Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 6, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365
Word includes a feature that allows you to see what changes have been made to a document. These changes, known as markup, are primarily created using the Track Changes feature of Word. To turn on Track Changes, all you need to do is display the Review tab of the ribbon. In the Tracking group, click the Track Changes tool.
From this point, as you make changes to your document, your changes are shown on-screen using marks that are very similar to those used manually by editors for years. The essence of markup (depending on which version of Word you are using) is that added text is shown as underlined and deleted text is displayed with a strikethrough line drawn through the text. Added comments or text that has had a format change is shown at the right of the document in elements called "balloons."
If desired, you can change the way in which Word shows the markup. To specify how the edits should be noted, follow these steps if you are using Word 2007 or Word 2010:
Figure 1. The Track Changes Options dialog box.
If you are using Word 2013 or a later version, the steps are a bit different. The biggest difference is in how you display the correct dialog box to make changes.
Figure 2. The Track Changes Options dialog box.
As changes are made in a document, Word notes who it was who made the changes. At some point you may want to make the changes anonymous by removing the name associated with the changes. There is a relatively easy way to do this, but the steps are best left to a different WordTip. Check this page:
https://tips.net/T10222
Once you are through making changes in the document, or if you receive a document from someone else that is marked up, you need to go through a process of examining each revision and deciding whether to keep it or toss it out. This is done by searching for the changes and then making your decision on a case-by-case basis. You do this in the following manner:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6112) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Using Track Changes.
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