Revisions in Balloons.
   
   
   

Now, most edits will appear in the right margin. Added text will still appear inline.

Using Comments

Instead of editing text, you can leave comments as feedback.

To add a comment:

1. Select text or place the cursor where you want the comment.
   
   
   
2. Go to the Review tab.
   
   
   
3. Click New Comment.
   
   
   
4. Type your comment.

To delete a comment:

1. Click on the comment.
   
   
   
2. Go to the Review tab.
   
   
   
3. Click Delete.

To remove all comments, click Delete All Comments in Document.

Comparing Two Documents

If you edit a document without Track Changes, you can still review edits by comparing two versions.

To compare documents:

1. Go to the Review tab.
2. Click Compare > Compare.
   
   
   
3. Select the Original and Revised documents.
   
   
   
4. Click OK.

Word will create a new document showing the differences as colored markups. You can accept or reject changes just like in Track Changes.