How to Turn On Track Changes in Word
Turn on Track Changes in Word from the Review tab or with Ctrl + Shift + E, pick a markup view, lock tracking with a password, and accept or reject edits.
Applies to: Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; Mac differences noted. Last checked September 11, 2026. Suggest an edit
You are editing someone else's document, or sending yours out for review, and every insertion and deletion needs to be visible and reversible. Track Changes records them.
Turn on Track Changes
Click Review, Track Changes, or press Ctrl + Shift + E (Mac: Cmd + Shift + E). The button stays highlighted while tracking is on. From then on, added text is underlined in color, deleted text is struck through, and a bar appears in the margin beside each changed line.
Choose whose edits are tracked
In Microsoft 365, the Track Changes button has a dropdown with For Everyone and Just Mine. For Everyone tracks every editor in a shared document; Just Mine tracks only your edits. Older versions have no dropdown and track everyone.
Pick a markup view
Beside the Track Changes button is a dropdown that reads Simple Markup by default. Simple Markup shows only the margin bar; click the bar to expand the details. All Markup shows every change inline. No Markup shows the document as if every change were accepted, and Original shows it before any edits. Changes are recorded in every view.
Accept or reject changes
Click a change, then click Accept or Reject in the Changes group of the Review tab. Next and Previous move between changes. The Accept dropdown includes Accept All Changes and Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking; the Reject dropdown has the matching options.
Lock tracking so it cannot be turned off
Click the Track Changes dropdown, then Lock Tracking, and enter a password twice. Other editors can still make changes, but they cannot switch tracking off without the password. Use the same menu and password to unlock it.
Before sending the final copy. Tracked changes travel with the file. Choose Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking, then switch the view to All Markup and confirm nothing is left. Comments are separate from tracked changes; remove them with Review, Delete, Delete All Comments in Document.
On Mac. The Review tab has a Track Changes switch with the same markup dropdown beside it, and the Accept and Reject buttons work the same way.