Specifying How Changes are Marked

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 13, 2026)

Linda prefers to mark changes in her documents (when she turns on Track Changes) with only a vertical bar at the side of the text. This is not the default method for marking changes, so Linda is wondering how she can make the necessary configuration changes so the markup appears as she wants.

This can easily be done by using the Change Tracking Options dialog box. Here are the steps to follow:

Display the Review tab of the ribbon.
If you are using Word 2007 or Word 2010, click the down-arrow under the Track Changes tool in the Tracking group. Word displays a list of options. Choose Change Tracking Options. Word displays the Track Changes Options dialog box. Skip to step 5.
If you are using Word 2013 click the icon in the bottom-right corner of the Tracking group. Choose Advanced Options. Word displays the Advanced Track Changes Options dialog box. Skip to step 5.
If you are using Word 2016 or a later version click the Tracking tool and then click the icon in the bottom-right corner of the Tracking group. Choose Advanced Options. Word displays the Advanced Track Changes Options dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Track Changes Options dialog box.

Near the top of the dialog box, use the Insertions drop-down list to choose (none).
Use the Deletions drop-down list to choose either (none) or Hidden.
Use the Changed Lines drop-down list to choose any of the options except (none). (Outside Border is a good choice.)
Click OK.

That's it. Your change marking should be just like you preferred it in older versions of Word.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6091) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365.

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. Learn more about Allen...

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What is 7 - 5?

2026-06-15 10:32:51

Beepee

I am using Office 2021 and make the following observations:

With these settings in place there does not seem to be a way to easily see:
1. where the additions were made (although what was added will show in the Revisions pane).
2. What/where deletions were made. Again, they show in the Revisions pane but no indication as to where they were.

An alternative way to display just a vertical bar to the side of changes is to select anything other than (none) in the Advanced Track Changes Options dialog box, and then select Simple Markup from the Display for Review drop-down menu.
It seems (to me )this is a 'sticky' option so will stay in place, but still allows the option to see what and where the changes apply using the 'All Markup' option.

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