Turn on All Track Changes in Word 2016

This tutorial shows how to use Track Changes in Microsoft Word. Track Changes helps us edit documents by tracking insertions, deletions, replacements, and format changes. Word calls these edits markups.

The term Track Changes is commonly used for both edits and comments, so this tutorial also includes Word's comment tool.

We will cover eleven topics:

1. How to Turn Track Changes On and Off
2. How to Show and Hide Track Changes
3. How to Delete Text with Track Changes
4. How to Insert Text with Track Changes
5. How to Replace Text with Track Changes
6. How to Change Formatting with Track Changes
7. How to Accept or Reject Track Changes
8. How to Insert Comments
9. How to Reply To and Resolve Comments
10. How to Delete Comments
11. How to Open and Close the Reviewing Pane

This tutorial is also available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.

Watch more than 100 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.

The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365). These steps will also work for Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010. However, your interface may look slightly different in those older versions of the software.

How to Turn Track Changes On and Off

1. Select the Review tab in the ribbon.

Figure 1. Review tab

2. Select the Track Changes button in the Tracking group. The button will appear darker than the rest of the ribbon when Track Changes is turned on.

Figure 2. Track Changes button

3. Select the Track Changes button again to turn off tracking.

You can control how comments and edits appear by using the Display for Review and Show Markup menus in the Tracking group in the ribbon.

1. Select the Display for Review drop-down menu to choose how edits and comments are displayed. The options are (A) Simple Markup, (B) All Markup, (C) No Markup, and (D) Original.

Figure 3. Display for Review menu

(A) Simple Markup displays the edited version of the content without visible in-line edits. However, edits are indicated by a vertical line in the left margin.

For example, if you delete a sentence, that sentence won't appear on screen. Instead, a vertical line will appear in the left margin showing that a change was made in that location.

If you want to see the edit, select the vertical line to switch to All Markup.

Figure 4. Simple Markup margin line

(B) All Markup displays all edits and comments. This view is best for most copyediting and proofreading work.

A vertical line, like the one shown in Simple Markup (see figure 4), will appear on the left side of the screen indicating that a change was made in that location.

Select that line to switch to Simple Markup.

(C) No Markup displays the edited version of the content without any visible edits or comments.

(D) Original displays the original version of the content without any edits or comments.

2. Select the Show Markup drop-down menu to choose what features Track Changes displays.

I recommend displaying all comments and edits (i.e., insertions and deletions and formatting changes) and choosing Show Only Comments and Formatting in Balloons for most copyediting and proofreading work so that your insertions and deletions will appear in the text.

Figure 5. Show Markup menu

Important note: The remaining sections show Track Changes in the All Markup view.

How to Delete Text with Track Changes

1. Select the text you want to delete.
2. Select the Delete key on your keyboard. The deleted text will appear with a strikethrough in the All Markup view.

Figure 6. Text deleted with Track Changes

How to Insert Text with Track Changes

1. Place your cursor where you want to insert new text.
2. Type the new text. The insertion will appear with an underline in the All Markup view.

Figure 7. Text inserted with Track Changes

How to Replace Text with Track Changes

1. Select the text you want to replace.
2. Type the replacement text. The original text will appear with a strikethrough, and the replacement text will appear with an underline in the All Markup view.

Figure 8. Text replaced with Track Changes

How to Change Formatting with Track Changes

Formatting includes the font style, font size, font color, italics, bold font, underlining, superscripting and subscripting, indentations, alignment, and margins.

1. Select the text you want to reformat.
2. Change the format. Track Changes will automatically display the change with your other markup if you have selected formatting in the Show Markup section of the Tracking group.

Figure 9. Format changed with Track Changes

How to Accept or Reject Track Changes

Edits created with Track Changes must be accepted before they become part of your document. You can accept or reject edits individually or all at once from within the text or from the ribbon by following any of the three methods below.

Method One: Accept or Reject Edits Individually from within the Text

1. Right-click the insertion, deletion, or replacement text.
2. Select Accept or Reject in the shortcut menu.

Figure 10. Accept and Reject shortcut menu options

Method Two: Accept or Reject Edits Individually from the Ribbon

1. Click on or select the insertion, deletion, or replacement text.
2. Select the Accept or Reject button in the Changes group.

Figure 11. Accept and Reject buttons

Method Three: Accept or Reject All Edits

Unless you are very confident in your reviewers' expertise, I strongly caution against accepting or rejecting all edits without first checking the accuracy of each one.

1. Select the Accept or Reject menu arrow in the Changes group.

Figure 12. Accept and Reject menu arrows

2. Select your preferred option: Accept/Reject All Changes or Accept/Reject All Changes and Stop Tracking.

Figure 13. Accept All Changes and Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking options

You can use the Comment tool with Track Changes turned on or turned off.

Method One: Insert Comments from Inside the Text

1. Select and then right-click the text you want to connect to the comment. (Alternately, you can right-click anywhere you would like the comment to be connected without selecting specific text.)
2. Select New Comment in the shortcut menu.

Figure 14. New Comment shortcut menu option

Your cursor will automatically move into the comment balloon.

3. Type your comment into the balloon.

Figure 15. Example comment

Method Two: Insert Comments from the Ribbon

1. Select the text you want to connect to the comment. (Alternately, you can place your cursor anywhere you want the comment to be connected without selecting specific text.)
2. Select the New Comment button in the Comments group.

Figure 16. New Comment button

Your cursor will automatically move into the comment balloon.

3. Type your comment into the balloon (see figure 15).

You can reply to comments or resolve comments from within the text or within the comment balloon.

When you resolve a comment, it will be grayed out but still visible.

Method One: Reply To and Resolve Comments from within the Text

1. Right-click the text connected to the comment.
2. Select Reply To Comment or Resolve Comment in the shortcut menu.

Figure 17. Reply To Comment and Resolve Comment shortcut menu options

2. If you chose Reply To Comment, your cursor will move into a new comment balloon where you can type your reply. If you chose Resolve Comment, the comment will be grayed out.

Method Two: Reply To and Resolve Comments from within the Balloon

1. Select the comment.
2. Select the Reply or Resolve button. (These buttons won't appear until you have selected the comment.)

Figure 18. Reply and Resolve buttons

2. If you chose Reply, your cursor will move into a new comment balloon where you can type your reply. If you chose Resolve, the comment will be grayed out.

Pro Tip: Select Reopen if you want to turn a resolved comment into an unresolved comment.

Figure 19. Reopen button

There are three ways to delete comments individually or all at once.

Method One: Delete Individual Comments from the Shortcut Menu

1. Right-click the text connected to the comment or the comment balloon.
2. Select Delete Comment in the shortcut menu.

Figure 20. Delete Comment shortcut menu option

Method Two: Delete Individual Comments from the Ribbon

1. Select the comment balloon.
2. Select the Delete button in the Comments group or the Reject button in the Changes group.

Figure 21. Delete and Reject buttons

Method Three: Delete All Comments

1. Select the Delete button menu arrow in the Comments group.

Figure 22. Delete menu arrow

2. Select Delete All Comments in Document from the drop-down menu.

Figure 23. Delete All Comments in Document option

How to Open and Close the Reviewing Pane

The Reviewing Pane (labeled Revisions) shows all the comments and edits selected in the Show Markup drop-down menu in the Tracking group in the ribbon, along with the total number of those comments and markups in the document.

The Reviewing Pane isn't necessary for using Track Changes, but it can be helpful when you need to find a specific edit or want to see how many edits or comments are in the document.

1. Select the Reviewing Pane button in the Tracking group.

Figure 24. Reviewing Pane button

The Reviewing Pane will appear, normally on the left side of your screen.

Figure 25. Reviewing Pane

2. Select the Reviewing Pane button again to close the Reviewing Pane.

Related Resources

Now that you have reviewed the basics of how to use Track Changes in Word, you may want to explore some advanced topics. Here are several options to get you started:

How to Copy and Paste Text with Comments and Track Changes in Word

How to Remove User Names from Existing Track Changes in Microsoft Word

How to Change Your User Name for Track Changes in Microsoft Word

How to Stop Microsoft Word from Calling You "Author" in Track Changes

How to Change the Font and Font Size of Comments in Word

How to Change the Color of Track Changes in Microsoft Word

Updated October 19, 2021

Turn on All Track Changes in Word 2016

Source: https://erinwrightwriting.com/use-track-changes-microsoft-word/

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