How to Track Changes in a Word Document

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Because it allows you to see exactly what modifications have been made and by whom, it is precious to share papers with other coworkers. Furthermore, it confers greater authority on the document’s owner, who can accept or reject any changes made to the file.

When you use Track Changes, it will keep track of any new or deleted text and any formatting or comments you make. Afterward, reviewers can decide whether or not to accept the revisions.

In the event that you are not familiar with Track Changes, Microsoft provides a very good online guide to utilizing Track Changes.

If you are using the Microsoft Word application on your computer’s desktop, you can also follow these steps:

How to use the Track Changes feature

1. Open your file in Microsoft Word.

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2. Then, click the Review tab at the top of the document.

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3. Click the Track Changes button (PC) or switch the Track Changes switch (Mac). The drop-down bar next to Track Changes should say, Simple Markup. Make sure that you choose All Markup. Then, the edited text will be in red color. Look at the second picture.

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How to Edit the Track Changes

When Track Changes is turned on, you can start making changes to the text. A grey bar will appear on the left side of the text that has been changed. This bar will show you what changes you have made.

1. When you add text, the added text will be a different color than the rest of the text. This makes it easy for reviewers to see.

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2. A comment will be made in the right margin of the document when you delete the text. This comment will say that the text was deleted.

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3. When you change text, the type of change will be written in the right margin of the document. If you want to add a comment to a piece of text, you can choose New Comment from the Review tab. The comment will be in the right-hand corner of the paper.

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How to Review the Track Changes

To review a document, you can accept or reject changes made by someone else if you think they are good enough. Changed text or a note in the margin can be changed by clicking on them. Then, from the Review tab, you can either accept or reject what you’ve changed.

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Each option has a drop-down menu next to it. You can also choose to accept or reject all changes at once from these menus. Here is the example of the result if you choose to accept all changes.

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So, what do you think? Quite easy isn’t it? You can easily do it by following those steps. Leave your comment in the comment column below!

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