Using Track Changes and Comments in Excel

If someone gives you a workbook to review, you might want to edit it. You could mark mistakes, change data, or leave notes. Instead of using a red pen, Excel lets you do this electronically with Track Changes and Comments.

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Note: The Track Changes option is no longer in the Review tab in Excel 2016.

What is Track Changes?

Track Changes highlights any cell you edit. Each change has a border and a small triangle. When you select a marked cell, details of the change will appear. This helps you and others see what was modified before accepting changes.

Some changes in Excel are not tracked. You may want to check Microsoft’s list of changes that are not recorded.

Important: Track Changes does not work if your workbook has tables. To remove a table, go to Design > Convert to Range.

How to Turn On Track Changes

1. Go to the Review tab.
2. Click Track Changes, then Highlight Changes.
   
   
   
3. In the dialog box, check Track changes while editing.
   
   
   
4. Ensure Highlight changes on screen is checked.
5. Click OK.
   
   
   
6. If prompted, save the workbook.
   
   
   

Now, any changes you make will be tracked. A border and triangle will appear in edited cells. If multiple people edit the file, each person gets a different color.

To see the details of a change, select the edited cell.

When you turn on Track Changes, the workbook becomes shared. This means others can edit it at the same time, usually on a network. But you can still track changes on your own computer.

Viewing Tracked Changes on a Separate Sheet

You can also list changes on a new worksheet. This sheet will show old values (before editing) and new values (after editing).

1. Save your workbook.
2. Go to Review > Track Changes > Highlight Changes.
   
   
   
3. Check List changes on a new sheet.
   
   
   
4. Click OK.
   
   
   

A new sheet, called History, will appear. It will show a list of all changes.

To remove the History sheet, either save the workbook again or uncheck List changes on a new sheet.

Reviewing and Accepting Changes

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

1. Go to Review > Track Changes > Accept/Reject Changes.
   
   
   
2. If prompted, save your workbook.
3. In the dialog box, check When: Not yet reviewed.
   
   
   
4. Click OK.
   
   
   
5. A new dialog box will appear.
   
   
   
6. Click Accept or Reject for each change.
7. Excel will move through each change automatically.

If you want to accept or reject all changes at once, click Accept All or Reject All.

Even after accepting/rejecting changes, marks will still appear. To remove them completely, turn off Track Changes:

1. Go to Review > Track Changes > Highlight Changes.
2. Uncheck Track changes while editing.
   
   
   
3. Click OK.
   
   
   
4. Click Yes to confirm.

Turning off Track Changes will accept all changes automatically. You cannot undo this. Always review changes before disabling this feature.

Adding Comments

Instead of changing cell content, you can leave a comment. Comments are useful for feedback.

How to add a comment:

1. Select a cell.
   
   
   
2. Go to Review > New Comment.
   
   
   
3. A comment box will appear.
   
   
   
4. Type your comment.
5. Click anywhere outside the box to save it.
6. The comment will be marked with a small red triangle.
   
   
   
7. Select the cell again to view the comment.

How to edit a comment:

1. Select the cell with the comment.
2. Go to Review > Edit Comment.
   
   
   
3. Edit the text.
   
   
   
4. Click outside the box to save.

How to show or hide comments:

1. Click Review > Show All Comments to see all comments.
   
   
   
2. Click it again to hide them.
   
   
   
3. To show/hide one comment, select the cell and click Show/Hide Comment.

How to delete a comment:

1. Select the cell with the comment.
   
   
   
2. Go to Review > Delete.
   
   
   

The comment will be removed.