Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Using Different Colors with Tracked Changes.

Using Different Colors with Tracked Changes

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 30, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365


4

Deborah uses Track Changes to note edits made in a document. She made corrections in a document with Track Changes turned on, so her changes were in one color. Her boss reviewed the document and gave it back to her, asking that the next round of changes be in a different color than the first round was. Deborah wonders if there is a way to specify that her next set of changes be in a different color.

Word's Track Changes feature chooses markup colors based on the user name. To make future changes you need to alter the user name slightly. Here are the steps if you are using Word 2007 or Word 2010:

  1. Display the Review tab on the ribbon.
  2. Click the down-arrow under the Track Changes option in the Tracking group.
  3. Choose Change User Name. Word displays the Popular options of the Word Options dialog box if you are using Word 2007. If you are using Word 2010 then it displays the General options of the Word Options dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The General options of the Word Options dialog box.

  5. Change the User Name field value by adding or deleting a middle initial or name or by adding a number to the end of the name.
  6. Change the Initials field to correspond more closely to the change you made in the User Name field.
  7. Click OK.

If you are using Word 2013 or a later version, then the steps are a bit different:

  1. Display the Review tab on the ribbon.
  2. Click the small arrow at the bottom-right of the Tracking group. Word displays the Track Changes Options dialog box. (See Figure 2.)
  3. Figure 2. The Track Changes Options dialog box.

  4. Click the Change User Name button. Word displays the General options of the Word Options dialog box.
  5. Change the User Name field value by adding or deleting a middle initial or name or by adding a number to the end of the name.
  6. Change the Initials field to correspond more closely to the change you made in the User Name field.
  7. Make sure the Always Use These Values Regardless of Sign in to Office checkbox is selected. (This step is very important.) (See Figure 3.)
  8. Figure 3. The General options of the Word Options dialog box.

  9. Click OK.

Edits with Track Changes will now be in a new color. When the mouse hovers over a change, the new user name will be displayed. If you change the user name back to the original value, future edits will revert to color that was first assigned to that name.

When you are done, be sure to change your user name back to the original value so that other documents will be labeled with that name instead of a convoluted name for editing purposes.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6083) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Using Different Colors with Tracked Changes.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Controlling the Printing of Highlighting

Using Word's built-in highlighter tool can be a great way to add markup to a document and attract a reader's eyes to ...

Discover More

Using Custom Number Formats

Most formatting needs are met by using the predefined formatting options in Excel. The program also allows you to move ...

Discover More

Referencing the Last Cell in a Column

When developing formulas, you may need to reference the very last value in a particular column. This can seem perplexing, ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Stopping Automatic Changes from Being Tracked

Track Changes is a great feature for keeping track of what gets changed in a document. There are some things (such as ...

Discover More

Producing Cleaner Markup

Sometimes it seems that Word is overly aggressive in what it shows in its markup when you have Track Changes turned on. ...

Discover More

Tracked Changes Notification when Opening

If you have Word configured to show markup on-screen and you look through a document, it is easy to tell where changes ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is eight minus 6?

2023-10-12 08:57:13

vj

Thanks so much. Solved my problem, unlike many other help sites.


2020-05-28 10:20:16

Jason

One can also use this to spoof one's co-worker.

I've only used this ethically (File was corrupted. I recreated my co-worker's edits spoofing his username).


2020-03-09 19:15:33

DAVID JOHNSON

Excellent tip, just what I needed (and 20 other pages didn't have).


2019-04-22 13:49:56

Jason DaSilva

I have been going through a lot of your write ups on word. I am looking for something specific on these lines, dealing with Author Colors. The only other documentation I can find is from 2015 stating that either Word Auto Assigns colors for the authors, or you have only one color for everyone. I am hoping this has changed, as I want to have the possibility to set the author color base on their role in the QC process. CoAuthor 1 and 2 should be red, CoAuthor 3 is green, and CoAuther 4 is Blue. Hoping this is possible...


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.